new mantis

[fishtanker]

i got a mantis shrimp with some new LR. i put him in a 10gal with the rock the he drilled his burrow into. he hasn;t come out fully but the guy i got the rock from said he's about 2". i think he's black in color but its hard to see. i believe he's a smasher.
i tried to feed him the other day with some squid but all he did was push it out of his hole.
i threw a astrea snail in the tank yesterday but he still hasn't eaten. should i worry? i've had him since Sat and he hasnt' eaten at all.

thanks
brian

 

[Hwarang]

I guess it depends on if you're trying to evict him or trying to care for him

He might not be hungry, or he might not like the food you're giving him. *shrug* I have heard that some mantids can be picky eaters, especially after they are trained to a certain kind of food. I made sure to give mine a variety right from the start. Now she basically eats whatever I throw in there. Frozen carnivore cubes, flake food, live food, frozen shrimp, all that good stuff.

Don't feed today and see if it wants to eat on Wednesday night.

 

[Mkman]

I have the same problem with my mantis. Before, it would readily eat brine shrimp. Now it spits it out. I'll have to find some other food for it.

 

[Hwarang]

Mine only gets finicky when she's full.

 

[Gonodactylus]

Stomatopods can go for at least a couple of weeks without eating and they will often reject food for many days when first placed in an aquarium. Many are also slow to switch diets. When they are really hungry, they will eat. The trick is not to over feed them and to offer small items or pieces.

Also, an adult gonodactylid preparing to molt will not eat for a few days prior to ecdysis and several days after. It is hard to give specific times because this depends on the species and size of the individual. Generally, the larger the individual, the longer the down time.

Roy

 

[fishtanker]

well my mantis has started eating...flake, BS, and some homemade food i feed my fish.
he still hides all the time and only comes out for a split second to catch food floating by his hole.
i couldn't get a pic but he looks like this one i found on the blueboard. i saw the white patches on his back.
what kind of mantis is this and is it a smasher

 

[Hwarang]

The page says Dr. C has tentatively ID'd it as an undescribed species of Haptosquilla.