Snow's Mantis Menagerie - Losing everyone.

[Snow_Phoenix]

probably due to safety reasons!!!

 

 

I would stay hiding under a rock if Freya was hunting me as well!

 

Lol, I haven't even put Freya in the tank yet! I admit I had a massive diatom breakout, so I stole the giant Trochus from Freya's tank and plopped him into the garden. If all levels are spot on next week/end of this week, I'll do a big WC and probably shift the Lawnmower blenny in there first to tackle the GHA growing on my trochus snail's shell.

[Bunster]

I was like who is Freya? So I read backwards... nice mantis tank! And very cool snakeheads!

[Snow_Phoenix]

I was like who is Freya? So I read backwards... nice mantis tank! And very cool snakeheads!

 

Haha, Freya is my G. smithii mantis. She's doing well - heard her punching some rock just half an hour ago. And thank you - unfortunately the rainbow snakehead contracted a bad bacterial infection and passed away. As for the golden snakehead, I just sold him off to another aquarist about a week ago since he outgrew the tank.

[Snow_Phoenix]

So...I stopped by my LFS today and they just imported something very, very new. And guess who was one of the country's official first testers?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's called the Maxspect Glaive LED G4-F60/M60. Very nice and sleek. Surprisingly powerful with nice PAR/spectrum output and also incredibly light. It can also stretch up to 2.5'! There are bigger models, of course.

 

Oooh, and the cactus garden finished cycling last night, which was rather quick. I guess cycling a bunch of sand is way quicker when using cured LR. I already have three residents in there:

 

 

 

Benjamin (Benji) the blenny and Gilbert the damsel.

 

 

And of course, Princess Freya in her castle.

 

I'm also getting some very good growth from my Caulerpa. And Freya discovered the giant SPS skeleton - there was a lot of clicking and popping in that rock but she came out unscathed. And whatever that's in that rock (the coral shrimp, I think) is also evidently alive because there is still clicks and pops coming out of there. So right now Freya's mansion is on the far left of the tank, and the shrimp-SPS skeleton is on the far right.

 

Will keep this updated with a short video of Freya eating from a skewer stick next time.

 

Also, a small bit of bad news - there's a very high chance that both my Occys might not make it in QT (they're sick with some mystery illness). But I'm hoping they'll pull through. Otherwise I'll look into captive-bred perculas or a designer clown to go into that tank.

 

I'll be maxing this tank out at a total of 3 to 4 fish only.

[FlowerMama]

Fun, enjoy the new light. I haven't heard of it myself. Hopefully Freya won't like shish-ka-bob too soon! Hopefully she gives them a little living chance.

[Bunster]

wow nice... the new one from maxspect... specs look good

[Snow_Phoenix]

Fun, enjoy the new light. I haven't heard of it myself. Hopefully Freya won't like shish-ka-bob too soon! Hopefully she gives them a little living chance.

 

 

wow nice... the new one from maxspect... specs look good

 

 

I haven't purchased the light yet - but it's now on my list of things to get. Still, getting a chance to test run it yesterday was a great privilege on its own.

 

Freya's already taken down one of the acro crabs - found its shell right outside her burrow today. So far she doesn't seem keen on venturing out of her little mansion. Maybe she feels outgunned if she traipses back into the SPS skeleton.

[Snow_Phoenix]

Hey guys, I know it's been almost two weeks since I've posted anything on here. A lot has happened within these two weeks - I am happy to say that Freya's doing really, really well. And my macro has definitely decided the 16G is a worthy habitat to conquer.

 

Truth is, I have a lot of pictures to make up for the lost time, but I want to insert four short videos on here first before uploading the pics later at night. I also promise to give you the timeline of events (addition/removal of fish/coral/macro etc. so that the videos make more sense. Please be patient with me!

 

Vid. #1.

 

 

This is actually a 3-week-old footage of me feeding Freya with a skewer stick. As you can see, she thwacked the stick in the end.

 

Vid. #2.

