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Unread 03/13/2012, 01:18 AM   #1
Recty
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My new G. smithii

http://youtu.be/JBvqh8LOlmQ

He's a cool little critter, for sure.

I've had him for two days now, seems to be pretty healthy and happy. He doesnt come outside his burrows (of which he has millions in the rock) when I'm there, but I've stood far away and watched and seen him scooting openly across the rock.

Pretty neat. All I've ever had before was a couple small green mantis that came in on some live rock out of Florida and I didnt have a special system to house them. It's very cool having a setup just for him.


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Unread 03/13/2012, 04:16 AM   #2
chaynes
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Super awesome. What kind of special system do you have?


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Unread 03/13/2012, 05:08 AM   #3
TundraGuy
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love it! congrates


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Unread 03/13/2012, 09:45 AM   #4
Recty
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Originally Posted by chaynes View Post
Super awesome. What kind of special system do you have?
It's nothing SUPER SPECIAL or anything, it's just a Coralife 14g Biocube, set up to only house the mantis and maybe a damsel or something of that nature.

It's basically just a tank dedicated to the shrimp, not to anything else, whereas before I've had hitch hiker mantis that I never did anything for but they did fine in my reef


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Unread 03/13/2012, 09:50 AM   #5
chaynes
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Ohh those are nice, sounds like the mantis will love that.


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Unread 03/13/2012, 12:55 PM   #6
TundraGuy
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BC 14 is a good size for the Smithii. I think you’re on the right track with this one. Have you modded the BC yet? I love cutting them up and improving them.
Top 5 mods are.

Mod number 1: cut the lip from chamber 1 to chamber 2 down. this will alow better surface skimming once you do mod 3.

Mod number 2: take a razor to the back of the tank and remove the black paint over chamber 2. Go get some needle point sheet ($.45 at Michales) and cut it to sit on the bottom of the chamber. Fill the chamber with cheto and light this section from the back with leds that can stay on 24/7.

Mod number 3: pull the small pump out of chamber 3 and replace it with the old school maxi jet1200 (no that’s not too much flow for the cheto or the display).

Mod number 4: remove the PC bulbs and replace them with stunners! You will love having more light from bulbs you don't need to replace ever time they blow out on you, producing 2% of the heat that the stock PCs put into the tank.

Mod number 5: add a picture of Doc Roy above the tank as a shrine to how awesome his job is………..


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Unread 03/13/2012, 02:43 PM   #7
Recty
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Awesome, thanks for the mod list.

What are stunners? For #4... I'd love to do that, right now the stupid lights are taking my tank from 78 at night to 82.5 at the end of the day. I'd love to get that down.

Will stunners keep most corals alive? I dont need SPS but I'd like some LPS like mushrooms and xenia.


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Unread 03/13/2012, 03:43 PM   #8
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I fed him for the first time today. I'm using a homemade stealth feeding stick that is a piece of 3/16" clear acrylic and a piece of 50lb monofilament line is taped to the end, so once it hits the water it's almost impossible to see.

I stuck a piece of uncooked shrimp on the end and he was already just chilling at his cave entrance watching. I got just nearby and he came right out of the cave almost his whole body length to grab it and then he zipped back down in and commenced whacking.

I took the opportunity to also feed my hermit crabs, my bristle stars and my couple button polyps.

I got some good video of him today, this was the first time I've seen him come outside and just stay outside. I think I got two decent videos. The worst thing is that he was way on the side of the tank and right next to my computer LCD, so I couldnt get the iPhone straight perpendicular to the shot, so I'm not sure how well it turned out. I'll be able to see tonight though, if it's any good I'll put it on YouTube. He sure is dark colored, I was thinking he was going to be lighter.


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Unread 03/13/2012, 08:36 PM   #9
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Got a couple good videos today and put them into one...

Watch how aggressive he is eating... he's FAST.




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Unread 03/13/2012, 09:01 PM   #10
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CONGRATS! Cutie!


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Unread 03/14/2012, 06:23 AM   #11
TundraGuy
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Looks hungry in that snatch and go vid. Hehehe
Sorry about not getting back to you sooner here is a video link on the stunners. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ciOI...endscreen&NR=1
I know a few people that use them as there only lighting for softy nanos tanks. Just remember that you will need more than one or two to get any good growth from your corals. What I like about them is that the are bright, small/thin, water resistant, daisy chainable, they will provide the shimmer/light ripple, and you can mix up the colors to get that perfect lighting effect that is just right for your individual taste. I got two power supplies one for my fuge on the back and one for the main display lighting. Now if your really wanting to be a gangster on a budget go to IKEA and pick up two of these things http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-w0zEDn7Gc one for the fuge one for the main display. And get one of these http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJDKBCtxBPY same size strips but as you can see in the video you can change the color with the turn of a dial. You can also set the color changing one to slowly cycle through the different colors. Pros of this system is each unit come with 4 strips so you can position them in your canapé to light the entire display, still no heat issues like the stunners, and will allow you to change the color in your tank on command (so if you want to play with light color specs to see if the mantis will change its color based on the environment you can), these are inexpensive and IKEA is not going to stop selling these any time soon. Now for the cons they are not water resistant so you will have to mount them in the plastic shield the canapé comes with, these are not as bright as the stunners the 4 strips are slightly brighter than one stunners strip, each strip has an individual cord running to the splitter (not daisy chain) so you will have more cords. The last one is not really a problem we just kept the cords twist tied together and ran the splitter into the plastic shield but you should be aware of that.

