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20g Hex stomatopod oasis..


sdeverson

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Hello NR. Im not super active on these forums as far as posting goes but I pop in every once in a while to try and give some good advice to new and fellow Reefers.

 

I recently aquaired a 20 gallon Clarity Plus Acrylic Hex tank off Craigslist for $35. I had 2 ideas for this tank. First idea was a mantis shrimp tank and the 2nd was a paludrium with freshwater fish and plants. However after thinking it through the Mantis shrimp tank was going to be cheaper as I already have all the necessary equipment.

 

The plan is to just run a Aquaclear 30 with filter floss, phophate and carbon filter pads. Lighting is going to be basic as well. I'm using an old Marineland "LED" light that I used for my old freshwater tank.

There is about 23lbs of crushed coral substrate at about 4" deep. I'll be using some Live rock from my 29 gallon tank as well as about 10 gallons of water to fill in order to instant cycle the tank.

 

As far as stocking goes I was looking at a Peacock mantis as they are easiest to obtain but I fear my tank will be too small for when he grows. Im looking for some input as to what species to get.

 

IMAG0427_zpsf8ef9896.jpg

 

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Wayyyy too small of a footprint for a peacock, even a baby one (which is difficult to find). They really like to burrow and tunnel and a 20g hex won't offer enough room for that. They also do best without any light (just ambient).

 

I would do a G. smithii or a N. wennarae as they both should do well in light and stay small.

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llama roadkill

Check out Gonodactylus smithii. From what I know they stay smaller and are easier to care for. I may get one in my fuge.

 

Oops, didn't see your post Tamberav. I was actually going to mention you having one.

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Only reason I chose peacock was due to the fact my LFS can order them. Anybody have ideas of where to get any other species. I was looking at the psychedelic(orange spot or Gonodactylaceus ternatensis) as well..

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Got the tank WET TODAY. Its only about half full but im slowly adding water as I make my weekly runs to the LFS. Still looking for a shop to buy a mantis....

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http://www.sealifeinc.net/ carries a few different kinds.

 

They also usually have N. Wennarae but I think they are out of stock right now. You could email him and ask about it. Otherwise get on the email alerts for a smithii and the Gonodactylaceus ternatensis on bluezoo (thats where mine came from). They will get 1 in from time to time of different mantises so you may have to be patient and buy it right away if you want one of those harder to find kinds.

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would a Odontodactylus havanensis work with this footprint?

 

Yes, that should be okay as they only get to 3 inches. They are found pretty far down at 50-150 ft if I remember correctly. This means they will prefer/do better with low light.

 

If you plan to keep corals, a cool idea would to get epoxy, rods, and egg crate and anchor the rockwork under the sand. This would allow you to build upwards without sacrificing the entire sand bed. This would also make it easy to provide plenty of shaded areas so the mantis can get out of the direct light.

 

Rocks need to be stable or the mantis can cause a rock slide. Mine often runs around punching the rock trying to move it so anchoring it helps with that as well. This one doesn't get big but it will still try to move boulders.

 

Something like this where there are dark areas and caves to retreat in but it doesn't sacrifice coral placement. Just an idea!

 

DSCF3869.jpg

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Ok ill see about anchoring rocks down. I just plan to build a little cave and see what happens...possibly run a pvc down into the sand and let him dig it out.

 

I dont plan to keep any corals unless its like mushrooms or softies because of the crappy LED light. It also has the "night" mode of like 3 blue LEDs that i could use as a day light instead of using the full bright white light...

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Yes i know its a bad choice but its so darn hard to find those exotic species....so far he/she has been doing fine...punches the crabs in there and eats the mysis when i feed

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  • 3 weeks later...

Nice looking peacock.

 

I would trade in that hex for a 20g Long and when she grows larger you may even want to go for a 30g. These guys are very active and grow quiet large (6-7 inches). It would be unfair (and cruel) to keep such an intelligent creature in such a small space. Mine uses the entire footprint for tunneling and exploring.

 

Petco runs a $1 per gallon sale every few months and you could snag a 20g for $20 or find a used one online or on a local reef forum. I wouldn't even let her grow up in such a small footprint and would move her as soon as you have the funds.

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Shes awesome and I understand about the size of tank....I havent yet noticed any issues... She eats frozen krill and mysis as well as all the snails and crabs i toss in there from my Main tank...I never realized how big of tunnels they make......I keep my eye out for the tank sales.

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Petco is doing the $1 per gallon sale right now actually. They live to 7 years, so maybe an inch or so a year?

 

I just jumped on the mantis train myself. A peacock is on it's way as we speak. Mine will be in 27g (about a 30 breeder footprint) with a crap ton of sand and a bunch of rocks.

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Shes awesome and I understand about the size of tank....I havent yet noticed any issues... She eats frozen krill and mysis as well as all the snails and crabs i toss in there from my Main tank...I never realized how big of tunnels they make......I keep my eye out for the tank sales.

 

You can go pick up a 29g from petco for $29 :D Trust me, you will enjoy her even MORE when she has room to frolic and dig and climb and punch!

 

Go, go go go...!

 

They grow more rapidly when smaller and molt more often and will slow down as time goes on. They also molt/grow more often when fed more.

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  • 1 month later...

Was feeding my main tank tonight and also tossed in a handful of flakes for the damsel and decided to video of her snatching up flakes...

 

 

 



sorry i guess i should turn my phone sideways when videotaping haha....but im not changing it

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