My Man Cave Project (245gal combined), including a 40B mantis tank.

[gweston]

I don't really have a build thread on this site (have one for my local club). PM me for a link if you want to see it. Don't think I can link to it here without getting into trouble (?). I can certainly add a build thread here.

I am on the lookout for:

Odontodactylus scyllarus/Peacock Mantis
Gonodactylus smithii/Purple Spotted Mantis

LFS had two Peacocks this weekend, and a big store sale Sat and Sun. The last was sold on Saturday morning when I called to put it on hold *cry*. FYI - I have a running 30 gal system with a 15gal sump. If I find the peacock early, he'll sit in QT or my sump until the new system completes it's cycle.

This is my system so far

Online/Cycling: As of last weekend.

40Breeder (MANTIS TANK)
100g sump system

Nearly Online!: Ready by this weekend

20g fuge/coral prop system
125g 6' Long (Reef Tank)

Pics!

[gweston]

I might as well throw this question out there.

With a peacock or a smithii... I hoped to put my Coral Beauty Angel and (eventually/possibly) one other fish into the 40B with the Mantis. Any opinions on this? Suggestions?

A few ideas for others are, small wrasse, a flame angel, a dwarf lionfish, etc. I am VERY open to suggestions!

[Dana42078]

I wouldnt worry bout the CB. Its a fast fish and usually smashers leave fast moving fish alone. My G.T will even allow the fish to swim right in front of his burrow and doesnt even give em a second look.

[TundraGuy]

Let me start by saying I like where your going with this.

Rules of thumb I live by with adding fish to my mantis tanks is.

Don’t add anything you’re not ok with losing.

Don’t add anything that will go after inverts. One or the other will end up hurt or dead maybe both.

That’s it. I like the K.I.S.S. method with mantis. I have found that fish in with mantis become skittish. Not of me or the wife but in general. I guess I would get that way as well if I lived with something that smashes things to death on a daily bases.

I would mostlily stay away from the CB due to them only showing their true colors under lighting, but with a Peacock you can’t run light for any length of time without running a very real risk of shell rot. But with the Smithii add the CB and as much or as little light as you want. I have kept mine under PCs, T5s, 250 MH, and now Par 38s. Smithiis are fine under lighting. My Smithii lives in a 40 breeder and has for a long time now. Keep the rock scape simple as to allow the animal the ability to run/swim from rock to rock but don’t make a “stone wall” you will never see him. The scape you built is great for a mantis. But I will soon be taking down the 40 my Nuvo 38 is going through a leek test at the moment. Just came in yesterday. Not to thread jack just wanted to put that out there.

[gweston]

Thanks for the tips. Very good point about the CB and lighting.

I'd actually prefer to get a smithii over scyllarus, but at the moment I am keeping my eyes open for most any smasher. As of last night I ran across three spearers on various sites. No smashers yet. Wennerae are also good, but I suspect it'd get lost in a 40B due to it's small size(?)

My aim is to keep rockwork concentrated and have a good bit of open sand bed in both new tanks. Simple/peninsula type of layout.. I am doing the same for the 125. The sump will have extra liverock to make up for the displays.

I currently have the CB in my 2+ year established 30gal. It is rather aggressive towards my two clowns and midas blenny, my main reason for wanting to separate him to the 40B. He'll probably be happier there (I hope). More space to swim. He's bold, as fish go. He sometimes flashes me to 'show me who is boss'. But he quickly loses that battle with a little finger wiggle or a 'boo!'.

Will look forward to seeing pics of the Nuvo38!

[ccapasso]

I'd like to start by saying...I'm jealous lol....

Will be following along to see how this progresses as I'm putting mine together as well

[gweston]

Took me two years to get this far, and a majority of the work was done just last week. I finally told myself enough is enough with delays...... get it done. So I took a week of vacation just to work on the tanks. Glad I did!

[gweston]

A couple more pics. Added a 20H fuge. Plus some pics of the 40B stand. Unpainted. I may skin it later.

~120 gallons is now online (sump+fuge+40B). Tomorrow a 6' 125g will be moving onto it's stand.. for 245g total system volume. Then time to be patient for the cycle.

The entire bottom of the 40B is covered with eggcrate. A tiny bit of extra insurance in the event of an overzealous mantis trying to punch his way through the bottom.

[khowst]

Like others have mentioned its an at risk thing with a mantis. My peacock at least to this point has done quite well with fish & caused no casualties. I have 4 fish in the tank with mine, a flame angel, a six line, a blue reef chromis, and a starry blenny. I actually had a chalk bass there too, but due to my own brain fart it was a jumper one night when leaving the top off. Until she remodelled one day I had seen the flame multiple times swim in the from of the lair & out the back. bold very bold. lol.

