Need Mantis Help Immediately Please

[jb61264]

I have been in the process of bulding a separate 10g mantis tank (its not done yet) and trying to get the opportunity to catch my mantis in a piece of rock that he sometimes is in during the morning that would make it easy to remove from my reef. Well, that moment came this morning...I pulled the rock and have it in a 1/2 gallon thick plastic water container like they use at resteraunts to refill your water (I use it to refill my BioCube with RO/DI).

Anyway...got some water from the tank in it...yanked the rock and he is definitely in there and out of my reef now.

Problem is...my tank for him is not done...what should I do?...can I get a container at a LFS to keep him isolated in my reef in? how long can I keep him in the water container (I have an airstone going very gently in there right now)?..I don't want to hurt him

[wally43]

get like a glad Tupperware thing cut some little holes in it just small enough so he cant get out of them and put him in there and just let it float in ur tank till his tank is rdy, and what r u waiting for the tank to cycle, if u used sand and rock from an established tank u should have that much of a cycle. so it might be rdy, do u have a test kit to test the water if not u can take it to LFS and they will test it for you well good luck and congrats on the mantis
wally

[jb61264]

Ok..got him to finally come out of the live rock he was in (took a little gentle proding with a q-tip though)...my mantis is now in a tupperware container floating in my reef tank...a little ****ed albeit but healthy and hopefully he won't be able to bust out of the little enclosure until I get the tank up and running in the next couple days.

His tank is all built up...need to let the silicone cure until tomorrow afternoon...then I'm going to use water from my reef (like I'm doing a water change) and a couple pieces of live rock to get the mantis tank rolling. I suspect with just him in there and the established live rock and water from the reef tank that I shouldn't have any problems with a cycle.

I'll post pics as soon as i can

[micstarz]

Congratulations. You could use one of those nursery boxes for guppy fry that hang in the aquarium. Providing you don't feed him/her, you could float a bucket or a container that does not have holes in your tank and run an airstone for a day or two.

[jb61264]

How long can I leave my G wennerae in the tupperware container floating in my BioCube?...I have my 10g up and running but it looks like I'm going to have to wait for water quality params to stabilize

[lionbacker54]

how about a tank divider instead of the tupperware container?

[jb61264]

He's floating in a BioCube...I really couldn't put a tank divider in that...it is a reef with lots of live rock stacked up

[Thurge]

Give your mantis some rocks, or a length of PVC to use for a temperary home and it will be happier. It will also let it the mantis get out of the light. N. wennera are able to handle higher light conditions but it would be best if it had a refuge away from the light. (Carol Ann)