odondactylus scyllarus shell disease..

[kul976]

i saw earlier posts on how O.Ses get a shell disease...
i was wondering what this looks like because i recently
moved my tank back home and i lifted the piece of rock
my os was living under and i saw all these small patches
that seem to be eaten away on his carapace.. the
blotches aren't deep but it looks ugly on his red
shell .is this a sign of the shell disease.. or could it be something else..rock smooshing him when i was moving tank? fighting with
the other small mantis i keep in the tank...

 

[soyu22]

shell disease

shell disease

yea, that sound like shell disease. I have a Peacock mantis (O. scyllarus) and he had small white patches which slowly grew and then became blackish and then even bubbly...I was told he would likely have trouble when he molted and would die, but he survived his molt! He now has bad scars on him from it, but it no longer seems to be active. Dr. Caldwell said it is a common disease in arthropods or crabs...he said bacteria or somethings infects the area which makes it worse...the best way to fight it I guess was to provide good water quality, balanced diet, and a nice hiding place...or just make the guy comfortable.
good luck!
-sean