[gweston]

Bought a G. Smithii from bluezoo on Saturday!

The mantis may spend a bit of time in the ~15g sump while the 40B finishes up the cycle. Alternately I have a long running/cycled 10G quarantine tank. It may be better for me to just put it in there with some pvc hiding spots. Easier to get a mantis out of a QT rather than hunting through piles of sump liverock.

[gweston]

Here he is! Say hello to 'Zod'. A ~2" G. Smithii.

Arrived this morning and acclimated. I'll try to get better pics later, as I had to run to the office after acclimating him.

He is in a large specimen container in my display rigged up as a temporary home. He has a couple tiny snails and hermits crawling around for snacking should he feel 'peckish'. LOL. Some pvc for a hiding spot, and a cover in case he feels like jumping.. and it also provides shade from the tank light while he rests up.

Definitely a smithii for sure by the meral spots. Purpleish with a white circle. He is quite a deep green with some lighter green banding I think. Color is tough to gauge due to being protected from light during acclimation, don't want to scare him.

He was very well packaged. I was impressed. Foam container with multiple bags and extra padding, a heat pad, plus an included acclimation kit and a dropper of stressguard. I have that stuff on hand, so not a biggie. But nice to see.

[Dana42078]

Woot!

[gweston]

24 hours later. The smithii is on his back barely moving.

A few swimmerets wiggle now and then. That is about it. Doesn't react if I put a feeding stick nearby of if I'm near the tank.

received tuesday ~11am
acclimated 2 1/2 hours slow-drip w/provided stressguard from bluezoo.

When he arrived he was slow, but alive. After acclimation he livened up and appeared more normal, but didn't show any fear. He checked out his environment, and pretty much sat in a PVC elbow overnight.

I came home from work this morning.. and found him in this condition.

Any ideas?
Possibly molting?
Or is the poor guy about to push daisies?

[Dana42078]

Assuming all your params are in check......... id say he's a goner. Its def not normal for any mantis to stay on their backs for a period of time nor is it normal for it not to react to anything such a stick in its face. Sorry to hear. Win some you lose some? One reason why i bought my mantis at the LFS and not shipped.

[Kharn]

Originally Posted by gweston

24 hours later. The smithii is on his back barely moving.

A few swimmerets wiggle now and then. That is about it. Doesn't react if I put a feeding stick nearby of if I'm near the tank.

received tuesday ~11am
acclimated 2 1/2 hours slow-drip w/provided stressguard from bluezoo.

When he arrived he was slow, but alive. After acclimation he livened up and appeared more normal, but didn't show any fear. He checked out his environment, and pretty much sat in a PVC elbow overnight.

I came home from work this morning.. and found him in this condition.

Any ideas?
Possibly molting?
Or is the poor guy about to push daisies?

Stomatopods are TOUGH a little lesson I learnt myself....

When I was doing a water change in one of my tanks that houses Adam my Male G.smithii, I took out WAY to much water.....almost a 75% change (although the new water was coming from another system not mixed) either way the scariest thing to date had happened, I noticed that when the water was going in Adam came out to investigate, then as more and more water got in he rolled over on his back, swimmerets BARELY moved he was moving with the flow of the tank as if dead so my heart sank....but because I wasn't 110% positive I just left him and hoped to the gods he'd make it.

Point is.......

He is doing fine now took him a few days to get over it as he wouldn't even retreat back to his burrow he just laid on his back for well over 24hrs, swimmerets moving every then again... but when I left the following morning for work and came home that evening he was in the same position, a few days later and he made it back to his burrow and is eating again.

[FLMantis]

Hopefully it pulls through. Turn off all or any lights around him...

[TundraGuy]

Bummer but like Kharn said these animals are strange in what will kill them you would not think could and stuff that often time should doesn’t. +1 on the no light idea, don’t know why but no lights on always helps saltwater critters recover from stuff. Good luck I wish you the best.

[gweston]

Checked on him this morning. I 'think' I saw a slight tail flitter, but could have been nothing. Otherwise he hasn't moved much, if all, overnight.

I am itching to get home (in about 2 hours). I hope he makes it, but at this point not very optimistic. The tank he's in is very well established, so not that worried about an ammonia spike if it did die and I can't get to it for a good part of a day.

The little guys colors are amazing. Going to be a big bummer if he doesn't pull through.

[gweston]

Mantis didn't make it. I sent a second email to bluezoo as they didn't respond to the first. A big bummer.

[gpx1200]

sorry man that sucks, i would skip the e-mails and call bluezoo. the link is still up and it shows the quality livestock gaurentee right on the page.
i got your p.m. will reply shortly

[gpx1200]

reply sent