Islandoftiki's Nuvo 30 Peacock Mantis Tank

[Islandoftiki]

I'm working on the stand tonight. I just finished trimming the edges of the 3/4" plywood top. A little wood filler here and there, a good sanding and I'm planning to paint it with some oil-based black paint which should have good water resistance.

 

 

Then I'm planning to finish the lower part of the stand by the end of the weekend. I think I'm going to re-do part of it because I'm not 100% happy with how it looks now.

 

I'm also planning to wet test the tank with plain tap water to make sure there are no leaks, the main pump is working and there are no problems. Then I'll drain it and fill it with salt water, add the sand and prepare for the move to the new tank. Maybe next week. I don't want to rush anything though. I'm strongly considering lighting the tank and having corals in there. Water quality will be paramount, obviously.

[Islandoftiki]

First coat of primer went on the top last night.

 

[Archaic37]

Its always fun finding people on n-r and recognizing them from /r/aquariums.

 

Looking forward to this build, your videos of your mantis are some of the best.

[Islandoftiki]

Its always fun finding people on n-r and recognizing them from /r/aquariums.

 

Looking forward to this build, your videos of your mantis are some of the best.

 

Yeah, I just started using Reddit and posting there recently. Wanted something to get me away from Facebook.

[Archaic37]

Yeah, I just started using Reddit and posting there recently. Wanted something to get me away from Facebook.

I prefer reddits interface much better for single posts than forums, but forums are still really nice for build threads.

[Islandoftiki]

Here's something new and interesting... A tape dispenser!

 

[Lamilvelo]

The LED ice cube video is my favorite of her

[Islandoftiki]

The LED ice cube video is my favorite of her

 

I'm going to have to come up with some other safe objects that I can put in the tank with her so she can do some hands-on... er... maxillipeds-on investigation.

[Islandoftiki]

Doing a wet test of the tank tonight with tap water just to make sure there are no leaks.

 

 

Also, I changed my mind on the mantis den. I made a copy of what she has now using grey 2" electrical conduit. I'll be covering it in substrate.

[ll_maynard_ll]

Also, I changed my mind on the mantis den. I made a copy of what she has now using grey 2" electrical conduit. I'll be covering it in substrate.

 

I tried a mantis den for mine also, 3/4" to 1" PVC that joins two islands and is buried in the substrate also. I dont think she has found it yet since she is still working on hollowing out her rock. She has it almost done.

[Tamberav]

My mantis Bane will not use a pvc pipe under any circumstance. He can literally have no where to hide and he would just sit behind a rock or in a corner of the tank.

[ll_maynard_ll]

My mantis Bane will not use a pvc pipe under any circumstance. He can literally have no where to hide and he would just sit behind a rock or in a corner of the tank.

 

I'm guessing that is what she is going to do also considering they are similar species. But I thought I'd give it a try. She is quite the rock crusher though. She's been hammering away for over a week now.

[Islandoftiki]

So, my old friend Bill, who I haven't seen in forever, came over yesterday to look at my stand and see if we could salvage it. I have to say, I was extremely impressed with his cabinet building skills. He does this for a living, so I shouldn't be surprised.

 

 

 

 

 

It came out perfect! Yay!

Now I just have to prime it and paint it.

[TheFragger]

Wow the stand is looking very nice!

[Passaggper]

That looks good! I bet it would look cool with some corner trim, too.

[Islandoftiki]

First coat of paint went onto the stand today. Several more coats to go with some sanding in between.

 

Also, I'm working on Betty's new den. This is the first step in disguising it as not a piece of electrical conduit is complete. Epoxy and dry substrate coated. More to come. This is just the first step.

 

[Tamberav]

Awesome! Interested to see how the pipe will look when you are done.

[Islandoftiki]

First coat of paint on the stand is drying.

 

[ll_maynard_ll]

Looking good, your peacock is gonna have a plush new home when its done.

[Islandoftiki]

I'm hoping to start filling the tank with water by this weekend. I want to make sure the paint on the stand is properly dry since stomatopods can be sensitive to VOC's.

[Islandoftiki]

A little more work done on the mantis den. I added some epoxy putty around the entrance to make it a bit more organic looking, and I added some dry rock to the outside of the tube using aquarium safe silicone. I still have some more work to do, but it should blend in about as well as any piece of electrical conduit possibly can.

 

[Lamilvelo]

Looking good. Other than the shape it is hard to tell that it was made out of conduit. Now whether the Shrimp can tell is a different story I'm sure.

[Islandoftiki]

Maxspect Razor Nano light ordered yesterday. Should have it next week. Hoping to go wet this weekend!

[FlowerMama]

That looks well disguised, at least you won't have white sticking out here & there. Throw some sand on top and you'll be good.

[Islandoftiki]

That looks well disguised, at least you won't have white sticking out here & there. Throw some sand on top and you'll be good.

 

It will also have other rocks placed around it to disguise it, and I'll sneak some corals in the crevices to help further disguise it. I'm thinking of releasing blue clove polyps into this tank and they will probably carpet it and disguise it further.