# Is my Ghost Shrimp molting?



## IanHulett

Hi. He's completely white and on his side. He is still kind of moving his back legs whenever I move the breeding box I isolated him in and sometimes moves his front legs. I heard that when a ghost shrimp is dead, it will color pink-ish. Last time, I removed a shrimp I thought was dead but now I'm having second thoughts of it being dead. I don't want to make another mistake. Is he dead or molting? Thanks a bunch.


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## Raymond S.

In four years I've only actually seen one molt. Don't believe it takes but a few seconds, but not like 12 but rather about 
30-180. No actual statistics but just the fact that in all this time/w shrimp all the while I would have if ity took any noticeable
length of time. They usually do turn white when killed but haven't seen one just die on it's own yet. As long as it's by it's
self and the water quality won't effect other things, I'd just let it till tomorrow. You might look into some of the details of
shrimp/food as it may be otherwise healthy and had a hard time shedding/molting. Never had any of those issues so
I've never read up on it, but have heard that certain deficiencies in minerals cause this and they can be supplemented in food.
Read up on it and just buy a small container that list that mineral on it's list of ingredients. Unless you got a bunch and
would like to get some actual "made-for-shrimp" type food. This is for anyone who might need/want shrimp food and would like to get it from a fellow aquarist rather than a shop.
The Planted Tank Forum


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## jrman83

Hard to say whether your shrimp is molting or not by what you describe. In the many shrimp I have, I have only seen two of them molt. These were yellow shrimp. Don't remember looking at them and noticing anything abnormal by the way they looked. And once they starting going through the motions it was over less than 30 seconds.

I would think that near clear shrimp would be harder to see some type of difference in the way they looked just before the molt. There is no need to do anything special for them. If they can't molt, that is where they usually can die.


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## IanHulett

So, the inability to molt is Natural Selection at it's max?

Oh, and I forgot to mention, he's a snow white color.


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## z1200

If he isn't moving he's dead. I've owned quite a few of these guys and when they molt the only thing I have noticed is them eating an exoskeleton, or one laying on the gravel. They usually turn white after they are dead for a while. If you aren't sure leave him in the tank for a little bit.


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