My Cleaner Shrimp Die During Molt?

[benmorrow1978]

Hey all, I'm perplexed. I've had a pair of cleaners for about 8 months. Everything has been great, they were molting about every 6 weeks, producing eggs like a couple of newlyweds and eating like Sumo wrestlers. About 2 weeks ago, I found remnants of one of them. Last night I came home to the second lying on his back. He/she appeared to be molting. I've never witnessed a molt, but it was pulling skin off. I know it's a sensitive time for them so I let him do his thing, however painful it looked. I woke this morning to my blue legs having shrimp for breakfast. I'm no pro but no wreckless fish/invert killer either. My H2O quality is very good, 8.3, <10ppm nitrates, calcium >400, carbonate hardness 4.5mEq, SpGr 1.026. I used to dose a little, and I mean a "little" iodide but quit at the suggestion of some experts here since I didn't test for it. It's been 4 months since I quit. I have tons of corals and all are rather healthy, I've got a clown, bi-color blenny and a mandarin dragonet (eating frozen food, how awesome is that?) that are all healthy too. What's up? I know they don't have grey hair, but surely the life span isn't the cause with two deaths. I told my fiance that the second died of a broken heart from losing the first....

[Reefing Madness]

They usually run and hide out after a molt. Are you absolutely sure what you saw was not the molt that your CUC was eating??

[benmorrow1978]

The blue legs weren't on him until this morning. The shrimp was laying on it's back in the back of the tank. I had always noticed the shell after a molt taking place at night, but this happened while the lights were on. Unless some kind of ailment was the originating factor, I can't see my super small blue legs attacking the shrimp successfully. These were fully grown fiesty cleaner shrimp. My 1st suspicion is some sort of ailment or disease. No visual symptoms though and nothing else in the tank seems to be showing signs of stress. My 2nd thought is a lack of iodine. I do frequent water changes with Reef Crystals, which I "believe" has iodine in it. Does anyone know if crabs, red leg, blue leg, etc require more iodine than shrimp? Would they succumb to a lack of iodine first? I have over 75 blue legs in the tank (75 gallon), and I'm sure I've lost some as there are a few empty shells lying around, but no crazy mass die offs are occuring.

Something else I'm wondering is; both my shrimp were holding eggs constantly. When they would release them, they would start producing more within 2 days. Could the death of one cause an imbalance of some sort in the other, causing its demise? Am I reaching way too far?

I'm lost, and kinda bummed honestly. I feel so bad for the little guy, I assumed he was molting and let him do his thing, now I know he was slowly dying and I wish I had put him out of his misery last night.

I think my fiance's compassion is rubbing off on me....