Skunk Cleaner Died

Hey everyone, I had two skunk cleaner shrimp in my 75 gal tank for about a year and they were happy/healthy. I moved them over to my new 29g after it was cycled and they were in there looking healthy for 12 days now. I woke up this morning and found what looked like two molted shells and figured that they molted. I went in to grab the shells and one had meat in the tail part of the shell and I could only find one shrimp. I was holding the dead guy. :

Anyone have any ideas as to what this could be?

I keep disproving my theories:
- Copper wouldn't make much sense because the other shrimp is still alive, right? Besides, I have tons of little feather dusters, spaghetti worms, sponges, and snails which would be dying too.
- Pistol shrimp? I've yet to hear any clicking at night and I have been up late with the tank lights off. Also, I put a glass with food in the tank an entire night to catch a gorilla crab and the shrimp would have been captured too right?

Any more ideas?

My params are:

Ammonia - 0 ppm
Nitrite - 0 ppm
Nitrate - 20 ppm
pH - 7.8
temp. - 78.6 (steady)

Thanks for the help guys.

 

Is there a difference in salinity between the two tanks?



Edit:

Shrimp can swim out of a glass.

 

How big was it. Cleaner shrimp only live a few years. The big ones seem to be a few years old to begin with. Usually they die molting. They are very sensitive to salinity and water quality when doing so. And are also exposed to predatation when doing so.

 

Not much, I know they are both in the range of 1.025 - 1.027. According to my S*#% hydrometers. (yes, two hydrometers)

I'm working in getting a refractometer soon.

I drip acclimated them for about 2 hours to make sure that it wouldn't be a problem however.

 

They were pretty big, and I got them November of 2009. Could it be old age?

 

So how would I find out if it's a Pistol shrimp?

 

Can't say for sure. Since both died, there was something else going on as well, but could be age related. I've never had one of the big ones last more than 6 months. Probably less. The small ones last a few years typical. It's funny that some fish stores actually charge more for big ones... good income source I guess.

 

Oops, I thought you meant catch the cleaner shrimp. I don't know whether a pistol shrimp can swim out of a glass or not.

 

I had two of these cleaner shrimp in my 29g, Mike. I had them for about a year, then they mysteriously died. It could have been old age, the salinity level fluctuating(no ATO in my tank at the time) or bad water quality(I used tap water ten).

 

No, Only one died.

And it's so true about Fish stores. I find it ridiculous.