40B O. Havanensis build

[nmotz]

Well, after saving up, buying/stockpiling equipment (photos to come), and spending countless hours researching different options over the last year, the time has finally arrived. I do want to thank Dr. Caldwell for the advice that he was kind enough to give me regarding this build. Also thanks to others on this forum who helped give me some perspective on how to set things up.

Actually, my tank was officially filled with saltwater on 7 March. This build will be about function, not form, so all the HOB equipment might not be to everyone's taste, but aesthetic quality is not really my ultimate goal on this particular build. I still consider myself a relative newbie, and want to fine tune my understanding of how to properly run a tank more than anything else right now.

Details:

-25 pounds reefsaver dry rock from BRS
-20 pounds dry aragonite sand (.5-.75 inches deep) w/various shells/rubble mixed in
-Marinepure biospheres
-2 Koralia 1150s on wavemaker (water is movin' in this tank!)
-Currently running a 200gph HOB filter to clean out any fine particles. I'll eventually remove the filter floss and use it to hold a filter sock of ROX 0.8 carbon (and/or GFO if needed). Will also eventually run a Reef Octopus 1000 HOB and a 1 gallon HOB refugium with macroalgae (10 marinepure spheres will also go in there).
-Single bulb T5 light with ATI blue+ bulb (not on during the cycle)
-Cycling with pure ammonia. I'm also trying out BioSpira for the first time. I'm always skeptical about this sort of thing, but watched a decent review on it from BRS and have heard generally positive things about this product, especially when using dry rock instead of LR. We'll see.
-Currently have a glass lid but will transition to a mesh screen top (BRS) soon.
-The rest of my equipment is fairly standard stuff, titanium heater, RO/DI from BRS, ATO system, etc...

I'll be posting some pictures that I took of the setup from the beginning to show how it's evolved. Plan is to add a some ceriths and hermits at the end of the cycle when algae begins to break out, followed by the mantis sometime in May. I actually haven't even performed any water tests. I'm just letting it sit and do its thing. Can't wait!

 

[nmotz]

Photos taken early March

Photos taken early March

This is how the tank was originally set up with 10 lbs of reefsaver dry rock. I added 15 lbs more a few weeks later. As a result, the aquascaping is not finished yet. I plan on crushing some of the dry rock into smaller pieces to create a rubble-strewn landscape.

As you can tell from the photos, the tank is fairly old, but was a steal on Craigslist. It was previously used for freshwater, but hadn't been filled in several years according to the previous owner. I scrubbed it out with vinegar and tested it for leaks before setting it up. The "cloudy" appearance doesn't show up like that when its filled with water (pictures to come later).

The Hydor wavemaker was placed high enough on the wall to provide easy access. I ended up changing my mind about that though and placed it lower so that the tank would obscure it and the powerhead cords from view.

The small rock in front is about 5 inches x 4 inches and is propped up about an inch off the bottom by some pieces of rubble. I pushed the sand around it so it wouldn't be too noticeable. This is where I'm hoping the mantis will begin to build its burrow, but that's not always a controllable issue! I'll introduce him to the tank in a fish net and will try to empty him out right in front of this rock so that he goes underneath it to hide.

The HOB refugium is just a simple plastic box that could also be used as a breeder. I will probably buy about 10-20 ghost shrimp at a time and will put them in here to live with some macroalgae/biospheres until I feed them to the mantis.

The powerheads in these photos are actually Nano 240s that I decided not to use in the end. I wanted a lot of flow to make sure that detritus cannot settle. I also noted during my research that high flow is completely normal in the natural habitat of an O. Havanensis.

One of the best ways to try to envision the habitat of a mantis is to watch dive videos on YouTube. These often show different species of mantis shrimp (including Odontodactylids) in their natural environment. You can see for yourself what the lighting, substrate/corals, neighboring plant/animal species, and flow look like. I used these videos to make some choices regarding the setup of this tank. I wanted to avoid using PVC because I think one of the most interesting things about a mantis is to watch them build their burrow. For an O. Scyllarus this isn't always practical because of their size, but for a small species like a Havanensis it's reasonable.

 

[nmotz]

Tank filling

Tank filling

This round of photos was taken 7 March. This is just pure RO/DI water going in. I measured out the salt and added it later to allow the powerheads to stir it up for me. The SG is about 1.025.

You can see how I moved the wavemaker lower on the wall. I'm tall so this is a bit inconvenient, but it does hide the wires better. One of the powerheads is now angled at the surface while one points straight out toward the center of the tank. I won't have a problem with surface agitation though because water will cascade into the tank from both the HOB filter and the refugium.

I have a couple different thermometers on the tank so I can make sure the temperature is accurate. It's helped too because I discovered my heater's internal thermometer is about 2 degrees too low. I've now set it to 80F and the tank temperature on both sides is shown as 78F.

I will remove the "biowheel" on the HOB filter soon. I decided to leave it on there now while there's nothing in the tank.

 

[nmotz]

Just bought my O. Havanensis from KPaquatics! He'll be on hold until the tank finishes cycling. It's been 6 weeks and the tank is clean as a whistle....no algae whatsoever. I'm waiting for the first signs of algae to tell me when the nitrates have spiked denoting the end of the cycle.

 

[Calappidae]

If you dump biospira in the tank, it practically instantly cycles the aquarium.

Dumped a bottle of it in my 125 and fish were in next day with no problems with ammonia or nitrates.

 

[nmotz]

If you dump biospira in the tank, it practically instantly cycles the aquarium.