 

 

I also recently purchased a Mural Sleeper Goby (sandsifter) to keep my sandbed clean about 1+ week ago. He's now accepting small chunks of shrimp as well and slowly filling out. He was unhealthily thin when I first got him.

 

Vid. #3.

 

 

This was a showdown between my Pink Spotted Watchman and the Mural Sleeper. It's clear who's the more dominant one. So far it's all fin-flaring and mock charges with gaping mouths - nothing more. The watchman was just shifted into this tank from my 30G yesterday night. The reason is simple - I'm selling off my large 30G because it's causing me more stress than joy. I've battled endless intrusions of aiptasia, nudis, sick fish, fish dying for no reason, and even melting corals in that tank, and am losing heart with it. Right now I have a yellow coris left in the 30G, and once I catch it, I will also temporarily host it in my 16G. There's a 95% possibility I'll sell off both fish later. I'm already going to sell off some of my older coral pieces via my LFS.

 

Vid #4.

 

 

I had a short 3-day vacation at my grandmother's, followed by Port Dickson and then Malacca. This was one of the koi ponds filmed in the Butterfly and Reptile Park in Malacca, Malaysia.

 

Pictures of the tank right to come in a few hours. Be warned, it might raise some eyebrows.

[vlangel]

Nice videos. I didn't know that damsels could live with mantis shrimp? Is it ok if they are much bigger than the shrimp?

[Snow_Phoenix]

Honestly it depends on the temperment of the shrimp. The first time I introduced my damsel, he swam right into Freya's cave and was hit once on the side as a 'warning'. It didn't leave any injuries except a small loose scale. But they were in a 5G then and the amount of free space was limited. Now the fish are wiser - and the larger tank provides more cover too. I have literally seen my mantis walk 1cm away from my goby and blenny and she never struck them. I'd say as long as the tank footprint is large enough, then it should be ok.

 

Do take note that damsels are still jerks though, and might try to behave 'dominantly' by swimming backwards and swishing their tail at the mantis. If the shrimp gets the fish, then well...he had it coming.

[Snow_Phoenix]

Okies, so here goes:

 

#1. I purchased a Mural Sleeper Goby to clean up my sandbed. This is how he looks like:

 

 

This is my jerk of damsel, Gilbert, attempting to assert dominance but failing. (And yes, that plugged up hole on the left is Freya's cave).

 

 

 

#2. I added some nice S-sized seashells to Freya's Garden so that she might use them as more rubble to plug up her cave holes.

 

 

#3. I temporarily added my Pink Spotted Watchman Goby to my 16G. This is because I've decided to permanently tear down my 30G tank and sell it off. I have some plans to shift over from fishkeeping to exotic pets (for a change). Right now I'm debating if I should get a Sun Conure, Veiled Chameleon, Palm Civet, Ferret or Fennec Fox (last one is least likely due to budget).

 

 

 

#4. I also shifted my largest brown banded brittle starfish, Damon, into the 16G. He's almost 8" from tentacle to tentacle.

 

 

#5. I also carried over some coral pieces that I don't intend to sell off tomorrow at my LFS. I'll be setting up a small Pico under 5G with just my mini maxi carpet nem, feather duster worm, anemone crab, hammer coral, bubble coral, hermits, smaller brittle star, clam (maybe) and Hawaiian shrimp. It'll be an invert only tank.

 

 

 

#6. Well, I warned you. I had a macroalgae growth explosion. Freya loves hiding in it, as do hitchikers like giant chitons and SPS acro crabs.

 

 

#6. The FTS on 16/9/2015. Four fish, loads of macro, random bits of coral and one Mantis who's the Queen of her Cactus Garden Kingdom.

 

 

Oh, and Freya says Hi!

 

[FlowerMama]

You know what? That is my favorite picture of your tank so far! To me it looks the most natural so far.

 

Going back to your videos, it was nice to hear you give it a little laugh when Freya took the food. All that you go through, I know you're stressed often.

[Snow_Phoenix]

You know what? That is my favorite picture of your tank so far! To me it looks the most natural so far.

