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Old 11/04/2006, 05:19 PM
Gonodactylus Gonodactylus is offline
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Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Berkeley, CA, USA
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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