This warrants a quick extra post today….NOW I understand why Scarlett O’Hara spent almost 10 days in the Live Rock – she must have been preparing to molt. I don’t know if she stayed in the Live Rock cavity because she felt vulnerable, or because being near it probably gave her extra calcium (it leaches out of the rock into the water), and she needed extra calcium for the new shell she was creating under her old one.
I assumed she must have molted inside the rock, though given her size it had to be tight quarters. I also wondered why if she was back to her old self, she spent the last 24 hours hiding under the water filter and not eating. Neither thing is like her at all. She generally does not hide, and she ALWAYS eats.
Anyway, I came in carrying groceries and my husband said to me “You are going to want to see this.” We both moved quietly and carefully to the side of the tank. There, underneath the filter sat TWO perfect Scarlett O’Haras – the real one with her new shell, and the “ghost” one…a perfect shell of her old body just sitting there underneath her.
SO!! We have successfully seen one of our crab children molt. How exciting!
Tags: calcium, live rock, molted, molting, Scarlett O'Hara, shell, water filter
Soul Mosaic 
Leave a comment