Avalon_Princess Posted December 13, 2009 Author Share Posted December 13, 2009 Another question, idiot me didn't think about the fact glass heaters and mantis shrimp don't mix. So I did a few jobs for my mother and now have another $65 to play with (I have $90 put aside for the lighting system) and spent some time looking online. Unfortunately the marineland stealth isn't available in Australia, but I did come across the Rena Smart Heater that's meant to be made of unbreakable plastic, due to a price match offer I can get it for $39.60 which is perfect, so I was wondering if it would be appropriate? The only problem I can see is it has a rather large LED light on it.... Here's a link- http://www.aquariumproducts.com.au/catalog...257&catID=7 Link to comment
Avalon_Princess Posted December 13, 2009 Author Share Posted December 13, 2009 Okay so how does this sound? The custom glass 6g tank (1/4" thick walls and 1/2" base) with full lids 300l/ph Filter/powerhead (will remain empty except for the occasional use of carbon/GFO) 50w Rena Smart Heater (need to buy) 2 x 36w Compact Fluorescent fitting, 1 10000K, 1 actinic (need to buy) (G. graphurus is a sub tidal species, should be fine with bright light) 2-3kg Liverock (currently base rock but once I'm sure all the aiptasia and majano on it are dead will throw it in the reef tank to become live) Digital Thermometer, external screen, in tank probe Magnet cleaner (since I don't plan to have my hands in the tank at all if possible) Plastic tongs (for moving rubble/corals etc) Small net in case I ever need to catch him Critter keeper to use if I need to transport him. As to maintenance on the tank it would probably be a weekly 20% water change, perhaps slightly more as in a small tank bigger water changes are much easier. Then for diet Every few days offer a small amount of either mysis, krill, brine shrimp, prawn, scallop, squid, clam etc Once a week feed one or two live snails. Does that sound appropriate? i have a tendency to overfeed so always set a feeding schedule to attempt to avoid that. So how does that sound overall? I'm still a bit sure on the extra big flashy LED on the rena heater, though if the rest is indestructible one would hope the covering on the LED is as well... Link to comment
peasofme Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 sounds fine. try growing some freshwater snails too. all u need is dechlorinated freshwater in a container. Link to comment
Avalon_Princess Posted December 13, 2009 Author Share Posted December 13, 2009 I did look at the fw snails at one of the pet stores today, however all I could find is the massive apple snails, I'd be hoping to find younger ones but all that was around was the big 2" ones.The tank pollution from one of those would be unbelievable. Another store does sell ramshorns which thankfully are much smaller so i might try those if there's a total dearth of marine nerites. We're heading to the rockpools next Wednesday so I'll grab some nerites while I'm there, then they can clean up my current slight alage problem for me as well as provide dinner for Xerxes. Link to comment
peasofme Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 apples are mystery snails right? they reproduce a lot. i'm not familiar with ramshorn. i have trumpet snails and they breed even more. i'm feeding saltwater dwarf cerith snails right now and they really like them. i hear them popping every day. dwarf ceriths look just like the freshwater trumpets. i heard regular ceriths reproduce well as do dwarfs. also stomatella and collonista. i'm trying to get some of each kind of SW snail to try to breed them. and i have the FW snails already breeding as a back up. i'll probably try to breed gammarus too but i dunno if they will eat them. Link to comment
Avalon_Princess Posted December 13, 2009 Author Share Posted December 13, 2009 This is the ramshorn snail- http://www.e-aquarium.com.au/ramshorn_snail.htm Basically they breed continually, will live in any conditions and are hardy as all get out. Yup apple snails are also called mystery snails, there the mega sized yellow snails... I've never seen a cerith in a store, so far the only snails I've seen in store are turbo's and nerites, no one even sells astreas. How many mantids do you have? sound slike you must have a lot with all the snail breeding... Dandy my singular hermit is certainly enjoying having a mantis around. I offered Xerxes some of what I 'think' was squid, or maybe octopus, on a stick and he snapped at it for a while but wouldn't pounce, or seem even remotely interested. So after leaving it for a while I fished it out and hand fed it to Dandy, who's spent the last half hour lying on his back in the middle of the tank eating it. Seriously if Xerxes ever gets out Dandy will dead in about 1.2 seconds that crab has no fear. Link to comment
peasofme Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 i have 3 mantis. one i dont think is eating the shrimp. one i think is. and the other i think is eating it partially cause hes smaller. can't say for sure cause they take it into their caves. Link to comment
