Return from the living dead?

[walter]

Ok so some of you might remember my post about a month or so ago about me buying 2 clowns, a peppermint shrimp, a turbo snail, and cerith snail, and a few hermits. Anyways within 2 days both clowns died to trama, the turbo and the shrimp disappeared from the tank all together. I moved rocks and still nothing. So I chocked it up as them dieing and ...i dont know what. My ammonia never spiked so I counted it as good bacteria countering it.

 

Well about 2 weeks ago the turbo snail shows up. Im like WOW there you are. Then I get hope from the shrimp.

 

Side question: Are snails usually this sediment? They seem to find a place and stay there for days on end. Their alive because when i try to move them, they are stuck (holding onto the glass or rock).

 

Back on topic:

 

Anyways about 3 days ago I see this white blob on the left of my sand. Im like what is that? I poke it with my net and it rips open and I see what looks like crab claws and a crab face (eyes and tentacles). I shed a tear and get scared again because of the clown incident. I remove it from the tank and check my ammonia level. Went from 0 to .50 from the day before. The next day I see another blob in the same place. Just more of the same. I assume its from the same animal (although i dont see any empty shells other than the ones i put in there). I scope it out and dig around the sand to get any pockets of dead animal out.

 

Well here is the kicker. This morning I go to look at my tank and I see what looks like the peppermint shrimp I put in there about a month ago. Its in the same spot as the decomp bubble. Full body intact (but dead). The antenna are moving but I think its the current. Crabs and snails are near it. snails are having a good ol time. It looks translucent other than the tail. Check ammonia levels and its between .25 and .5. I will leave the carcass in there for the mean time.

 

So this brings me to the question at hand (yeah I know i could have just asked). Anyways. I have read about 3 month molting stories. Is this a shell molt or the deceased resident? Why show up now? Did I crush it when I moved the rocks? Do peppermint shrimps hide in the sand? I thought they hid in rocks.

 

 

Can I leave it in there for food?

 

Anyways. I have since the original incident got 2 true clowns, a cleaner shrimp, many snails and crabs (thanks again trockafella). Other than one of my chromis doing the out of tank dive (still think the clowns made it do it (they took the chromis hiding spot)) Every thing is alive and playing nicely. The clowns are even letting the shrimp clean it.

 

I have also somehow got a pod colony going. Food for everyone

 

Thanks for answering my questions and putting up with my LONG story and (side notes)

[lhcorals]

Pepperment Shrimp are great for not being seen. I have about 15 in my tank and hardly ever see them.

When tyey Molt they leave behind a intact shell. You might want to add a little Iodine every once in a while to help with molting. If there's not enough Iodine it makes molting difficult and the Shrimp could die.