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Another Mantis In the Family


Islandoftiki

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Islandoftiki

Well folks, here we go. I was offered a lovely little 3.5" male peacock (Edit: He's not a peacock, but a Gonodactylaceus Ternatensis) mantis from another local reefer. He's been living the past couple years either lost somewhere in a large system or in a sump. Today, he will get his own tank, just for him! And soon, an even bigger tank, all to himself!

 

After being offered this awesome little mantis, I set to work to find an appropriate tank for him. This ultimately led to me purchasing Mike Gurrero's (of Micro-Reefs.com) 25 gallon tank that was their original display tank. It should be an excellent tank for this growing boy. The tank should hopefully arrive here toward the end of this month.

 

For the moment, I have repurposed the majano propagation tank as a temporary home for him.

 

Modifications include blacking out the back wall of the tank and about half of the side walls to create a darker environment. I added a small 300gph powerhead. Additionally, I've built an opaque top cover out of a couple pieces of vinyl tile. The light has been moved to the AC70 which now contains Chemipure elite, purigen and a good sized ball of chaeto.

 

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I also built a U-shaped piece of tubing that can be used as a den if he finds it to his liking.

 

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As you can see, the tank is fairly dark. This is by design as Peacock Mantis can be susceptible to shell rot if they are exposed to excessive light. The only light in the tank is a small amount that bleeds through from the refugium light. It's quite minimal and very indirect. (Edit, may change the tank up for better lighting once I'm 100% sure it's a Gonodactylaceus Ternatensis)

 

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Here is the final rockscape, complete with U-Shaped tubing. I think I got the size correct from what I've read. We'll see. If not, I broke up a lot of live rock into manageable sized pieces of rubble for building. Again, this tank is temporary, so excuse the not-so pretty tubing.

 

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After making all of the modifications to the tank in preparation for the mantis, I arranged to pick him up. Fortunately, he was only about 10 minutes away, so transit time was minimal and stress was kept to a minimum. Once I got him home, I placed the container into the tank and clipped in place. He then was slowly acclimated to the new tank for a little over an hour. All of the important water parameters were nearly identical, but we did a proper slow acclimation just the same.

 

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Sorry, the lighting just doesn't do him justice. He's quite colorful, but the awkward lighting conditions didn't make for awesome photography. I'll post more pictures tomorrow, hopefully.

 

After acclimating, I released him into the tank where he promptly hid behind a rock, which I fully expected. We left him alone at that point to minimize stress, and hopefully he'll be able to get some rest tonight.

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Islandoftiki
Awesome setup and beautiful mantis.

 

Looks like a Gonodactylaceus Ternatensis.

 

You know what? I think you might be right.

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Well folks, here we go. I was offered a lovely little 3.5" male peacock mantis from another local reefer. He's been living the past couple years either lost somewhere in a large system or in a sump. Today, he will get his own tank, just for him! And soon, an even bigger tank, all to himself!

 

After being offered this awesome little mantis, I set to work to find an appropriate tank for him. This ultimately led to me purchasing Mike Gurrero's (of Micro-Reefs.com) 25 gallon tank that was their original display tank. It should be an excellent tank for this growing boy. The tank should hopefully arrive here toward the end of this month.

 

For the moment, I have repurposed the majano propagation tank as a temporary home for him.

 

Modifications include blacking out the back wall of the tank and about half of the side walls to create a darker environment. I added a small 300gph powerhead. Additionally, I've built an opaque top cover out of a couple pieces of vinyl tile. The light has been moved to the AC70 which now contains Chemipure elite, purigen and a good sized ball of chaeto.

 

I also built a U-shaped piece of tubing that can be used as a den if he finds it to his liking.

 

As you can see, the tank is fairly dark. This is by design as Peacock Mantis can be susceptible to shell rot if they are exposed to excessive light. The only light in the tank is a small amount that bleeds through from the refugium light. It's quite minimal and very indirect.

 

Here is the final rockscape, complete with U-Shaped tubing. I think I got the size correct from what I've read. We'll see. If not, I broke up a lot of live rock into manageable sized pieces of rubble for building. Again, this tank is temporary, so excuse the not-so pretty tubing.

 

After making all of the modifications to the tank in preparation for the mantis, I arranged to pick him up. Fortunately, he was only about 10 minutes away, so transit time was minimal and stress was kept to a minimum. Once I got him home, I placed the container into the tank and clipped in place. He then was slowly acclimated to the new tank for a little over an hour. All of the important water parameters were nearly identical, but we did a proper slow acclimation just the same.

