Help! something wrong with my Mantis.....

[Game411]

Hi guys, I was told to check with this forums by ARC members as you guys have more experience with Mantis Shrimps:

My mantis is acting weird and I don't know why, he is laying at the bottom of the tank out in the open, he is breathing but rarely moves, at first I though he was molting but he has been like this for TWO days now, and I'm worried as hell.....................

I checked my Amonia, it's at 0, but my Nitrites are at 0.2 which is a little high, so I was going to do a water change. Are Mantis Shrimps sensitive to Nitrites? I have two and the other one is fine, he is the larger of the two....could it be my Temp, Water quality, or some kind of sickness? they can survive chemical baths, Id've though a little Nitrite isn't too bad.......

My Damsels are fine and seem to be up to their usual ruckuss................Anyone got some insight?

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[helipilot]

More history would be helpful. How long have you had it, what species is it, are your mantis's in the same tank, what do you feed it, what it's normal behavior has been, tank set-up etc. Someone on this forum will have the answer. In the mean time I would do a 20% water change.

 

[DanInSD]

"Chemical baths"? You must be thinking of some other critter. You should never dip/bath inverts.

Nitrites at any concentration are toxic and are a sign of a system that is out of whack. What are your nitrates like?

This could be a bad molt, which would be fatal, unfortunately. It can "just happen". However, you certainly have some water quality issues, and that need to be resolved.

Dan

 

[abrahamcho]

That is what happened to mine. Check the salinity and change it very slowly if it is too high or too low. IF you dont fix it I might die. T-T

~abe

 

[ck1]

However you are checking your salinity- with refractometer- make sure it is calibrated. With hydrometer- make sure it is accurate.