New Mantis

[FireEater]

I just got my green mantis earlier today. He is in the refugium with Mr. Crabs. While we were watching tv he started clicking and my wife didn't know what the noise was.
I told her what it was and she loves it. He is about 2 inches long.

Below is a pic of him. He is actually a lot more green than the pic. The white bowl threw the colors off some.

http://www.local1259iaff.org/mantis.jpg

[FireEater]

Here is one of his room mates.

Mr. Crabs

http://www.local1259iaff.org/rockcrab.jpg

[XxAngelzDustxX]

aww it's pirrty. :p

I've never seen a green one before.

[FireEater]

He was just coming out his hole to look at my 4 year olds face. So I put a piece of shrimp on my feeding stick to see if he would take it.
He back away at first, butgrabbed it and into his hole he went.

[FireEater]

Here he is poking his head out his new home. He hit the glass in defense of the camera.

http://www.local1259iaff.org/mantishome.jpg

[FireEater]

He no longer has Mr. Crabs as a roomie. He hunted him down and killed and ate him.

Poor Mr. Crabs, he was fun to watch also. Survival of the fittest I guess.

The refugium he is in is a 10g tall. Is it possible to keep 2 in there? I would like to get a peacock one.

[Gonodactylus]

Thought you might like to know that this animal is in the genus Gonodactylaceus - an Indo-Pacific group. I can't be sure from the photo what species, but my guess is G. glabrous or G. graphurus.

Roy

[FireEater]

Thanks Roy!

Would it be possible to add a peacock in there with him?

Also when I set up my 55g fish only tank in a couple weeks, is there any type of mantis I could safely keep in it?

[Gonodactylus]

If the Gonodactylaceus has a good cavity (not just an excavated hole under a rock) that is too small for the O.s. to get into, it could live in the same tank. However, you won't see her out and about very much.

I've had fair luck keeping O. havanensis and O. brevisrostris in mixed aquaria. ALso, Haptosquilla, although small (under 2 inches), will stay in their rocks and do well.

Roy

[Isaari]

I just picked up a green mantis exactly like yours a few weeks ago. He's in my micro-reef at my office. I couldn't resist that Gatorade green color when I saw him in the store.

Although, I thought he was a spearer, not a smasher. I was suprised to hear you heard him "clicking" because I've heard none of that, and from watching him, he doesn't appear to have smashers.

Gator, as I call him, has enjoyed krill since day one and is rapidly increasing in size. Sooner or later I'll need to increase his living quarters or trade him in. His current residence is only 3/4 gallon.

http://www.extremefx.com/misc/aquarium.jpg

[FireEater]

You will enjoy him. He is fun to watch, all I do is tap on the glass and he comes out.

I put a piece of shrimp on the dow rod I use to feed everything with and he zips out and latches on it. Then hits it 3 to 4 times before running off. He comes out and does it again, then grabs the shrimp and is gone.

I'm thinking of going down to the Dike and getting another crab for him to feed on. Maybe put a mud minnow in for him to kill and eat.

I'm setting up a 55g tank now and if I go with another refugium, I will put a peacock mantis in it.

Mark

[Isaari]

Mine is out for most of the day, busy exploring the tank. He's made a burrow under the rock on the left and he also likes the holes in the LR and under an old clam shell on the right. A couple times I caught him perched on top of the powerhead. He allows me to get close and watch as long as I don't make sudden movements. Even then, he retreats for just a second and then returns back to watch me.

Scary how observant they are. My co-workers think it's creepy how he watches them walk into my office.

[XxAngelzDustxX]

Isaari,

I really like that lil tank of yours :D

Where did you get it? Is it glass or acrylic?

[Isaari]

Thanks. It's glass and it's made by JBJ. The light is sold with it. It's a 13 watt 50/50 PC.

[mfranklin]

FireEater: this may sound stupid but what kind of crab is that and is it good or bad to have around.

I ask because I have pulled 3 out of my tank so far and just found another one last night it is in the very back behind all the rocks and i think it could be the cause of my missing Jaw fish.

[FireEater]

mfranklin,

That is a bad crab for the reef. It is called a rock crab or stoney crab. I had about 3 hitch hike in. I got him out and put him down in the refugium. He grew like a weed until the mantis came along and ate him. The others I got out over time.

[mfranklin]

I thought he would do some dammage:mad2:

[grampus]

isaari, the reason you don't hear any clicking is because you have a P. Ciliata, a spearer. my first guess was that FireEater's pod' was a ciliata as well but dr. Roy cleared that up. i have a Ciliata as well, and don't find them as friendly(?) as the smashers but a smasher with the same color as a ciliata... very cool. nice find FireEater.

in general i don't think it is a very good idea to mix two types of mantis shrimp esp. smashers, esp. peacocks (they get big), and esp. in a small (10 gallon) tank, and esp. when you have an uncommon mantis shrimp. best of luck

Tim

[FireEater]

I just got back from the Dike. I was picking up rocks and getting some more stoney crabs for him to eat. I threw in about 4 of them ranging from the size of a dime to a nickle. I hope to watch him attack one this time.

I do want a peacock but will not put them in same tank. I have a 29 gallon I might set up for these critters.

WHOA! No sooner than I type this I heard the mantis clicking. I go in there and he has the large stoney cornered. It was a standoff for about 2 minutes. The mantis attacked and chased him down and whacked him to death. Then started eating him on the spot! He saw me and took the dead crab to his hole. That was so neat to see. Living right next to the gulf I have an endless supply of food for him. I will have to see how he reacts to a mud minnow next.

I just set up a 55g last week, so when it is through cycling I will start on the 29g. I might even make it a refugium for the 55g.

Mark

[FireEater]

Here he is mugging for the camera.

http://www.local1259iaff.org/mantisface.jpg

[Pernelf]

Fireeater--Where did you get that Manis? From the LFS or down in the gulf?

[FireEater]

I got him from LFS.

The ones we have here in the gulf are like a dirty white color. I'm supposed to go shrimping with a buddy when I get around to it and will get one or two for a 29g I am going to set up just for them. I might even put local rocks in it also. Kinda make it a local tank for the fun of it.

Mark

[Gonodactylus]

Your local species is a spearer - Squilla empusa. It lives in u-shaped burrows in mud and doesn't much care for rocks.

Roy