Amona Shrimp - Shedding?

[Cooper2085]

So i thought my Shrimp had died, it was just floating about at the top of the tank..... When i fished it out it was just his skin. I thought that the other fish had had a nice meal BUT then i saw the shrimp chilling out on one of the rocks. I never knew shrimp shed there skins! Why do they do this, is there a reason for it?

 

[LolaLouie]

They shred all the time, it's coz their shells dont stretch so they need to shred them in order to grow. I think they still shed in adulthood though... not sure why!

 

[st24rsap]

not sure of the reasons but i have 4 shrimps and they are always shedding there skins

 

[Cooper2085]

It grossed my GF out lol, she was nearly sick! She is 6 months pregnant though

 

[Shrimper]

With shrimp they don't have bones, their shell is basicly their skeleton. They are known as invertibrates which means they don't have a backbone.
The shell is normally hard and non flexible, When they grow they need to get rid of the old shell or they wouldn't have any space to grow into.

Shedding can also help repair any problems they have, for example of they loose a leg they can grow a new one when they shed.