Temperature

[cfsindorf]

What temp would you start to worry it getting a bit cold for most mantis?

Thanks

[Bluemon]

i would say 70 F

[Gonodactylus]

I depends on what you mean by most, where the animal is from, how fast the temperature drops, and how long it stays low. I will assume you mean a tropical species like G. smithii or O. scyllarus. I start worrying when temperature drop below 72. Anything below 70 and I'm scrambling for heaters. However, even with these species there are no absolutes.

Case in point. O. scyllarus from Indonesia live at temperatures between 73 and 82 degrees. In the Gulf of Siam, they can be at temperatures as high as 90. On the other hand, O. scyllarus collected off Brisbane can be living at 66. A Thai O. s plopped into Brisbane temperatures would be dead very quickly.

Bottom line, you want to keep the animal at temperatures close to what it experiences in nature.

Roy

[mndfreeze]

My tanks during this latest cold snap cannot maintain heat at night even with 2 heaters. Dropping to about 70 on average throughou the night, then slowly gets back to temp mid afternoon, only to fall again. Since that has been occurring googly does not really come out. He's moving in his hole but ARGH, it is freaking me out.

Roy, send me some soothing ph.d laced words of mantis calmness please.

;/

[JmartWI]

When I first started my 10 gallon the temperatures weren't too bad, but once it started getting darker and colder outside my tank was having a hard time maintaining temperature. My 50w heater was doing okay at first, but it started to dip to the mid 70's. I've since added another 50w, and it's staying between 78-80 pretty consistently. Huzzah!

[Gonodactylus]

Intertidal species from semi-troipcal reef flats such a G. smithii, G. chiragra, G. platysoma, G. viridis, N oerstedii, N bredin, N. festae, P. ciliatai and H. glyptocercus can usually handle greater daily temperature fluctuations than subtidal, tropical species.

Roy

[TundraGuy]

Opps I maintain mine between 72-76 have been doing so for years. With my Smitthii. Hey Doc do you think I should raise this a little to the 76-80 range?