wolfman21

I have ghost shrimp who molt and then they turn white and don't get back their exoskeleten, and shortly after that they die. Does anyone know why they don't get their exoskeleton back and what you can do to make sure they get it back. I thought it was a lack of Calcium, but I don't know if that's it. Please let me know.

Dino

Start feeding them food made for hermit crabs, which is available at most pet chain stores.
This will provide them with the iodine and calcium they need.

Dino

wolfman21

I tried feeding them the hermit crab food and they didn't eat any of it. I guess they don't like it or something.

0morrokh

2 guesses...
1. fish are killing them after they molt. They are vulnerable at this point and need a lot of hiding places.
2. what's your water quality like? It appears your tank is quite a bit overstocked, which can cause the water quality to go down. Shrimp are fairly sensitive to water quality.

wolfman21

I talked to someone at PetCo and they told me to drop a couple seashells into the water because that will release some Calcium Carbonate into the water. I did, and that helped. One of them molted and immediately got a new exoskeleton. I thought the tank might be overcrowded. I have a 35-gallon tank that I'm getting in a week or so, so I will give them more room when I get that set up. Thanks for all the help and advice, though.