Marbled Crayfish molting on same day

Hankj

I had four marbled crayfish in the same 10 gallon tank and they all molted on the same day. They are various sizes and ages.

Has anyone else ever experienced it? Is this common? Could it be a defense mechanism (all defenseless at same time prevents fighting)? Could something in their genes trigger the molt from the environment (ie. water parameters, temps)?

fashionfobie

Many of my shrimp would molt on the same day too. I am also very curious about the reason behind it. Considering that they have exceeded their projected life expectancy I was never really alarmed. I have amano shrimp that are well over 4 years of age.

Hankj

Very nice!

Hankj

Just read this on another forum

"Oh yeah, make no mistake.Those "ladies" know there are others around...separate if possible.I keep mine in a 5 and a 2.5g!

You can raise the young together...but, separate some when they grow.They will all try to moult at the same time, so they can be venerable equally, and no armor-clad crays dismember them.Also, don't feed them to much to fast, they can grow too fat to moult with a mass die off ensuing.If you can get something going you can have perpetual food for anything you could feed a cray to."

fashionfobie

Wow Thanks for sharing! I have read that ghost shrimp are notorious for preying on other shrimp species while that species is molting. So it makes a lot of sense that the shrimp would get on a similar molt cycle. I have not kept multiple species together but I am curious if they would sync up cross species in the same tank.

Hankj

Well this time around I had them split up. Two in a ten gallon and two in a 29 gallon. The two in the 10 gallon molted within 24 hours. Then the next day one in the 29 gallon molted followed by the other one molting within 24 hours.

The two in the ten gallon were about mid range size and one in the 29 gallon was big and the other small. Kinda cool that they are even pretty close to the same time of molting even when separated at different sizes.

fashionfobie

That is really cool.

fashionfobie

Ok another interesting thought on this. Amano shrimp are primarily algae eaters, yet they have the same defense as predatory crustaceans. Speculative of course, I didn't actually look this up in a scientific paper, I am just brain storming. Unless all species molt near each other, then it would make sense that it could be a general defense not to get eaten.

Hankj

Yes it does make sense. Only other crustacean I have owned (besides other crays and shrimp) are hermit crabs and I do not remember them sharing this trait.