Molting question - Fire Shrimp.

[LightingBug]

Is there a rule of thumb for molting frequency for fire shrimp?

My juvenile fire shrimp has molted 2 times in the 5/6 weeks I have had it.

 

[Anemone_Fanatic]

Every few weeks seems most common, less often once the shrimp is fully grown.

 

[LightingBug]

Every few weeks seems most common, less often once the shrimp is fully grown.

Many thanks -
IIRC isn't is in the 3-4 month range for adults?

 

[formallydehyde]

How often they molt also seems to depend on food availability, in addition to their age.
When I started to feed mine twice a day as a juvenile, while she was in a major growth spurt she molted probably once every 14 days, sometimes a little less. She seems to have slowed down to 45-60 days now. Your's sounds pretty normal from what I've heard and seen.

Only time I'd say to worry about them molting too frequently is if you start seeing black spots on their exoskeleton and they start looking uncomfortable and "itchy" (grooming really excessively). That indicates they probably have a infection on their exoskeleton, and they'll molt really quickly as part of their immune response to try to clear the infection.

 

[LightingBug]

Thanks for more info. I saw my pistol shrimp dragging the exoskelleton down into his hole and didn't see the fire shrimp. Found him afterwards but it made me wonder how often. My previous shrimp experiences were all adult shrimp.