6 angry inches...

[dbrooks1440]

I have the opportunity to pick up a 6-inch mantis. The problem is that my mantis tank is only 20g. Please let me know if this is too small (I am sure it is).

I also have a 100g glass tank that site unused in the garage...but being made of glass make me a bit nervous. The mantis in question is a spearer (not sure the species). Is a spearer reletively safe in a glass tank?

[dragonforce]

You could take the 100g and put in dividers made of acryllic and have several different species of mantis shrimp.

[Opcn]

a spearer cannot break heavy glass like that used in a 100 gallon, filler er on up, also the acrylic divider thing sounds great, maybe get three mantises in there, or divide 40 gallons off of 60 and keep feeder mollies in the other 60. That way you dont have to put sand all across the 100 but just in 2/5ths of it

[Hutton]

no mantis could brake a 100 gallon... peacocks have troubly breaking 30 gallons.

[rwhhunt]

the width of of the glass is the question at hand, over 6-7mm you'll be fine.... and if it is a spearer, you dont even have to worry about it. also, a 20 long could house a 6" peacock alright, i keep mine in a 26 gal bowfront, and that is ample room

[Gonodactylus]

What species are we talking about. There are seven superfamilies of stomatopods and six of them contain spearers. At six inches, and given what is currently in the trade, I would guess you either have a Lysiosquillina or a Squilla. A six inch Lysiosquilina can live in a well-cycled 20 gal tank with a natural sand bed to burrow in. The Squilla would be difficult to keep.

By the time the 100 gal cycles, the animal will probably be dead.

Neither a squillid or lysiosquillid could break either tank.

Roy

[dbrooks1440]

Unfortunately, I am not sure of the species. I have, unfortunately, deleted the image of the animal in question. The chap that has it lives very close to me. Perhaps I can pop over and take another photo.

Re the time to cycle/death of the animal; why do you believe this to be the case? I believe that the current owner is feeding it and having seen his setup, I am sure that the mantis is in a stable tank...confused on why you don't feel that he could last for the cycle?

Respectfully,

DBrooks
San Diego

[Gonodactylus]

I assumed the 100 gal sitting in the garage was dry. It will take weeks to months to get it stable. The load from one stomatopod is not a problem, but intrinsic fluctuations during cycling are.

Roy

[dbrooks1440]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6631606#post6631606 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Gonodactylus
I assumed the 100 gal sitting in the garage was dry.
And you are correct in that assumption. It has been a couple of years since I cycled a tank and I have forgotten how long it really takes.

Will get a couple of photo's to verify species and see if I can "squeeze" him into a 20g until the 100g fully cycles.

Thanks for all.

Dbrooks

[dbrooks1440]

Here are three pictures of rather poor quality. Can anyone tell the species? They guy selling says
that he "thinks that it's a peacock" - but aren't all peacocks smashers by definition? He claims that this is a spearer.

I am going to take more pictures tonight.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/87318mantis_shrimp_tail__Small_.jpg

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/87318mantis_shrimp__Small_.jpg

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/87318mantis_shrimp2__Small_.jpg

[speedsport]

That is deffinatly a spearer.

[dbrooks1440]

Stopped by and took a few more photo's. I placed a dollar bill for size reference. It's definitely 6 inches.

Here's the (new) issue: the guy is holding it in a 3g nano! I have a 20g that I can put him in, at least temporarily...what do you all think? The other problem is that my 20g already has a small smasher in it...he can hide from this monster - but for how long. Or will they co-exist?

Definitely a spearer - saw him grab on to a piece of frozen shrimp.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/87318small1.JPG

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/87318small2.JPG

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/87318small3.JPG

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/87318small4.JPG

Bummer...
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/87318small5.JPG

[Gonodactylus]

DBrooks,

Please contact me at rlcaldwell@berkeley.edu. Thanks.

Roy

[sandlot13]

uh oh, you got roy interested! makes me curious about what is so special about this spearer, hehe ;) Gosh i love mantis shrimp!

[Gonodactylus]

This was a very large specimen (it really was over 6 inches) of Pseudosquillopsis marmorata, one of 4 species of stomatopod found off southern California. I was interested in this species because they have very unusual eyes for a stomatopod - part way between a squilloid that does not have color vision and a gonodactyloid that does. Also, this species is in the rather obscure superfamily Parasquilloidea so we will be able to add to our molecularl phylogeny of stomatopods. DBrooks did a great job packing and shipping the animal and it is now living in a cold room in my lab at 58 F. They can't survive for long above 63-65 degrees and do best betwee 55 and 60.

Roy

[Agu]

DBrooks :thumbsup:


Roy, Good to hear your generous contributions here have been rewarded.

:D