When a critter molts its exoskeleton...

[rjarnold]

Do you toss it or leave it in the tank to decompose?

 

[NaH2O]

I usually toss mine if I see it laying there.

 

[Elmo18]

I leave it in the tank.

Cleaner shrimp, as with all other shrimp, will actually eat their old exoskeleton and gain some iodine from it.

I see this happen all the time in my girlfriend's 10 gallon tank. They don't eat it right away. They are rather secretive for a couple days after they molt (for safety reasons), so their new exoskeleton hardens. The one in the tank will chew and eat it.

Best,
Ilham

 

[theJ]

I leave mine in the tank also for the same reason, although other people have different opinions on the matter. Its not going to harm anything as far as I have seen though.

 

[ReefJunkie]

Or you could remove it very carefully, show it to the wife and tell her it died. Maybe then she will feel sorry for you and let you buy another.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Why let the fish eat it, I grab it for myself, Yum-Yum!

Seriously, I let the critters do their job. Yes it is a form of pollution by some standards, but so is any feeding which is vital.

 

[Jan]

Or you could remove it very carefully, show it to the wife and tell her it died.

I showed one to my husband and made him guess what it was...

 

[Snowboarda42]

Mine ususally ends up in one of my powerhead screens, so I take it out.


edit: I need to be careful what I read in this forum. Seems like whenever I read something that happens to someone, it happens to my tank. Like the fact that I just read this and saw my Crab Molting.