community mantis tank

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I have a 40 gallon long tank that has been sitting around and i've kept mantis shrimp in the past on a couple of occasions. how many mantis shrimp do you suppose i could try to keep in a tank of this size? do you think i could get away with 4 of them if i provided sufficient areas for dwelllings?

chalk me up as another person who has lost mantis shrimp during molting. it took mine a whole day to slowly die while trapped in his old exoskeliton :(

dr. caldwell, thanks for responding to the threads in this forum. i'm sure i speak for all of us who've read them that we appreciate your expertise and time!
 
Does anyone know what causes these animals to die during the molt. Is it a lack of calcium in the water or something like that? Or is it just a need for prime conditions?
 
The problem of high mortality during molting is not unique to mantis shrimp. Crabs, shrimp, lobster, crayfish, etc. all are most likely to die in captivity during the molt. This is an extremely stressful and energetically demanding time for crustaceans and anything that weakens them (poor nutrition, poor water quality, lack of exercise, disease, etc.) will be expressed during the molt. There isn't too much we can do about disease, but we can watch water quality (including nitrates) and ensure a varied diet which seems to help.

Ro
 
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