New mantis tank water parameters

[MTBake]

FWIW, I have had better luck with bio spira from Instant Ocean than Dr Tim's. Dr. Tim's took way longer to knock down ammonia. The bio spira had it reading 0 after a day and a half.

I would also do water changes to knock down the ammonia levels.

 

[Buddro96]

FWIW, I have had better luck with bio spira from Instant Ocean than Dr Tim's. Dr. Tim's took way longer to knock down ammonia. The bio spira had it reading 0 after a day and a half.

I would also do water changes to knock down the ammonia levels.

I will use that instead of dr tims then. How often should I feed my mantis ?

 

[MTBake]

I will use that instead of dr tims then. How often should I feed my mantis ?

I feed mine a chunk of clam or squid a couple times a week. Every once in a while, I toss in a hermit crab or 3 so it has something to actually hunt. They are usually hermits that have gone rogue on me. Other than that, I broadcast feed the tank mine is in twice a day as I have a clown fish there. The clown has a slightly misshapen head and the breeder was getting rid of it as a feeder. It's been living with the mantis for over a year now, lol.

I should say that your mantis is larger than mine. Mine is maybe 3 inches at best. That might slightly affect how much you'll need to feed.

 

[MTBake]

What ever bacteria you do go with, soak a filter sponge or pad with it for a little bit and place that in your sump or filter compartment. Seems to help the bacteria take hold faster.

 

[Buddro96]

What ever bacteria you do go with, soak a filter sponge or pad with it for a little bit and place that in your sump or filter compartment. Seems to help the bacteria take hold faster.

My water spiked to 4.0ppm I’m afraid he’s going to die I’m doing a 50% change right now and dosing ammo lock

 

[MTBake]

My water spiked to 4.0ppm I’m afraid he’s going to die I’m doing a 50% change right now and dosing ammo lock

Did you pull out what ever is dead and decaying in the tank to keep it from rising more?

I would say water changes are in order for sure.

Worse case, a 10 gallon temporary setup till the main tank is cycled would definitely be in the back of my mind.

 

[Buddro96]

I got the water down to 1.0ppm and double dosed ammo lock

 

[Buddro96]

I got the water down to 1.0ppm and double dosed ammo lock

Any ideas on what I should do ? I have a 4 gallon tank I can quickly set up

 

[bryanfuel]

Any ideas on what I should do ? I have a 4 gallon tank I can quickly set up

If the 4 gallon isn’t cycled, it’s going to be worse off

 

[Buddro96]

Any ideas on what I should do ? I have a 4 gallon tank I can quickly set up

I unfortunately had to mess up his burrow a little bit but I can’t find the damsel fish or any signs of something rotting in the tank. I am using the api test kit

 

[MTBake]

Test ammonia again in an hour or 2 and see if it trends up or down. If it stays stable, I wouldn't do much till the morning. Changing too much could stress the mantis. Does it look stressed at all? I'm really not sure if ammonia affects them the same as it does fish to be honest.

 

[Buddro96]

Ok I’ll leave him in here, I’m not really sure what signs of stress are in a mantis

 

[Thaxxx]

Ammo lock will probably give you a false reading on test kits. (see if the label mentions this)

 

[Buddro96]

Ammo lock will probably give you a false reading on test kits. (see if the label mentions this)

I took my water to LFS and it tested fine besides 1.1 ammonia so I bought bio spira and a new filter cartridge