# shrimp shedding its skin



## sillyzoedog (Jul 6, 2008)

okay, got home from work and was met with a nice little surprise, i had to do a double take. my shrimp shed his skin, antennaes (or whatever they are called) included. okay, for my stupid beginner question-does it need to be removed? i swear, before i got a good look at it and i saw two sets of antennaes from a distance, i thought for split second that there was another one in there-lol!!


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## SKAustin (Aug 1, 2006)

You really should remove it if it's easily accessible.


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## sillyzoedog (Jul 6, 2008)

thanks, sounds like a silly question, but i figure each time i reach my hand or a net down into the tank i am disrupting the tank and livestock, freaking out the fish, so i really try avoid doing that.


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## SKAustin (Aug 1, 2006)

Get yourself a pair of Grabbers. Feed your fish frozen foods with them, that way they become accustomed to them being in the tank and arent bothered when you need to use them. They come in handy too.


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## Pasfur (Mar 29, 2008)

Also, shrimp utilize iodine in the molting process. It is a good idea to dose iodine in an aquarium with invertebrates, regardless of whether or not you have corals. In such cases, you would cut back dramatically on the recommended dose, say 25% recommended dose.


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

I know that most freshwater shrimp should be allowed to eat their molted skin. How come you shouldn't let saltwater shrimp do the same?


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## SKAustin (Aug 1, 2006)

Pasfur said:


> Also, shrimp utilize iodine in the molting process. It is a good idea to dose iodine in an aquarium with invertebrates, regardless of whether or not you have corals. In such cases, you would cut back dramatically on the recommended dose, say 25% recommended dose.



I highly recommend against dosing iodine without a good understanding of the facts surrounding its supplementation. The reduced dose, as mark suggested, may be a good compromise short term, but excess iodine in the system can become problematic. There has long been debate on whether or not supplementing iodine is necessary at all. There are a large number of natural forms of iodine (some toxic), and available testing kits can only detect a small subset of the total forms present in aquaria. 

I recommend the following for further reading on the subject.

http://advancedaquarist.com/issues/mar2003/chem.htm

http://advancedaquarist.com/issues/april2003/chem.htm


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## Pasfur (Mar 29, 2008)

I am about 2/3 of the way into the first article and already realize that I am about to start a new thread, so that others may participate in the discussion, or have the opportunity to ask questions and be on topic.

In the interest of this thread, I would highly encourage anyone who is currently dosing iodine or iodide, or is considering such, to read the attached links above. These articles are written by Randy-Holmes Farley, with support from Ron Shimek. This fact alone is enough to raise my eyebrows and reconsider.

There have been many other issues over the years in the marine hobby that have been considered common place at one time, and as the hobby has advanced are no longer common today. The marine hobby is still in its infancy, especially the reef aspect of the hobby and our understanding of the water chemistry going on inside the glass box we call a mini-reef. In my new thread i will attempt to bring these issues up, hoping that others can contribute in a way similar to how SK has contributed on this thread.


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