Stomatopod breeding project

[Dendroguy]

Wow, nice looking mantis!

Why thank you once I get s USB cord for my DSLR I can post pics directly to the forum. In other news both Bonnie AND Clyde were under a rock

[Dendroguy]

MATING well, at least an attempt from the male. He flipped Bonnie on her back but she wriggled free stay tuned for more updates!

[Dendroguy]

EGGS WOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! :haha: omgomgomg 'clyde' who is actually bonnie is holding the eggs right know, I have a low quality pic I will post at the end of this message, you can see the eggs as a yellow mass just between her eyes, they are both guarding the eggs under the same rock I am setting up the 5.5 gal as a place to raise the larvae with a forest of macro as their playground, they are extremely cannibalistic so my perverted self is going to let the phrase 'survival of the fittest' come into play on this one, hopefully the largest and the strongest feed on the smaller weaker ones until I can raise some brine and mysis to feed them IF (key word) they do survive past larval into adulthood I am putting them up for sale, one of the first captive bred stomatopods available to the general public, I am going to email DR Roy Caldwell on their hatching and raising, now the pic!

Bonnie with eggs!

[TheUnfocusedOne]

Just to warn you, rearing stomatopod till they settle out is incredably difficult. They are highly canibalistic, and will take a good while to set.

[Dendroguy]

Just to warn you, rearing stomatopod till they settle out is incredably difficult. They are highly canibalistic, and will take a good while to set.

yes I do realize this, I am going to put as much effort into this project as a 13 year old can, I just emailed Dr. Roy Caldwell hopefully I will get a response

[TheUnfocusedOne]

yes I do realize this, I am going to put as much effort into this project as a 13 year old can, I just emailed Dr. Roy Caldwell hopefully I will get a response

 

Just go over to the stomatopod forum on RC, there's plenty of information already listed.

 

Dr. Cadwells methods usually involve isolating each larva in a cup, feeding them rotifiers and doing a "large" water change (60%) to remove the excess food. Even then, it's damn near impossible, and he's got a team of grad students at his finger tips.

 

Not saying you shouldn't trying it, just have realistic expectations.

[Dendroguy]

Just go over to the stomatopod forum on RC, there's plenty of information already listed.

 

Dr. Cadwells methods usually involve isolating each larva in a cup, feeding them rotifiers and doing a "large" water change (60%) to remove the excess food. Even then, it's damn near impossible, and he's got a team of grad students at his finger tips.

 

Not saying you shouldn't trying it, just have realistic expectations.

thanks for the tips, I know there is a 3-5% chance of this working but hey, life's short do what you can in that time, Im going to check out RC right now thank again unfocused Edit: was just on RC and found this by Roy

"In gonodactylids, the female broods the eggs for about three weeks, then the larvae remain with the female for another week (3 molts), become photopositive and at dawn swim out of the cavity and enter the plankton where they stay for one to two months before settling." it sounds like Gonodactlids might almost maybe possibly be easier than other stomatopods

another Edit:

"Actually, Gonodactylus larvae when they enter the plankton are about 2-3 mm long and can eat rotifers and brine shrimp larvae. In a week or two they will grow to about 4 mm and can catch small juvenile and adult brine shrimp. (We soak the brine shrimp in an additive such as Selco.) At about a month (perhaps a bit less), they will settle out of the plankton as postlarvae and can eat amphipods, mysids, brine shrimp, etc. The really intensive care during the planktonic period is 3-4 weeks. During this time they have to be housed individually and fed and have their water changed daily. The good news is that each individual can be kept in a small plastic glass (3-5 oz.). They do not require circulation if you feed daily and change the water 3 or four hours later. It is a lot of work, but it can be done. One word of advice. If you get a female to lay eggs, remember that you will have larvae entering the plankton in about a month. Don't wait too long getting a supply of food because if you don't have it when they enter the plankton, they will die in two days.

 

Roy"

again sound as though Gonodactlyds might almost maybe possibly be easier than other stomatopods

[Dendroguy]

going to start a pod culture and order L strain rotifers tomorrow

[Islandoftiki]

going to start a pod culture and order L strain rotifers tomorrow

 

I'm impressed that you're giving this a go. Regardless of the outcome, you will have learned quite a bit about our little mantis friends.