 

Going back to your videos, it was nice to hear you give it a little laugh when Freya took the food. All that you go through, I know you're stressed often.

 

Thank you, Flower. And wow, I didn't realize anyone could pick up my laugh - it was quite soft actually. I was definitely amused when she hit the stick at the end - as if saying, 'There, you take that.' And you're such a sweet, amazing woman.

[FlowerMama]

Nothing wrong w/ laughter girl, laugh out loud!!!!

[Snow_Phoenix]

Just wanted to share some non-reef related pics. If you've been actually reading my posts/skimming through them at least, then you'd know by now I paid a visit to a Butterfly and Reptile Park.

 

Pic #1. White Peacock.

 

 

Pic #2. Frilled Dragon.

 

 

Pic #3. Green Anole.

 

 

Pic #4. Juvenile Water Dragon.

 

 

Pic #5. Butterflies in glass frames.

 

 

 

 

 

Pic #6. Sun Conures.

 

 

 

Hope sharing something different is acceptable on this site.

[amphipod]

Cool videos, tank looks really nice.

Mantis shrimp is an interesting creature.

Like the park pictures, also looks like they mislabeled the knight anole as a green anole lol. The conures are really pretty

[Snow_Phoenix]

Cool videos, tank looks really nice.

Mantis shrimp is an interesting creature.

Like the park pictures, also looks like they mislabeled the knight anole as a green anole lol. The conures are really pretty

 

Thank you and yes, Freya is definitely interesting.

 

Ah! I was wondering why it had white streaks and a small brown ridge, when I was pretty sure that the green ones were just pure green. The conures are beautiful - I'm seriously thinking of getting one or a small parrot/lorikeet for a change once the big tank is sold off. I have to admit - shutting down the 30G has eased a great weight off my shoulders.

 

 

 

As for a quick update - for some reason my C. peltata went sexual today morning just an hour before I was heading out of the house. The water went from clear to cloudy in less than 15 minutes and I could literally see spores being discharged. I immediately pruned the parts that were going sexual, but left the normal growing/healthy parts behind. I didn't change the water, run new carbon or increase oxygenation - I let fate take its course. The water cleared by itself within 6++ hours and all my fish, starfish and mantis made it through. None of the corals or other macro were adversely affected, so I dodged a big bullet there. Guess I should be pruning the giant SPS skeleton more often from now on.

[FlowerMama]

I love seeing zoo/garden pictures. Always ok.

[Snow_Phoenix]

Hey everyone,

 

I just came on to say that I'm quitting reefing - most likely permanently. I've already sold off my 5G Invert Picotope (Reef) alongside my mini-maxi carpet nem about a week back. I'm in the process of selling off my 2.5' long tank and the Cactus Garden as well. The cost of maintenance has put a lot of stress on me personally since I'm going through a really rough time with my health, education and job (or lack of thereof) right now.

 

I'm also quitting FW fishkeeping - so basically I'm exiting the entire fishkeeping hobby. I've decided that maybe this hobby is not meant for me...or at least, not right now when my country is going into severe inflation, jobs are super-scarce, and other things (basic amenities) take priority first.

 

Throughout this hobby, I made a lot of friends here on NR, and some really nasty enemies on local forums who told me 'Women belong in the kitchen and not in a male hobby (reefkeeping)'. I admit I'm not the most 'happy-it's-all-puppies-and-sunshine-and-rainbows' kind of person, and picked some nasty online fights with a bunch of racist, retarded a$$holes on really, really bad days. But I also learnt that there are good people in this hobby, and that's you - yep, all of you - even the weird trolls who lurk in the lounges and entice noobs into their alcove using bioluminescent lures! Seriously, you guys have been the best.

 

I will occasionally poke around on NR when I'm free, but right now I need to focus on healing, and getting whatever's left of my life back on track.

