This doesn't look good

[Pea-brain]

OK, I have a problem. A problem that has been encountered at least 3-5 times in the past. N. wennerae on back not going anywhere near burrow. Occasionally darting around wildly but still alive and seemingly attentive. Most cases I believe ended in death. At least one was due to heavy metal poisoning or toxic chemicals. This was infallible-one's wennerae, and both were present (heavy metals in water and some chemicals in air. I'd bet on the heavy metals but mentioning both for completeness sake).

So my mantis is an N. wennerae. Been in captivity for a while now, 2.5 inches long. (loves long walks on the beach heh heh heh) I had a 2-3 hour acclimation. Mantis killed a fiddler and feasted on the legs on the first day.

Now this tank is a 3 gallon with mostly established sand from my tank about .5"-1" thick, and saltwater mixed from a diff. salt than the salt I believe killed my other 2. has a heater and a powerhead.

The mantis is reclusive in its rock for the first 2 days, then I come down on the 3rd day and the mantis darts out of its hole, swim up to the surface of the water, does a few upside down flips around the tank, then lands upside down and crawls under its rock a bit. I decide I've been watching it too much and have been stressing it and turn off the lights and leave after doing a small water change. I only had a 2 hour light period for the next 2 days then went and bought some caulerpa, a pound of cured live rock, a snail and 2 hermits. There is still one fiddler left in the tank. I decide the light will be on 4 hours a day from now on for the caulerpa. the next day I wake up to find the mantis all curled up in the caulerpa ball. It has been curled up in/under the caulerpa ball since. 2 or 3 days I think. It is still attentive watching me with its eyes. occasionally it freaks out and swims and flips around. Its not tangled in the caulerpa and could easily go back to its cave a few inches away.

Any ideas? I tried using google to search for the old threads but have had no luck. To the best of my memory in only one case the mantis survived. I am doing small water changes every other day with this nutri-sea water I bought. This tank is temporary and I plan on moving him back up to maine on saturday. I stayed for a week longer than originally planned which is why I had to go get water for water changes. I seem to remember Dr. Roy mentioning this might be a way to deter predators but it has been doing it for several days and I only look at it max 4 times a day...

I have no test kits but hope to go to a pet store to get the water tested soon. Thanks for the help.

Dan

 

[Pea-brain]

I dcided to go down and check on him even though I know I shouldnt and I've relized every time I check on him he is in the same spot until a light turns on or sometimes when I look at him when the light turns on. When I light turns on r I stare at him he will do the freak out thing. Watching him it look almost like he was stuck curled up. At one point he was right side up and almost uncurled at about a maybe 140 degree angle (rough guess) and he couldn't walk because he was just too curled up. Also there is alot of current in the tank. I think the powerhead is a wee bit too strong for him. When he got almost straightened up he flew backwards from the current after about 10 seconds. Tomorrow I'll work on making the current abit more forgiving with the rockwork....

Dan

 

[Thurge]

Good Luck. I hope things turn out right.
Any chance you have a little Brother that is sabotaging your tank?

 

[Pea-brain]

Only child.....I don't think my water has anything to do with it. It tested negative for copper and there isn't any hint of other heavy metals. No iron stains or anything like that. No ammonia, Nitrite, Or nitrates. The water is very clean for well water. I haven't even had a single problem with any nuisance algae in my 5 month old ten gallon yet. I'm thinking of buying RO water from my local supermarket anyways.

The mantis will be in the 3 gallon once I get home for at least month. I will do a series of large water changes over that month and when I feel the old water is washed out I will add the mantis to the second ten gallon. The first ten gallon gets a bluestripe pipefish trained to eat cycopeeze. all three ten gallons are gonna be hooked together

Dan

 

[miztic]

I'm just wondering, maybe your salinity is off?

 

[SNAKEMANVET]

My n wennera did the same thing when i got it.For about a week and half he did nothing but stayed curled up like a ball,and act disorineted .The shipping must have stressed it.It pulled through and is doing well.

 

[Pea-brain]

Thanks for the good story. He survived the trip (I thought he had died the night before. Good thing I decided not to flush him) And i have him in a critter carrier. He has his rock, and is just sitting there. His pleopods are fanning lightly, and his rapts are extended. I'm doing daily 1 cup water changes. The reason he (actually a she.) is in the critter carrier is because I have reason to believe that the tank may have been cleaned with soap. It was a mouse or gerbil cage to be at the pet store I bought it from (they were just opening up and didn't even have fish yet. Looked like a nice place) and could have been cleaned with soap at some time. And there was this really thin layer of white-ish scum on the tank and when I wiped it off was the first time he freaked out....I really hope that is not the case though.....

Dan

 

[Thurge]

Honestly Dan I have used soap in tanks with no ill effects. While its not the recommended process, if you rince the heck out of it with a hose there really shouldn't be any residue.

 

[Pea-brain]

Well if it is not soap then what could possibly cause all this? My water? My water tested negative for copper, and a mantis shrimp lived in the tank water for a good 3 months at least, molting 2 times. Then it slowly dies. Well whatever the reason is the only thing I can connect to it if this mantis is being damaged by the same reason is my well water. RO water is definately the next step. Sometimes I wish I liked fish better than inverts......

Dan

 

[Gonodactylus]

Soap, particularly on plastic, is very difficult to remove completely. No soap is allowed anywhere in my lab.

Roy

 

[Pea-brain]

Even If the mantis died of the soap that might have been there, there is still a good chance that there is something that was initially wrong with my well water to begin with. Possibly the shift it temperature could let something leach or something. It seems that logically the best approach if I want to get another mantis is to switch to RO water. I guess after I get my bluestripe pipefish (trained to eat frozens) I will start saving up for a mid price RO/DI system.

Dan