Shell disease?

[MadTownMax]

I purchased a 3" yellow spearer about two months ago and have noticed spots (about 1/8" across) on it's shell (newly developed over the last two weeks) first one I noticed was near the tail, now I have noticed a new spot near the head and also another smaller spot - they look as if corraline algae is starting to grow on it..... could this be "shell disease"? If so, any updates on how to treat it?

I've been feeding mysis shrimp, krill, and small pieces of salmon, all soaked in selcon - along with an occasional damsel to keep him in the predatory "mood"

The mantis is in a 7-gallon nano-cube which I am using as a refugium. it has a 3"-4" sand bed of Carib-sea's refugium substrate - this substrate is shipped wet and has "seeded" my refugium and main tank with many macro-algaes and small micro-corals that were not in my tank before - I'm hoping it does not also carry this pathogen...

I have also been dosing a two-part supplement in addition to my kalk-water top-off to increase corraline and sps growth in my main tank if it is at all possible that this is actually growing corraline on the mantis..... I do have a lot of corraline growth

another related question - while I was cleaning the glass of my tank w/ my magnetic scraper, the mantis tried striking it and broke off one of it's spears - will this grow back when it molts?

-Thanks in advance

-Nick

 

[T-T-Trigger]

Spaeraing appendages should grow back, with a few molts - so it can take quite some time, especially if the mantis is truly 3", meaning that it is nearly full grown and will molt at longer intervals.

The spotting you are noticing, is it 'pitting' or just discoloration?


This is an excerpt from Gonodactylus' post on the subject of Shell Disease a while back:

We don't know the cause or even the primary pathogen. Usually by the time you start to notice rusty brown discoloration of the cuticle - typically on the carapace or dorsal abdomen, erosion has started and there is a whole community of fungus, bacteria, protozoa, etc. feasting on the diseased tissue. Gradually the patches spread and deepen until they eat entirely through the exoskeleton. At this point the disease is usually fatal. It weakens the animal and/or makes it impossible for it to molt successfully.

I know of no "cure", but there are ways to treat the disease. It makes sense that antibiotic dips might help, but I don't have any information on this. Unfortunately, stomatopods are quite susceptible to chemicals like formalin and other treatments that are used for skin diseases in fish, so I would not recommend experimenting. The good news is that if the disease does not advance too far and the animal successfully molts, they can literally shed the disease and recover. This is one case where I would recommend immediately removing the molt skin and not allowing the animal to bury or eat it.

 

[MadTownMax]

Thanks, I found that description after posting my question. The spots are definately not "pitting", just discoloration.

FWIW - The water quality is as good as my tank has ever been. This refugium has a small 45 gph powerhead for added circulation, and also has one outlet from my OM squirt, so it gets another 60 gph (I'm guessing 1 gallon every time the Squirt sends water through it )through it from that to exchage between the main tank and refugium/mantis tank

 

[T-T-Trigger]

Well, though my background is short, I do know that the ciliata in particualr can adopt very disaparate color morphs, hopefully with time it will molt again and either a) be rid of the pathogen or b) continue it's color morph to make sense of the changed patches you are noticing, good luck!