Mantis Gone...***?

[sw65galma]

I know mantis's like to burrow and I have a really DSB for him.

But I haven't seen him for about 2 weeks.. He was usually out during the day and especially during feeding. Although I toss in some shrimp pellets and they are gone soon after.

So I waited around after a feed and saw tons of amphipods eating the food...

So I put on some gloves and took all the rock out to see if I could fine any burrows...Nothing...

He is the only thing in the tank.

There is no sign of his existence...He could be in a hole in a rock, But I figured I'd find alteast a shell if he died..

I was also thinking of looking through the sandbed to see if he got burried and died. But I didn't want to do that with my hands just in case..

I'd like some sort of closure as to what happened??

 

[Hutton]

mine has been getting offully close to the water surface when he is out and about! can they jump out of a tank?

 

[Uriel]

They are capable of crawling out, and several folks said that they have seen them jump. I remember one person mentioning theirs jumping out and being found dead on the floor at one point quite a bit back.
Some species that inhabit shallows crawl over rocks and into tide pools etc... to get at prey. Did you check your parameters? A dead mantis shrimp is going to be pretty detectable, as far as pollutants from decay.

I hope that perhaps he is just locked away somewhere where you can't see him?
My G. platysoma goes 2-3 weeks when he molts, and one of my G. chiraga seems to be in a constant state of 3-6 days out, 1-2 weeks locked away.


Good luck,

-Ron

 

[sw65galma]

It's possible, but I looked everywhere...My parms are all ok..

I have no idea...vanished into thin air...

He's in a 30gal tank and was small...like 2in, Also i have 6' DSB with a good amount of LR, Over kill on filters and skimmer for the tank...So water is near perfect..

The only way I could have better water (which i'm working on) is plumbing it inline with my 300gal (400gal TWV) That water is as stable as you can get..

 

[Hutton]

would a g smithii jump or crawl out?

 

[leaffish75]

might have to take a stick and slowly move it thru the sand and see if you can fill it. the tunnel might of colapsed