Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp Molting?

[BrianG]

I have 2 Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp in my tank and they have been there for only about 1 week now, and earlier today I thought that 1 of them had died because I could see what looked like him laying under some of my LR, but when I opened the lid to go and retireve him both of the shrimp came out from a different area of the rock. It turned out to only be an old skin of one of them. My question is how often do they molt?

[Phurst]

Depends on several factors. Water quality, feeding, type of shrimp, etc. My cleaner only molts 2 or 3 times a year, but my coral banded used to molt every couple of months, and my peppermint has only molted once in the last year.

[BrianG]

Thanks. I knew that they did, I just did not expect them to do it so quickly after I got them. But I guess it depends on its life cycle.