Sorry, the lighting just doesn't do him justice. He's quite colorful, but the awkward lighting conditions didn't make for awesome photography. I'll post more pictures tomorrow, hopefully.

 

After acclimating, I released him into the tank where he promptly hid behind a rock, which I fully expected. We left him alone at that point to minimize stress, and hopefully he'll be able to get some rest tonight.

 

Wow islandoftiki, that is quite some set up for you made there. Great detail too ... love it. Thanks

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Islandoftiki
Not a peacock.

 

Certainly a Gonodactylaceus ternatensi.

 

Nice regardless.

 

I'm going to have to get some better pictures when he finally comes out of hiding.

 

The only issue with him being Gonodactylaceus ternatensi is that I didn't see the orange meral spots (I could have missed seeing them), and the pattern on his carapace more like leopard spots and not speckled. His uropods are about the same color as his antenna scales... a rich blue color.

 

Regardless, he's pretty awesome. It would be a bonus if he is in fact a Gonodactylaceus ternatensi as I believe they aren't as susceptible to shell rot. I might even be able to keep some corals in the tank.

 

He's still in hiding this morning, so stay tuned for better pictures.

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I think you need to host a PNWMAS meet so we (I) can see your pest kingdom in person.

 

I like that idea. hahaha. I'd host one but don't have much room haha.

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Islandoftiki
I think you need to host a PNWMAS meet so we (I) can see your pest kingdom in person.

 

Maybe I can start out my next saltwater happy hour at our place and then we can walk to one of the nearby bars after seeing the tanks?

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Islandoftiki

After looking at lots of photos of Gonodactylaceus Ternatensis and Odontodactylus scyllarus, I have to agree with TheUnfocusedOne and M@!, it's a G. Ternatensis. Thank for the sharp eye guys! The blue antenna scales and uropods are probably the biggest giveaway. I still haven't seen his meral spots, but I suspect under better lighting, they will be visible, and perhaps his darker color makes the speckling on his carapace hard to see.

 

This is a bit of a bonus as he's much less prone to shell rot, and being an intertidal species, found in bright shallow waters, I can have lights and corals with him! He'll also stay smaller than a peacock, so the 25 gallon tank I'm getting for him should be pretty roomy.

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Islandoftiki

My fiance fed him dinner tonight. This was the first time we've fed him. Crab was on the menu tonight!

 

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After looking at lots of photos of Gonodactylaceus Ternatensis and Odontodactylus scyllarus, I have to agree with TheUnfocusedOne and M@!, it's a G. Ternatensis. Thank for the sharp eye guys! The blue antenna scales and uropods are probably the biggest giveaway. I still haven't seen his meral spots, but I suspect under better lighting, they will be visible, and perhaps his darker color makes the speckling on his carapace hard to see.

 

This is a bit of a bonus as he's much less prone to shell rot, and being an intertidal species, found in bright shallow waters, I can have lights and corals with him! He'll also stay smaller than a peacock, so the 25 gallon tank I'm getting for him should be pretty roomy.

 

Lucky. Sometimes I hate keeping my mantis tank so dark. I love how smart these guys are. Mine has learned that if a turbo snail shell is too big he will pry off the operculum or bash it until he can then pry it off and he pulls the snail from the shell to eat it. I've even taken a couple of turbos and pulled them out of the water quickly and dropped them in Selcon so when they close up they're covered in vitamins before they seal tight.

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Islandoftiki
Looks pretty cool ! And what color blue ... very purdy

 

Yeah, his carapace is dark blue, his antenna scales and uropods are really bright blue with red fringe, his back is dark green with red intersegmental lines; every bit as colorful as a peacock.

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Yeah, his carapace is dark blue, his antenna scales and uropods are really bright blue with red fringe, his back is dark green with red intersegmental lines; every bit as colorful as a peacock.

 

A great find ... or gift ... if I remember correctly

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Today he moved into the PVC pipe home I built for him. It seems to be to his satisfaction. He's still pretty shy, so to help get some pictures and video, I enlisted the help of my camera with a massive telephoto and took this picture and video from about 8 feet away.

 

 

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Sorry the quality isn't better, but until he gets a little more comfortable being around humans, this is the best I can do.

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