Mantis laying on his side

[moneypit]

I found him on his side in his den, so i turned the lights on and he came out for a sec and then went right back into his den and on his side again. Would i be wrong to assume hes molting, laying eggs, or is he in trouble and dying . I shut the lights off , anything else i should look for. Also,i covered the tank with a black sheet so hes in total darkness but is there anything else I can do to help him?

 

[lfsmarineguy]

Is it still eating?

 

[rookie07]

Does not sound good..Keep the lights off.
How is the oxygen exchange? I would remove cover on tank b/c that may lower oxygen exchange.
+1 On is he eating? What and when was last meal?
Not molting, not laying eggs....something bad is most likely, or at least he is unhappy.
What is temp? Are you sure about the temp?
When was it added to tank? How long has tank been set up? How big is tank? What else is in tank?
When was last Water Change?
How can you see into his "den"? Is the den that little that you can see the whole thing?

Keep in mind, all they do is hang out in their den and wait for prey, then they go get the food. When they are full they will just hanging out in the den

 

[moneypit]

Just got home from work.....

He ate the one of two crabs in the video when i bought them 2 days ago , today he didnt take a defrosted mussel and even watched crab #2 feast on it.

I always leave the cover open ,both front and back and i only use the blue lights and the leds overnight.

Temp is 80 in the tank but it doesnt fluctuate much as its in my basement which has minimal sunlight.

Hes in the tank since Saturday

Tanks been running with a small Valentini puffer and tiny watchman goby for just over 1 year, 1/2 small cube of mysis or blood worms every 2-3 days, stuffed with rock,always rodi from day one,rubble in the rear chamber. My fish were thriving in this tank.

29 gal bio cube

Only other thing in the tank is some hermits and crab #2

Did a partial water change when i put him in , prob 20%.

Yeah his den is kinda open, he stacked and dug about as much as possible then he started smashing the rocks.Ill move some of the larger rocks around and then raid the 55 upstairs for whatever i need to make him comfortable.

Thanks for the help, much appreciated!

 

[moneypit]

Ok, I added a u shaped 2" black pipe and buried it under the rocks. I also covered my windows to stop whatever little light that gets in. I just hope he pulls through.......

 

[ryangrieder]

Water pars?

 

[moneypit]

Water tested fine, 122 salinity, again my fish were doing really well in it and dinner crab #2 is also looking good. The few times ive checked on him he looks ok, not as outgoing but not on his side either. Last time I checked he stuck his head out of the pipe, so I shut the lights and left him alone. I figure if he gets really hungry he will eat crab #2.

 

[JARRETT SHARK]

hope he pulls threw, he was a nice mantis i ever say,good luck and keep us posted

 

[MIKE NY]

x2....I hope it just preparing for a molt..

 

[rookie07]

As i mentioned earlier, they just hang out in thier den.

The pvc tube was a great idea!
Sounds like he is ok "popped his head out", as that is what they do.

Best of luck!

 

[moneypit]

Good news...... He ate the ghost shrimp I gave him and looks very comfortable in his new diggs. That $2 pipe worked like a charm. Thanks again for the help.

 

[moneypit]

Update..... Every mantis sale should include a 2" black pipe. I cant believe the complete 180 he did since I put that pipe in. Best two bucks I ever spent......

 

[jr973]

Glad to hear you saved him with some pvc

 

[JARRETT SHARK]

good to hear he is ok!!