Anyone ever try a muddy substrate?

[Dave Legacy]

I've been exercising my options for a small mantis tank, Two of the species that were recommended to me, N. wennera and G. graphurus, inhabit some what muddy areas.

I was wondering if anyone has any experience using a muddy substrate? Maybe a mixture of sand and refugium mud, or possibly just straight refugium mud?

- Dave

[Gonodactylus]

Dave,

We use refugium mud for some small burrowing squillids and lysiosquillids, but I'm not sure why you would want to do so with N. wennerae or G. graphurus. True, they often occur in muddy habitats - although both can be found in clean sandy areas. However, they always live in cavities in rubble, coral or LR. I suppose if you wanted to create a natural habitat with rubble and planted turtle or eel grass, that might be interesting. It would certainly promote their turning green.

When I use mud, I find that excessive digging can clog filters, etc. Still, with a good pre-filter, you can probably prevent this problem.

Roy

[Dave Legacy]

Roy,

Well coastal mangrove habitats are my specialty. I have 30 Red Mangrove saplings that could be put to use so I thought it might be a cool idea to incorporate them with a muddy substrate for a slightly different approach to a mantis tank. I have been seriously considering some sort of turtle grass, especially because I really want to promote green coloration, because it's something I've never tried but am very interested in.

Thanks for the advice!

[Gonodactylus]

I think a turtle grass tank would be very interesting. N. wennerae certainly is tough enough to handle a little mud.

Roy

[Dave Legacy]

I want to revise this thread so I don't have to make a new one. I just got a Lysiosquillina maculata and I'm setting him up in a mangrove nursery tank that I'm setting up. I'd like to use CaribSea Araga-Mud, or a 50/50 mix of Araga-Mud & Araganite Sand, and would like to know if it will be an acceptable substrate for L. maculata?

Araga-mud is higher in nutrients than Araganite sand so it will greatly help out my red mangroves. The mangroves are being moved into baskets to keep the roots under contol, I don't want them to obstruct the burrow. Now that I think of it, in a basket, They might not get use out of a large nutrient enriched bed of substrate.

But maybe L. maculata would?

[Gonodactylus]

In nature mud is no problem for L. m. Your major concern should be water quality. If you can hold down the nitrogen and keep up the pH, it should be fine, but I think at least at first it will take quite a few water changes.

As for rootlets, have you ever seen the mandibles on a L.m. They can saw through the toughest nylon bag - so probably roots as well.

Roy