help needed URGENTLY!!! MANTIS POORLY

[fish lad]

hi all

basicly all afternoon my mantis of unknown species (some sort of smasher) has spent loads of time rolling about on the sand at the bottom of the tank

he has never done this before and i have been keeping him only 3 weeks he is my first mantis. i can not help but feel ancious about him

is this normal?

i can get a video of him in this act, also when he does it he hold pieces of gravel and looks like he is trying to kill them. i thought this was really really odd

he doesnt seem to be right way up either, he is on his back or side 90% of the time while he does this

is this a bad sign, he is my first mantis and i have been looking for one for over 2 years so he is kind off special to me

could someone please explain this odd behavior

cheers

steve

 

[30mini]

Could be molting. Be patient! If he keeps doing this for a couple days, then I may be worried!

 

[fish lad]

but do they normaly molt in the middel of the tank?

 

[DanInSD]

Mine started doing this for a while, then died

Check the obvious:
- temperature
- salinity
- nitrogenous waste indicators (NH3/NO2/NO3)
- copper

Check the less obvious:
- Live rock looking less alive
- Corals or other live things looking unhappy

Ensure good water flow, use charcoal, PolyFilter, ensure adequate aeration (e.g. a skimmer).

 

[DanInSD]

Oh, yeah, also one more thing. Mantises are particularly sensitive to volatile organics (cleaning solutions, paint, solvents, etc). Make sure you don't have anything like that near the tank.

Dan

 

[Gonodactylus]

The behaviour you describe is typical of an animal that attempted to molt and became stuck in the old cutlicle. It is nearly always fata. While animals usually molt in their cavity or burrow, when things go wrong, they often leave and move into the open.

Roy