My 20L tank thread (now a mantis tank)

[PIMPALA]

Edit... tank is completely different now. updates at the bottom of the page.

 

 

Love the forum! Ive been reading for months, but just now think that I have anything worthy of posting.

 

here are a few pics of the old fluval Edge, and 20L that was at my office:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Got the tank, heater, powerheads, skilter, light, sand, and a few pieces of rock all set up...

 

 

 

 

 

and here is how it sits today:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry for the crappy iPhone pics. I have a decent camera, and will take it to the office soon, and get some real pics for you guys, but after looking around a little... they arent that bad compared to others! lol

[tundrashaul]

awesome 20 long..nice stocking .....how long have you been able to keep the flame scallop?

[PIMPALA]

Thanks!

 

 

The flame has only been in there a week. But he was in a rimless 40 cube at my LFS with 2 other flames for about 2 months, so we will see. I know they have issues, but I thought "why not!?!" for $20

[steviejitsu]

Nice tank. liking the rockscape.

Yeah, WC in smaller tanks are easier.

 

well..............

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

:welcome:

[PIMPALA]

THANKS! Anyone know what the coral at the top of this pic is called?

 

 

 

 

My local LFS got in a customers tank that was run low on water, and this little guy was up on a rock, and partly exposed to air, and a couple of stalks died, so he gave it to me to see if I could possibly get it to grow. (even tho part of it is dead, it still looks cool!) and it was FREE, so the price was right. lol

[tundrashaul]

I believe thats a sun coral!! good luck with the flame they are beautiful!!

 

EDIT: This should be aded to the 20 long thread!! if not already

[PIMPALA]

I believe thats a sun coral!! good luck with the flame they are beautiful!!

 

EDIT: This should be aded to the 20 long thread!! if not already

 

 

Thanks! Sun coral! That looks like it! I didnt know it opened up... this thing is seriously pissed off. lol

 

Hard to keep? have to feed it? Guess I better read up.

 

 

and its not in the 20L thread yet, but i'll add it soon.

[the_gats]

Tanks look good. It's always fun seeing another perspective of a 20L.

[mark_reefer]

The sun coral needs to be fed. It cannot survive without food because it is a non-photosynthetic coral. They usually open up when food is placed in the tank. Check it out when the lights go out and it should be open. I feed my sun coral PE mysis and they love it. Good luck.

[PIMPALA]

just adding a few new pics, this time, with my little Sony point n shoot, on macro mode

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[PIMPALA]

Well... decided to update things on here.

 

 

 

Closed my office, and am moving to a new one soon... but in the mean time, I had to take the tanks home for a few months.

 

 

So i gave the fluval edge to a friend of mine, and turned the 20L into a peacock mantis tank.

 

 

here is the build up, and current shots of the tank now (its on my kitchen counter at home) I also am opening a new office very soon, and will be building another desk tank (10g or less) and will make a new build thread for that. anyway, here is the new 20L mantis tank!

 

 

 

tank mostly empty (corals and fish moved to a larger system at home also)

 

 

 

 

 

6" peacock mantis acclimating:

 

 

 

 

 

more rock and plenty of rubble added:

 

 

 

 

 

hi!!

 

 

 

 

 

fyi... mantis will eat urchins too. lol

 

 

 

 

 

 

then moved it to the house, and changed a few things around:

 

 

 

 

 

 

adding more rock. the macro has grown. my RBTA in my main display tank split, and this one was wondering around wrecking corals, so i stuck it in the mantis tank. lol

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

added a clown for the RBTA

 

 

 

 

 

and heres how she sits today:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for lookin!

[nebthet]

Mantis shrimp scare me... but this tank looks very nice, especially with the caulerpa grown in.

[clowe18]

I like how your tanks planted! Looks really nice!

[PIMPALA]

Thanks!!!!

[ksadam]

Very nice, I like the scape. Cool idea for a planted mantis tank.

[paradox_of_reef]

Very nice tank. Where did you get the peacock. Any plans on upgrading? that's a lot of mantis in not a lot of glass.

[PIMPALA]

Very nice tank. Where did you get the peacock. Any plans on upgrading? that's a lot of mantis in not a lot of glass.

 

 

Thanks. Got him at a LFS that often carries rare stuff. No plans to upgrade at the moment... and while I have read that its a small tank for a mantis this size... he rarely ever ventures out of his den other than to re-scape the tank, so I'm not sure why he would benefit from a larger tank.

 

 

had to get rid of the macro, as it made pea soup out of the tank. didnt lose anything, just did a couple of massive water changes, and ran a 48w UV ster. for a week, now its back to normal.

 

here is a more current pic of the tank, sans macro (this pic is from when the RBTA split again a few weeks ago... i traded it in at a LFS for credit)

 

 

 

 

 

 

and had a successful molt a couple of weeks ago also:

 

 

[MGDMIRAGE]

As a large smasher mantis i would imagine its about the paranoia of them breaking the glass that leads to them needing a larger tank or acrylic.

[PIMPALA]

As a large smasher mantis i would imagine its about the paranoia of them breaking the glass that leads to them needing a larger tank or acrylic.

 

 

well, there is crate at the bottom under the diffuser, then a sheet of acrylic in case he decides to dig past the crate... and the right wall has a 1/8" sheet of acrylic on it as well (where his den ends, and his back door is) just in case there too. ive been hit by his smashers twice while moving or removing things, and hes attacked the mag float, along with other things, and i dont see him intentionally ever just breaking the glass for no reason.

[Squared]

this tank is awsome! smashers only eat inverts, right? and the spearers eat the fish?

[PIMPALA]

as far as i know. he might eat fish, just dont think he is fast enough to catch them. (hes gone after the clown a time or two, unsuccessfully)

[lagunastudio]

he'll probably get your clown sooner or later