[Dendroguy]

I'm impressed that you're giving this a go. Regardless of the outcome, you will have learned quite a bit about our little mantis friends.

Roy is also giving me a lot of info I have been talking with him via Email, he said that the female will brood the eggs for three weeks then insert them into a cavity and brood them for 3 molt, after they one more molt they will settle into the free swimming stage and be around, this is the best time to collect them and put them into their separate containers they will be big enough to eat pods and baby mysis after another molt they can eat adult brine and mysis

[CoralWhisperer]

Very exciting, good luck!

[Dendroguy]

cyano bloom in the reef, probably due to the feeding habits of the little pigs I set up the 5.5 again and Im moving them back into it and turning it into and aptaisia, mejano and macro algae tank inspiration from islandoftikis pest tank I will post pics of the larvae grow out setup this evening

[Euphyllia]

Bahaha! sTOMATOpod...

[Dendroguy]

Bahaha! sTOMATOpod...

lolololol

[Dendroguy]

The mantis shrimps just screwed each other.........anyways heres a video of what happens when they're done with 'The deed' Stomatopod sex

[Islandoftiki]

The mantis shrimps just screwed each other.........anyways heres a video of what happens when they're done with 'The deed' Stomatopod sex

 

 

Dude, was that a donkey punch?

[Jacob042426]

this is so cool!!!!

[Dendroguy]

Lolololol poor bonnie

[Dendroguy]

It wouldn't surprise me, stomatopods have sex like humans, all the time and in different positions :naughtydance:

[Spencer7]

fap fap fap

[Dendroguy]

fap fap fap

See my sig below

[Whys]

Awesome! And good luck with it. As others have mentioned, breeding marine invertebrates is one of the greatest challenges this hobby has to offer. But you gotta figure, starting out at 13, you've given yourself some great lead time. For if this is something you really want to do, then you'll probably be working at it for years. But I don't say that as discouragement. They could be years well spent.

 

I'm trying to breed sexy shrimp right now. I need to get the larvae to 26 days post hatch. I've been working on it for the last year and so far I've reached day 22. To be fair, the first six months was spent building the kreisel and work space, but I still don't expect to settle a sexy for another 6 months or so.

 

I hope you stick with it. It's a fantastic project.

[Dendroguy]

Awesome! And good luck with it. As others have mentioned, breeding marine invertebrates is one of the greatest challenges this hobby has to offer. But you gotta figure, starting out at 13, you've given yourself some great lead time. For if this is something you really want to do, then you'll probably be working at it for years. But I don't say that as discouragement. They could be years well spent.

 

I'm trying to breed sexy shrimp right now. I need to get the larvae to 26 days post hatch. I've been working on it for the last year and so far I've reached day 22. To be fair, the first six months was spent building the kreisel and work space, but I still don't expect to settle a sexy for another 6 months or so.

 

I hope you stick with it. It's a fantastic project.

Good luck with the sexys, what I have heard from Roy is that when gonolactid larvae settle they are large enough to eat larval brine and adult rots. The system I am making to raise the larvae will be 20 or so 3 oz plastic cups with a ball of cheato and a drip system to deliver the rots, OR just my 2.5 filled with cheato and calupliera with a bunch of pods and let the larvae do all the work and hunt for themselvs. The reason I am separating them is due to their highly cannibalistic behavior

[Dendroguy]

bad news everyone, no a mantis didn't die but the female dropped the egg sac, but on the brighter side here is a video of them during sexytimes (redditors will understand)

stomatopod sex

also I have two captive bred Kuda seahorses in the mangrove biotope, Koda and Kuda the seahorses

Koda

and Kuda

[TheUnfocusedOne]

I'd be really impressed if you can get even just one to settle out.

 

I know your still young, and a lot of things change between now and college, but are you thinking about becoming a scientist of some sort?

 

If you are, and even if you aren't, you should keep a notebook of your observations, addition, ect. Keeping a good notebook is cruical for becoming a quality scientist. Also, it'll let you know what you tried that did/didn't work, which would be especially helpful once they hatch.

 

Just a suggestion bud, keep up the good work.