Marvins shedding!

[Creade]

My little yellow spearer is shedding and Im so suprised about how its going. Mantis shed during the daylight hours opposed to at night like all other shrimp? That suprised me to start.. This is the first time he has shed in my tank so I had never seen it before. He is sitting at the mouth of his cave playing with the shed like he just took his coat off.

BTW.. is there anything I should be doing for him specifically during this time? Avoiding water changes or anything like that?
Heh, this is too cool. Watching him just cracks me up, he's so interesting.

Creade

 

[Gonodactylus]

Just leave him alone and don't try to feed him for three or four days. Leave the molt skin with him. He will eat much of it which will provide a good source of minerals and protein.

Roy

 

[Creade]

Thanks much !


Creade

 

[Jace18]

Sorry to but in a thread but i had a question about removing the shedings.

I have a Peacock mantis about 4 almost 5 inches. When he is full do does not like the food i give him he takes it out of his home and puts it in the farthest corner of the tank and will leave it there untill i take it out. Now my question is he will do the same thing with he sheding is it ok to remove them.

On a side note how large will the mantis grow? I have him in a 10Gal now We have had him for almost a year and he appears to be growing and doing great.

Thanks
Jace

 

[Gonodactylus]

Depending on what other food is available, O. scyllarus will eat some or all of their molt skin. In the field, they will often take the skin away from the burrow, bury it, and then later dig it up and eat it after a few days. In the aquarium, people often try to feed them soft, palatable food only a day or two post molt. They can and do eat it.

In the field, most of their normal prey would not be available for several days until they are strong enough to kill and process ii, so the molt skin provides nutrients that otherwise would be wasted.

I always leave the molt skin with the animal and they usually eat everything except the very hardest parts such as the dactyl heels and mandibles.

In the field and aquarium, O. s. often will bury food that they cannot consume. In the field, that causes no problem. In the aquarium, it can obviously produce a lethal ammonia spike.


As for size, the largest O.s. I have seen was 19 cm. Most don't make it in captivity beyond about 15 cm.

Roy