Lost Rap. Appendages :(

[reefshadow]

My mantis molted just a week after getting her, it looks as if she lost both appendages during the molt. My understanding is that these will grow back within a couple molts, my question is with feeding. Obviously she can no longer do the natural thing with the snails in the tank, but I have been unable to get her to feed on a variety of foods offered. I've tried frozen shrimp, scallop, squid, clam.

Anyway, it's been 3 days since the molt, 6 since she last fed. She is still active, really dozing sand the last couple days. What to do?

Here's some stats

female G. chiragra, 3ish inches
12 g. hex nano, 10 lbs LR, 3 inches sand, 24 watts PC
S.G. 1.025
Ca 460
Alk 11DKH
amm, trates, trites phos undetectable
temp around 80
changing 3 gallons weekly

She is the sole creature, except some snails, couple corals.

Maybe i'm just tripping out. Normal to be food shy after a "bad" molt?

Thanks

 

[Pea-brain]

it can take 3-4 molts to regenerate lost rapts. By the 2-3 they will be functioning, but not very well, and by the 3-4 they should be completely healed. The better they are fed the faster they will molt, and the more the molt will regenerate. And they speed up molting if they lost both rapts. She will probably be eating in 2 weeks. If she still won't eat any of the foods offered you might be in trouble, but there are no worries now. Just keep offering frozens. And it will increase nutrition of the food is soaked in selcon/selco.

 

[justinl]

one thing not to do is supplement iodine. some people will tell you it helps a molt but it doesn't. please dont do it.

 

[reefshadow]

Yup, I don't supplement anything except alk, ca and mag, as needed. Thanks for the heads up though, I have always wondered if that ever did anything, I hear folk recommend it all the time for crustaceans/corals in reef tanks. I've just never wanted to add anything I can't measure for.

Thnaks guy, I'll just keep offering food every couple days.