 

Oh! And I also would like to introduce you to a feathery friend of mine - Julian, an 8-month-old pied cockatiel. He's semi-tame now, but loves to ironically be cuddled. I'll also be adopting a 3-week-old baby sun conure sometime next week, and keep only the three of them - the cockatiel, the conure and my Silky terrier. I admit I do have a nano shrimp tank in the dining left standing, but you don't need to do anything to maintain it and it's very cheap since I'm only keeping Cherries and Bloody Marys in there.

 

So here are my little ones:

 

 

Julian.

 

 

One of these Conure babies (going to be ringed and licensed).

 

 

My 5G Planted Shrimp Tank.

 

 

My 3-year-old Therapy/Support Silky Terrier, Duchess.

 

 

 

And in Memory of my almost 13-year-old Therapy/Support Skye terrier cross, Snowball. R.I.P.

 

I sincerely wish all of you the best in reefing and maintaining your gorgeous tanks. I'll surely miss you all.

 

And a special shoutout to the following members: Tamberav, Amphipod, Metrokat, Flowermama, Cindyp, Dark_Ice, 1.0 Reef - thank you so much for all your support and conversations. Bless you all.

[FlowerMama]

Oh wow, did you find a home for your mantis? Take it easy. You know where we are. maybe we'll see ya again down the line.

[Pinner Reef]

Well, crap, sorry to see you go SP. I always did like skimming thru your thread. I can understand the reasons though. Especially considering the fact I've been tankless myself the last few months. I look in my wallet/bank acct. and am all, "Wow! look at all that money". Come back anytime we're happy to have you.

[amphipod]

Sorry it ended like this, I wish you the best.

[Snow_Phoenix]

I managed to sell off everything reef-related except Freya, my mantis. Everyone I asked said I should kill her - too many people over here think they're demons or just a bad creature to begin with. Only one friend of mine wanted her, but he lives 4 states away and didn't want to risk shipping since our postal services are backlogged during the end of the year.

 

Since I couldn't find any good homes for Freya since mid-Sept, I kept her in a circular plastic tank which was around 3G alongside her cave, a tiny bit of macro and my brown banded brittle star.

 

I noticed that either the plastic was having a reaction with the saltwater it was holding or something else was off, because my starfish began degenerating and losing one arm as well as 1/5 of his body. Immediately I picked up a cheap 8G glass tank 2nd hand from the store and did a TT whilst using Ammo-Lock. Since Freya's LR was more mature, the tank pretty much underwent a minimal cycle. Unfortunately, whilst Freya was in the older 3G plastic tank, she had a terrible molt and lost both of her beautiful smashers.

 

I noticed it only when I shifted her to the 8G and added an old LED strip - whereby I couldn't see her trademark 'purple spots'. She lost TWO smashers, and couldn't even hit anything. She was 100% dependent on me for food, and I fed her small pieces of thinly sliced jumbo shrimp thrice a week. Skip forward a few weeks - I got a hitchiker conch and a lone Turbo snail as CUC.

 

However, Freya has NOT been seen for TWO WEEKS. Her burrow is dreadfully silent.

 

Is she still alive? Or am I being too hopeful? I'm close to tears right now because I just did a WC and still no movement - nothing.

 

Params are:

 

Ammonia, NO2 = 0ppm, NO3 = 5ppm, PO4 = 0.03ppm, dKH = 8.1, Ca = 520ppm & Mg = 1300ppm. Didn't bother with pH.

 

P.S. Freya's current 8G tank only has a few low-light corals (unwanted pieces that the LFS threw out), a brown banded brittle star (already 50% recovered from degeneration), a conch, a Turbo snail and a tiny 2/3" clownfish named Elmo. No other livestock that I'm aware of.

[FlowerMama]

I have no idea if she lost both smashers. I surely hope she's ok. She could just be hiding because she's lost her only way of defending herself.

[Snow_Phoenix]

I have no idea if she lost both smashers. I surely hope she's ok. She could just be hiding because she's lost her only way of defending herself.

 

She might be, but there have been no clicking sounds at all, which is getting me worried. Usually I can still hear her 'click' even while her burrow is sealed and she's busy molting. Do you think I should just leave her be, or dose some iodine like Lugol's?