RIP Princess the mantis shrimp

Discussion in 'Inverts' started by =Jwin=, Dec 22, 2009.

to remove this notice and enjoy 3reef content with less ads. 3reef membership is free.

Page 1 of 2
  1. =Jwin=

    =Jwin= Tassled File Fish

    Joined:
    Nov 26, 2008
    Messages:
    1,968
    Location:
    Chattanooga, Tennessee
    Yep. Princess my 2" N. Wennerae (Caribbean Rock) mantis passed away some time last night. :(

    About a week or so ago, she was eating fine and banging on snails I had put in her tank. She started holing up in her den alot more than usual and I hadn't seen her at all about 2 days ago, so I figured she was molting. Well, I went to stay at a friend's house as well as a Christmas party and I didn't look at her tank again until I woke up at about noon this morning (new sleeping record for me, I had never slept past 11 oclock before today). I go to check on her and I see her passed away hanging out of her den. At first I was hoping it was her molt, because Bo our other mantis has scared the crap out of us before when he molted and we saw his molt hanging out of the rocks. But alas, it was her. She had definitely molted, though. We tested water and everything was fine, Orca her damsel is fine, her CUC snails that are too big for her to kill are fine.

    So our diagnosis is a bad molt. Something went wrong while she was either molting or eating her molt. She was my first mantis and I watched her grow up from a 5/8" little bitty thing to a 2" deep red beauty. She hit exactly 2" long when she died, and we had had her for about a year.

    [​IMG]

    I took the opportunity to whipe out as many aiptasia in her tank as I could and I completely reaquascaped and did a 3 gallon water change. Our new favorite LFS deals with FL live rock (Princess was actually a rescue from another reefer who got some rock from this store) and they have a whole tank in the back full of hitchhiker mantis, so they've offered to give/sell me another one to go in her tank. I may pick up where Princess left off and try to find another one that's 2+" long :)

    So yeah. It was a sad morning :(
     
    =Jwin=, Dec 22, 2009
    =Jwin=, Dec 22, 2009
    #1
    3 people like this.

    2. Click Here!

  2. Peredhil

    Peredhil Giant Squid

    Joined:
    Aug 20, 2008
    Messages:
    5,176
    Location:
    Texas
    sorry to hear man.
     
    Peredhil, Dec 22, 2009
    Peredhil, Dec 22, 2009
    #2
  3. Gexx

    Gexx Giant Squid

    Joined:
    Jun 3, 2009
    Messages:
    3,434
    Location:
    Lansing, Michigan
    man im sorry. at least it wasnt something you did. hope you find another one as beatiful as her (that might be hard though).
     
    Gexx, Dec 22, 2009
    Gexx, Dec 22, 2009
    #3
  4. RedGambit

    RedGambit Giant Squid

    Joined:
    Jul 23, 2009
    Messages:
    6,366
    Location:
    Plover, Wisconsin
    Sorry to hear, Best of wishes if you do decide to do another mantis!
     
    RedGambit, Dec 22, 2009
    RedGambit, Dec 22, 2009
    #4
  5. divott

    divott Giant Squid

    Joined:
    Mar 23, 2009
    Messages:
    3,658
    Location:
    holland landing, ontario ,canada
    sorry for the loss jwin. i think we all watched her grow with your documentation . sad day for us all.

    guy
     
    divott, Dec 22, 2009
    divott, Dec 22, 2009
    #5
  6. Puffer Chick

    Puffer Chick Giant Squid

    Joined:
    Jun 30, 2009
    Messages:
    9,144
    Location:
    The OC, California
    sorry to hear, im sure she will be greatly missed
     
    Puffer Chick, Dec 22, 2009
    Puffer Chick, Dec 22, 2009
    #6

    7. Click Here!

  7. blumoon reefers

    blumoon reefers Millepora

    Joined:
    Jun 18, 2009
    Messages:
    942
    Location:
    Richmond, VA
    I am very sorry for your loss.
     
    blumoon reefers, Dec 22, 2009
    blumoon reefers, Dec 22, 2009
    #7
  8. steve wright

    steve wright Super Moderator

    Joined:
    Feb 17, 2009
    Messages:
    11,284
    Location:
    shenzhen Guangdong PRC
    sad new Jwin

    sorry this happened to you

    Steve
     
    steve wright, Dec 22, 2009
    steve wright, Dec 22, 2009
    #8
  9. ReefSparky

    ReefSparky Super Moderator

    Joined:
    Nov 27, 2007
    Messages:
    3,675
    Location:
    South Florida
    Sorry to hear, man. :(
     
    ReefSparky, Dec 22, 2009
    ReefSparky, Dec 22, 2009
    #9
  10. bama

    bama Humpback Whale

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2009
    Messages:
    2,788
    Location:
    Houston, TEXAS
    sorry to hear jwin.
     
    bama, Dec 22, 2009
    bama, Dec 22, 2009
    #10
Page 1 of 2