marcin11379
New member
thanks.........
good info...................
good info...................
WoW! Amazing video you got there. Thanks!
Nothing special except don't bug them by trying to see what is going on in the cavity. Also, try to keep tank parameters constant. This is not a time to allow the temperature to change, to adjust the salinity or probably even clean the sand. By the time the molt is a day or two away, the animal has stopped eating and I would not recommend adding nutrients or supplements. (On more time - where did this myth come from that stomatopods need extra iodine?)
As for how long does it take for a 15 cm O.s to molt - about a minute. If you were asking how long is it between molts, it depends on how much it is eating and for females, if she lays eggs. The average would be every 3 or 4 months, but I've seen well fed large O.s molt in every two months and I've seen some O.s not molt for 6 months. Also, if the animal has lost its raptorial appendages, it will decrease the molt interval.
Roy
As for how long it
This doesn't sound good to me. Stomatopods do not usually lie around on their backs for days prior to molting. With a healthy molt, you typically see increases in digging and aggression a few days prior to molting and the last day or two they can't strike, but not the behavior you describe. If it were me, I would tend to the tank with a partial water change being careful not to stir things up and matching the salinities between the old and new water.
Roy