orkspace
02/22/2001, 12:48 AM
I just found my second Odontodactyllus scyllarus dead when I got home. This 6" individual had been in the process of molting (but I thought he had finished, having ditched most of the largest sections of his armor into the sand). My previous mantis had also died (I believe) right before a molt.
As far as I can tell, the water quality was quite good -- no ammonia or nitrites, and reasonable nitrates (40ppm). When I tested the water after the death of the mantis, the ammonia had shot to 0.5 ppm from the large corpse, and nitrites were also on the rise. Temperature was constant at 79° F. The other inverts in the tank (far too many Aiptasia anemones and a lone corallimorphian) look as healthy as ever. Could there be some environmental factor involved in these deaths? I believe Dr. Caldwell had mentioned that mantis shrimp are extremely sensitive to organic solvents, although none had been used in the room for quite some time. Could the shed exoskeleton have caused an ammonia spike killing the shrimp? Both shrimp were kept in the same 6g eclipse aquarium for some months before their deaths, acting very much like healthy animals. I'm at a loss to explain this death -- and very hesitant to acquire another one of these beautiful and fascinating creatures until I know what is killing them.
Please let me know if you have any ideas.
Best regards,
Daniel Neal
Maintainer of http://www.thumbsplitter.com
As far as I can tell, the water quality was quite good -- no ammonia or nitrites, and reasonable nitrates (40ppm). When I tested the water after the death of the mantis, the ammonia had shot to 0.5 ppm from the large corpse, and nitrites were also on the rise. Temperature was constant at 79° F. The other inverts in the tank (far too many Aiptasia anemones and a lone corallimorphian) look as healthy as ever. Could there be some environmental factor involved in these deaths? I believe Dr. Caldwell had mentioned that mantis shrimp are extremely sensitive to organic solvents, although none had been used in the room for quite some time. Could the shed exoskeleton have caused an ammonia spike killing the shrimp? Both shrimp were kept in the same 6g eclipse aquarium for some months before their deaths, acting very much like healthy animals. I'm at a loss to explain this death -- and very hesitant to acquire another one of these beautiful and fascinating creatures until I know what is killing them.
Please let me know if you have any ideas.
Best regards,
Daniel Neal
Maintainer of http://www.thumbsplitter.com