Avalon_Princess Posted December 13, 2009 Author Share Posted December 13, 2009 So being me I'm totally unable to leave things alone and I had another idea for a tank. I really wans't certain on combining my coral tank idea with a mantis tank. My original image for the coral tank was a very minimalistic set up, no sand little liverock and really high light, to draw the eyes straight to the coral. HOWEVER I just had the best idea for a mantis tank. So I'm thinking I could set the tank up as a species tank, and just leave all my corals in my reef tank at home. Instead the tank would be very low light, I'm thinking blue LED's with lots of sand and live rock rubble scattered everywhere with one large big rock to the side that's the 'den'. Add in a few shattered shells (the bones of intruders) and a mantis shrimp and it should make a very interesting tank...I really really like the idea, especially as if it doesn't work out it won't cost any extra to switch back to my original idea, as I was going to purchase moonlights anyway. However I did want to check about light requirements for the mantis. G. graphurus is diurnal and occurs from the sub tidal zone to depths of 50 feet. There would still be ambient light seeping into the tank which would keep the day/nigh cycle functioning, but would just blue LED light be sufficient? Giving the tank the whole dark mysterious look? Like I said I'm a bit weird with aquascapes... Link to comment
peasofme Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 it would be fine. these are low light animals spending most of their time underground. Link to comment
Avalon_Princess Posted December 14, 2009 Author Share Posted December 14, 2009 Xerxes has certainly settled in, he has a nice black pipe to hang out in in his critter keeper. as well as his lr. I also gave him a nerite shell stuffed with mussel, which he's snapped at a few times but he keeps getting distracted by Dandy who can see the shell stuffed with mussel through the carrier walls and wants it very much. I'm really hoping the acrylic holds. So far no cracks but I'm slightly worried now LOL. Link to comment
Avalon_Princess Posted December 14, 2009 Author Share Posted December 14, 2009 Oooh sticking Mussel in a shell actually does work. I just heard a series of rapid fire snaps so went to check thinking Xerxes had found a way out of his own tank and gone after Dandy, turns out he was just decimating the shell, he broke a really big hole in the back and is pulling the mussel out through there. Me thinks mantis aren't the brightest creatures around, seeing as he could have juts yanked the mussel out from the original opening. Link to comment
peasofme Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 good to know Oooh sticking Mussel in a shell actually does work. Link to comment
Avalon_Princess Posted December 15, 2009 Author Share Posted December 15, 2009 So I'm getting a little paranoid with how loud Xerxes snaps are, and I'm thinking I might set his own tank up earlier then planned.However we ran out of water today ( I love droughts so much, and how we only got to have six months without one in the past 20 years) and we had water brought in. However the water brought in is city water, so it has all those fun treatments, and tastes gross to. I've bought water conditioner/dechlorinator that says it's for use in marine aquariums and I think the salt I use may also have some de-chlorinating properties, but I just wanted to double check that that water would be fine for Xerxes? And before anyone says it no I won't get an RO/DI Unit, do you know how much water those things waste? Here every drop is precious, I don't remember the last time we even watered the garden... If the waters not okay to use I can just leave Xerxes in the reef tank, when this has happened before I've just bludged a few litres of neighbours for top up and thrown a skimmer on until it rains again... Link to comment
Avalon_Princess Posted December 15, 2009 Author Share Posted December 15, 2009 Well craxy Xerxes put a crack ion the critter keeper so I set up his tank and moved him over using the premixed water change water I had set aside. I also didn't plan the drip acclimation well enough, took Xerxes about 30 seconds to find his way into the tank. He shot around a bit and rather than hiding in the LR he's in the open curled up below the heater, not quite sure why... Link to comment
peasofme Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 probably due to the instability of the new water. was the salt mixed in well enough? is there a layer of sand on the bottom to keep him from being burned by unmixed salt? what you should have done/still can do is use your main tanks water for his tank and put the water change water in your main tank. and also use sand and rocks from your main tank cause all of this stuff is already cycled. i use tap but i can't tell you if your tap is good enough to use. ro/di > ro > distilled > tap. i've heard of some people using sea water and then bringing it down to tank parameters. i've heard sea water is very salty so you'd probably have to dilute it with water. and you wouldn't want to use dirty sea water either. Link to comment
Avalon_Princess Posted December 15, 2009 Author Share Posted December 15, 2009 The water change water had been mixing for three days, its mixed well, and yes there is sand. I'm amazed sat the change in character now he's settled in, he's running all over the tank exploring, he still hides under the heater if i move suddenly or a land hermit crab in the tank next door whacks his shell against the glass, but overall he seems much happier.... Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.