Signs of a molt???

[reefkeeperfrodo]

My O. Scyllarus is not his self today. Hes 6 1/2 inches long, and has been real happy in my 24g aquapod for about three weeks. He eats about every other day (frozen krill), but today.....he's hiding in the "den" he's made himself. Theres not enough rubble to close off any holes, not to mention he's friggen huge, so hes holed up against the rock, as far back as he can get. I know they only molt once every few months, so should I be worried, or is he okay. Im currently mixing water for a water change.

PH 8.1
Sg 1.024
Temp 81 F

No trate or calcium test at home, so please, for Prof. Chaos' sake, help us

[Gonodactylus]

Unless there is something wrong with your water, hold off on the change. The last thing you want to do when a stomatopod is molting is to change its water. Unless the parameters are exactly the same, you can induce osmotic stress - not a good thing for an animal molting.

If you have noticed an increase in digging and construction, a lack of appetite, and secretive behavior, the animal is probably nearing a molt. An animal as large as you say this one is will only molt every 3 or 4 months, but since you don't know when the last molt was, that could be now.

Roy