Here so prices
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/pr...roducts_search
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/pr...roducts_search
Stunner Strips: http://www.google.com/products/catal...4190405374468#
Power supply for the stunner strips (one for the fuge one for the main display):
http://www.google.com/products/catal...5402399016936#
Now with all that said if you do one of these two mods and don’t post a video or at the vary least a pix I will go to your house and release the Kraken! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19jb4...eature=related


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Unread 03/14/2012, 10:46 AM   #12
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Great, thank you for the information, I'll check it out more this weekend when I have some time to browse around.

I agree, he looks starved in that video. I have had him since Saturday, I know the LFS he was at for 2-3 months didnt ever specifically feed him, he just snacked on hermit crabs or the occasional fish that he could catch (one time when I called in to check on him, they saw him eating a small clown goby) but he probably really was wanting food. I plan on offering same size feedings every 2 days for a while, mixing up the fresh seafood I'm offering. Right now I've got shrimp, next week I'll do crab or clam, perhaps scallop.


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Unread 03/14/2012, 11:30 AM   #13
TundraGuy
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I have been feeding live food via CUC to my mantis for some time now and would have to say with success. I have been keeping this Smithii for the last 5ish years and he’s doing great. He larger than the list suggested size and after this last skin change his colors are brighter then I remember him ever having. One thing I would suggest like any tank kept animal variety of food is going to be the best.


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Unread 03/14/2012, 01:27 PM   #14
Recty
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I'll vary the fresh seafood, that's easy. I have 5 small hermits in with him now, the little scarlet legged reef hermits, he whacked one the other day and hasnt touched any since then. There is literally nothing else in the tank for him to eat, so I'm surprised he isnt having a go at more of the hermits.

He is pretty small though, 2" long and about 1/2" wide. He's about as wide as the hermit shells, and obviously a lot longer. I cant get much smaller hermits but I dont think it's the size that is stopping him. I thought he just wasnt hungry, but when I stuck the shrimp in on the stick, it WENT FOR IT with gusto, so he must be hungry.


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Unread 03/19/2012, 10:33 PM   #15
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Unread 03/20/2012, 06:00 AM   #16
TundraGuy
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So much shrimp! yea


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Unread 03/20/2012, 09:23 AM   #17
Recty
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Only one shrimp in the video, a piece of table shrimp As you and I well know, G. smithii is not actually a shrimp. HAH!


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Unread 03/20/2012, 12:11 PM   #18
JmartWI
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My smithii was very reclusive at first, but she recently molted for the second time since I got her (That I've known about, at least), and now she's VERY active. In 4 or 5 months, yours might be patrolling the tank too. Good looking specimen!


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Unread 03/20/2012, 09:54 PM   #19
Recty
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Mine moves around the tank a lot, but it does it from hole to hole, it never just comes out into the open and stands there. Does your just walk around out in the open?


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Unread 03/20/2012, 10:41 PM   #20
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love his color. i want a smithii so bad


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Unread 03/20/2012, 11:33 PM   #21
Kharn
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Recty View Post
Mine moves around the tank a lot, but it does it from hole to hole, it never just comes out into the open and stands there. Does your just walk around out in the open?
Not only does it directly relate to the species in question as my "Unknown Unique G.smithii Mutant" is similar where by he doesn't like to leave the safety of his "home" even when food is presented to him he will try to leave his telson or rear end in the cave whilst he stretches with all his might to reach the food on the stick, I'll usually edge it slowly away just out of his reach to encourage him to come out but he is still quite shy.

MORGOTH on the other hand...well when I first got him he portrayed the typical traits of a large burrowing spearer where by he made his burrow and just sat in it. However now when it comes time for feeding he will be in his usual position, on guard at burrow entrance but, once he sees / tastes the food in the water, he will shoot out really quick and stalk the sand bed in search for it, this will usually make all the fish in his portion quickly flee/cower in the corners of the tank near the surface in an attempt to not get caught up in the cross fire.

So I like to assume that Morgoth shows this now because he is quite comfortable with his surroundings and KNOWS FULL WELL that he is the baddest mother f***** in his side of the tank, Zuzu is still edgy as he isn't so confident in his surroundings rite now.


