Help! Please!

[sackles]

Hi,

I recently purchased a mantis shrimp from my LFS, when i added him to my tank he immediately went to his back and from what i read and watched (youtube) it looks like he is trying to molt, he is on his back in his cave and looks like he is struggling, he's only about 2 inches long, isnt interested in food, he's been like this for close to 48 hours, i have tested my water its as close to perfect as can be, ive heard people say to dose iodine but everything i have read says it'll kill him, ive also read to dose iodide but my LFS is sold out atm.

What can i do to help him and help to ensure he doesnt die during this process?????

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance

 

[FreshwaterConvert]

What kind of mantis shrimp is it? Also, I’d recommend turning all the lights off until he’s done, light can stress them out and interfere with the molt.

 

[TripFamAZ]

Darkness/Cover the tank and wait is really all I’ve read that can be done when this happens.
How did you acclimate? You’ve tested for ammonia spikes?

 

[sackles]

What kind of mantis shrimp is it? Also, I’d recommend turning all the lights off until he’s done, light can stress them out and interfere with the molt.

Hi sorry for the delay, i didnt get a notification, my LFS wasnt entirely sure what species he is ive attatched a screenshot maybe that will help,

I attempted to feed him this morning and he ate 2 small frozen shrimps

 

[sackles]

Darkness/Cover the tank and wait is really all I’ve read that can be done when this happens.
How did you acclimate? You’ve tested for ammonia spikes?

My LFS said to let him sit in the bag for about 30 mins in the sump and then to put him in Gently so thats what i did, yeah i have tested for ammonia, no spikes at all, everything is good with the water

 

[FreshwaterConvert]

My LFS said to let him sit in the bag for about 30 mins in the sump and then to put him in Gently so thats what i did, yeah i have tested for ammonia, no spikes at all, everything is good with the water

Assuming your salinity and everything else is good, then all you can really do is wait. Id avoid dosing iodine unless you can test for it since it can cause premature molt (in the future, not just now). Black out the tank as best you can, light can be super detrimental when molting. However, they usually don’t eat when they molt. So perhaps he isn’t molting? Or he finished? Either way just give him some time to settle. They’ll usually close up the cave for a few to several days when molting as well which will be a good sign in the future

 

[sackles]

Assuming your salinity and everything else is good, then all you can really do is wait. Id avoid dosing iodine unless you can test for it since it can cause premature molt (in the future, not just now). Black out the tank as best you can, light can be super detrimental when molting. However, they usually don’t eat when they molt. So perhaps he isn’t molting? Or he finished? Either way just give him some time to settle. They’ll usually close up the cave for a few to several days when molting as well which will be a good sign in the future

Ive got the tank as dark as i can and turned off all timers for the lights, if he didnt eat it perhaps the lawnmower blenny has but from what ive observed the blenny has just been chilling on his rock and hasnt moved much at all, if he isnt molting do you have any idea what else could be happening?

 

[FreshwaterConvert]

Ive got the tank as dark as i can and turned off all timers for the lights, if he didnt eat it perhaps the lawnmower blenny has but from what ive observed the blenny has just been chilling on his rock and hasnt moved much at all, if he isnt molting do you have any idea what else could be happening?

I had a smithii for 2 years and he spent 99% of the time hanging out in his pvc burrow and would occasionally come out to hunt snails every few days. I’ve also seen em lay on their back and fan their swimmerets for a while, is it that perhaps? I’m not sure why they do it but it seems pretty normal. If you could get a picture (without flash, just let the ambient lights kinda light it) that could be helpful in determining what’s going on.

When I first got mine I was very anxious about every little thing it did. He molted pretty soon after being added to the tank and I’ve heard of others having the same experience. I was very nervous because it is the riskiest time for them but sometimes you just gotta take a step back and not helicopter with these guys. Molts can take several days and that first time was the most stressful week for me bc I was anxiously waiting for him to pop out and be ok, and he was. But the key is to let them be during it and not freak

 

[sackles]

I had a smithii for 2 years and he spent 99% of the time hanging out in his pvc burrow and would occasionally come out to hunt snails every few days. I’ve also seen em lay on their back and fan their swimmerets for a while, is it that perhaps? I’m not sure why they do it but it seems pretty normal. If you could get a picture (without flash, just let the ambient lights kinda light it) that could be helpful in determining what’s going on.

When I first got mine I was very anxious about every little thing it did. He molted pretty soon after being added to the tank and I’ve heard of others having the same experience. I was very nervous because it is the riskiest time for them but sometimes you just gotta take a step back and not helicopter with these guys. Molts can take several days and that first time was the most stressful week for me bc I was anxiously waiting for him to pop out and be ok, and he was. But the key is to let them be during it and not freak

 

[sackles]

Thats what he's been doing just with the occasional position change, just laying on his back fanning his swimmers

 

[sackles]

Thats what he's been doing just with the occasional position change, just laying on his back fanning his swimmers

 

[Stomatopods17]

Doesn't look good tbh.

Usually this is what happens to new stomatopods that are dying, their pleopods keep fanning but they stay motionless in whatever position they're put in from current. They also seem to start going blind, having no eye responsiveness if you waved something infront of them, but may still smell food.

Best you can do is lights off, double check testing the water for everything stable, leave it be and see if it pulls through. They always perished within 24 hours for me in this state so yours lasting longer means there might be some hope of recovery. Playing with it or rapidly changing parameters (such as spiking the Ph with a buffer from 7.8 straight to 8.4) will do more harm, if it ate that's a pretty good sign but i'd let it fast a few days.

Its most likely a G. viridis so they're pretty resilient.

​

 

[sackles]

Doesn't look good tbh.

Usually this is what happens to new stomatopods that are dying, their pleopods keep fanning but they stay motionless in whatever position they're put in from current. They also seem to start going blind, having no eye responsiveness if you waved something infront of them, but may still smell food.

Best you can do is lights off, double check testing the water for everything stable, leave it be and see if it pulls through. They always perished within 24 hours for me in this state so yours lasting longer means there might be some hope of recovery. Playing with it or rapidly changing parameters (such as spiking the Ph with a buffer from 7.8 straight to 8.4) will do more harm, if it ate that's a pretty good sign but i'd let it fast a few days.

Its most likely a G. viridis so they're pretty resilient.

​

Ive seem him up and moving around the cave but when i check on him a few hours later he's back on his back

 

[sackles]

Doesn't look good tbh.

Usually this is what happens to new stomatopods that are dying, their pleopods keep fanning but they stay motionless in whatever position they're put in from current. They also seem to start going blind, having no eye responsiveness if you waved something infront of them, but may still smell food.

Best you can do is lights off, double check testing the water for everything stable, leave it be and see if it pulls through. They always perished within 24 hours for me in this state so yours lasting longer means there might be some hope of recovery. Playing with it or rapidly changing parameters (such as spiking the Ph with a buffer from 7.8 straight to 8.4) will do more harm, if it ate that's a pretty good sign but i'd let it fast a few days.

Its most likely a G. viridis so they're pretty resilient.

​

He's also been in the tank for 4 days so far

 

[Alpha_and_Gec]

What kind of mantis shrimp is it? Also, I’d recommend turning all the lights off until he’s done, light can stress them out and interfere with the molt.

Completely unrelated to mantis shrimps, but what other groups does this occur in? Wonder if this will affect horseshoe crabs.