Is my Peacock Mantis preparing to molt or just stressed?

mandarin_toto · Jun 24, 2024

Hi everyone, I brought my peacock mantis shrimp home on Saturday evening (June 22nd).

She has been exhibiting some odd behavior that I assumed was just her trying to settle in/stress from the new environment but now I’m wondering if she is trying to molt or is at the beginning of her molt process?

What I’ve seen:

Sitting curled or partially curled or on side
Seeming to have trouble swimming, swimming sideways/partially curled

I have two “areas” in her tank, one with a long u-shaped PVC buried in rock work and then on the other side there is another PVC pipe as well. I have extra rubble and smaller rocks and shells strewn about for her to do with as she pleases. So far she has not ventured into the tunnels and instead wedges herself behind the one rock structure and the back wall of the tank.

I have kept lights off (there is some ambient light in the room so she’s definitely not in the total dadk but it’s not bright either), nitrates are around 15 but I do need to check calcium.

I have offered food multiple times. So far she has refused all but one half clam.

She otherwise looks healthy except for three very small (like pinprick size) small dots of shell rot near her head that she already had when I got her.

There is very little information about these beautiful creatures online so I’m just looking for some extra insight from someone more familiar with their behavior!

TripFamAZ · Jun 24, 2024

mandarin_toto said:
Hi everyone, I brought my peacock mantis shrimp home on Saturday evening (June 22nd).

She has been exhibiting some odd behavior that I assumed was just her trying to settle in/stress from the new environment but now I’m wondering if she is trying to molt or is at the beginning of her molt process?

What I’ve seen:

Sitting curled or partially curled or on side

Seeming to have trouble swimming, swimming sideways/partially curled

I have two “areas” in her tank, one with a long u-shaped PVC buried in rock work and then on the other side there is another PVC pipe as well. I have extra rubble and smaller rocks and shells strewn about for her to do with as she pleases. So far she has not ventured into the tunnels and instead wedges herself behind the one rock structure and the back wall of the tank.

I have kept lights off (there is some ambient light in the room so she’s definitely not in the total dadk but it’s not bright either), nitrates are around 15 but I do need to check calcium.

I have offered food multiple times. So far she has refused all but one half clam.

She otherwise looks healthy except for three very small (like pinprick size) small dots of shell rot near her head that she already had when I got her.

There is very little information about these beautiful creatures online so I’m just looking for some extra insight from someone more familiar with their behavior!

How did you acclimate her? What are your water parameters and how are you checking them?

mandarin_toto · Jun 24, 2024

TripFamAZ said:
How did you acclimate her? What are your water parameters and how are you checking them?

Temp acclimated in bag and then drip acclimated 40min, lights off entire time.

I use Hanna checkers to check parameters and multiple thermometers for temp.

Temp is set to 78°f. Haven’t checked nitrates today but yesterday they were 15 (I’ve been removing any food she hasn’t taken so it doesn’t sit in tank). Phos is .02, not home yet to check calcium. 0 ammonia.

Tank has been up and running for 5 months and previously had other fish and some CUC before I removed them in advance to redo it for her.