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Unread 03/21/2012, 11:38 PM   #22
JmartWI
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Recty View Post
Mine moves around the tank a lot, but it does it from hole to hole, it never just comes out into the open and stands there. Does your just walk around out in the open?
Right now, her behavior is cautious exploration. She'll perch herself on my magfloat or on top of a corner rock. Otherwise it's walking around the tank looking around. If my moves aren't slow enough, she'll zip back to her main den, and I'm dumbfounded how fast she is. The other day I saw her sneak towards a group of three huddled hermits, and silently kidnapped one of them. She used to be a bit of a chicken when I first got her last November. She seemed to wait for me to feed her for a while and being generally reclusive, but she's definitely got the courage to go out and hunt on her own now on a regular basis.


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Unread 03/28/2012, 10:29 AM   #23
Recty
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TundraGuy View Post
Looks hungry in that snatch and go vid. Hehehe
Sorry about not getting back to you sooner here is a video link on the stunners. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ciOI...endscreen&NR=1
I know a few people that use them as there only lighting for softy nanos tanks. Just remember that you will need more than one or two to get any good growth from your corals. What I like about them is that the are bright, small/thin, water resistant, daisy chainable, they will provide the shimmer/light ripple, and you can mix up the colors to get that perfect lighting effect that is just right for your individual taste. I got two power supplies one for my fuge on the back and one for the main display lighting. Now if your really wanting to be a gangster on a budget go to IKEA and pick up two of these things http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-w0zEDn7Gc one for the fuge one for the main display. And get one of these http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJDKBCtxBPY same size strips but as you can see in the video you can change the color with the turn of a dial. You can also set the color changing one to slowly cycle through the different colors. Pros of this system is each unit come with 4 strips so you can position them in your canapé to light the entire display, still no heat issues like the stunners, and will allow you to change the color in your tank on command (so if you want to play with light color specs to see if the mantis will change its color based on the environment you can), these are inexpensive and IKEA is not going to stop selling these any time soon. Now for the cons they are not water resistant so you will have to mount them in the plastic shield the canapé comes with, these are not as bright as the stunners the 4 strips are slightly brighter than one stunners strip, each strip has an individual cord running to the splitter (not daisy chain) so you will have more cords. The last one is not really a problem we just kept the cords twist tied together and ran the splitter into the plastic shield but you should be aware of that.

Here so prices
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/pr...roducts_search
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/pr...roducts_search
Stunner Strips: http://www.google.com/products/catal...4190405374468#
Power supply for the stunner strips (one for the fuge one for the main display):
http://www.google.com/products/catal...5402399016936#
Now with all that said if you do one of these two mods and don’t post a video or at the vary least a pix I will go to your house and release the Kraken! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19jb4...eature=related
Well, I sort of took your advice, hah. I didnt go with the stunner or the IKEA brand LEDs, but I bought a DIY kit. I'm going to end up with 6 royal blue LEDs and 6 cool white LEDs, and then one red one because the royal blues run the same amperage as the red and I can fit 7 per channel, so I thought hey I might as well add in a red just for helping bring out those colors. The cool thing is I can always unplug it if I dont like the way it looks.

The bad thing is I have to totally gut the canopy of the 14g, so it's just going to be a black plastic shell. The good thing is all that is really in the canopy is heat producing CF lamps and two fans plus a small LED. I'll get rid of all that, put in my DIY LED setup and have way more light with way less heat. Speaking with the company about my setup I'm buying (which is made for the 14g as a retrofit kit you put together yourself) he feels that if my ambient temp is 72 degrees which is about where my office hovers, then the tank itself shouldnt get about 75 degrees just from the lights. The kit comes with a fan for cooling the heat sink, but since the LEDs themselves dont put heat into the water, I should actually have to run a heater now to keep the temperature where I want it.

Anyway, moving forward... then I'll start slowly adding corals and see how the mantis treats them. I think it will be sweet to have a nice little reef with a killer inside.


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Unread 04/03/2012, 08:56 AM   #24
TundraGuy
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bin a couple days now has the kit come in? I think your on the right track. also hows the little guy doing?


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Unread 04/03/2012, 01:35 PM   #25
Recty
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He's doing great, eats like a champ and explores a lot. He is still pretty skittish, he DARTS around between holes, he doesnt slowly move around, so I'm hoping that calms down over time.

I just got the kit in this morning, I wont have time until at least this weekend to set it up.

Right now I'm just running the blue bank of CF lights that come stock with the Biocube, so the heat is now staying at 79.9 during the day. Actually I just looked and it's creeped up to 80.1 but all yesterday it was at 79.9 with lights on.

The guy at RapidLED said that he suspects since LEDs dont put heat into the water, it should in his experience run at about 75 degrees with my ambient being 71-72. So that's awesome.

Once I get the lighting locked in, I'm going to start slowly populating it with corals.


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