Dumped a bottle of it in my 125 and fish were in next day with no problems with ammonia or nitrates.

Yeah I've been kinda skeptical of it. Most of the mods on Reef Central, including guys like bertoni, seem to be really against it. But I'm willing to try new things and I think it's important to test the status quo every now and then (as long as it is done responsibly).

Was your tank full of dry rock or LR?

 

[Calappidae]

LR

The way I understand the cycle process, is that your ammonia and nitrates spike from the addition of your LR and LS. (Even when dry, there is dead dried up gunk in it.. people think it's algea free, but pathogens still enter the system anyway.). When you cycle your tank, your biological bacteria is adjusting to your live rock, and your live sand.. not your livestock (hence why an ammonia spike happens every addition). It is certainly a controversal topic, some are for it, some are against it, some believe in it but still do things their own way with the traditional process.

When you use bio-spira, you dose pretty much the ample supply of bacteria to immidiantly handle all the livestock currently in the tank, keeping up with what you have. For example, say I introduce two tangs to the tank, I'd dump the whole bottle of bio-spira, and then the bacteria will pretty much die off until it is just keeping up with those fish and the rock. It's tricky to explain on paper, but it's like boiling water for noodles, the water eventually boils out until the noodles are nice and tender.. replace the water with nitrifying bacteria and the noodles with the water quality.

Basicly, my logic is, if the fish aren't in the tank, what is your bacteria adjusting to, to begin with? Your rock? Then what, your fish are still spiking ammonia in an unestablished system not ready for them yet and bacteria is still "minicycling" to keep up with the new additions.

Regardless, it's only an option, and an opinion. It's not necessarly something everybody should do as results can be wonky at times. Personally, I think whatever you do, it won't make a big difference anyway. A couple hermits, snails, and a mantis isn't as heavy as dumping half your lfs in your tank overnight. The ammonia spike, if any, would be unnoticable in any situation. Until rotting food that is.

Also, if you need a cheap cover for the tank (to keep O. havanensis, a.k.a. the jumper in the tank) you can use an eggcrate from a local homedepot or lowes, the same stuff used for ceiling fans. Seems easier to get ahold of than mesh.

 

[Martini5788]

I use stability after water changes. Well I had been until I ran out. I also added that when I first started. Mainly because I had it from a freshwater tank. I had really good results with it actually. I also did the normal cycle along with it, and waited a full 6 weeks before adding anything to my system anyways, but I was done cycling from 95% dry rock within 2 and a half weeks. And I never had any mini cycles when I did anything with my tank. And I wasn't exactly slow with adding stuff for a few months. I will do that next time to be on the safe side, but I didn't have any ill effects from it. But in your case I'm not sure how important it would be since it has already been cycling and you aren't adding anything yet. But I don't think it would hurt since it will be awhile before you add anything and might help with your dry rock some

 

[nmotz]

LR

The way I understand the cycle process, is that your ammonia and nitrates spike from the addition of your LR and LS. (Even when dry, there is dead dried up gunk in it.. people think it's algea free, but pathogens still enter the system anyway.). When you cycle your tank, your biological bacteria is adjusting to your live rock, and your live sand.. not your livestock (hence why an ammonia spike happens every addition). It is certainly a controversal topic, some are for it, some are against it, some believe in it but still do things their own way with the traditional process.

When you use bio-spira, you dose pretty much the ample supply of bacteria to immidiantly handle all the livestock currently in the tank, keeping up with what you have. For example, say I introduce two tangs to the tank, I'd dump the whole bottle of bio-spira, and then the bacteria will pretty much die off until it is just keeping up with those fish and the rock. It's tricky to explain on paper, but it's like boiling water for noodles, the water eventually boils out until the noodles are nice and tender.. replace the water with nitrifying bacteria and the noodles with the water quality.

Basicly, my logic is, if the fish aren't in the tank, what is your bacteria adjusting to, to begin with? Your rock? Then what, your fish are still spiking ammonia in an unestablished system not ready for them yet and bacteria is still "minicycling" to keep up with the new additions.

Regardless, it's only an option, and an opinion. It's not necessarly something everybody should do as results can be wonky at times. Personally, I think whatever you do, it won't make a big difference anyway. A couple hermits, snails, and a mantis isn't as heavy as dumping half your lfs in your tank overnight. The ammonia spike, if any, would be unnoticable in any situation. Until rotting food that is.

Also, if you need a cheap cover for the tank (to keep O. havanensis, a.k.a. the jumper in the tank) you can use an eggcrate from a local homedepot or lowes, the same stuff used for ceiling fans. Seems easier to get ahold of than mesh.

There does seem to always be an ongoing debate about the "ritual of the cycle". What I mean is that everyone seems to have their own ritual that they favor and in my opinion it's very unclear if one is really better than any other. People get very hung up on their own preferences sometimes, myself included. For instance there is a poster right now who is really pushing his "ritual" really hard in all the forums, especially the Newbie section. It's not a bad idea, but the way he presses it causes some disgruntled reactions.

I think the best thing anyone can do is understand the key differences between anecdotal experience and scientific evidence. Both have value, but I think some people get too carried away with the anecdotal side in this hobby. Just my opinion.

I went ahead and bought the mesh cover DIY kit from BRS. I'm really not much of a DIY'er at all but I watched the instructional video and I think it's easy enough for me to do it.

 

[Martini5788]

Yeah I think it should be fairly straight forward. I will pro ably just get my screen from
Lowes, but just because it's cheaper. I would order the mesh from brs though

 

[nmotz]

Just FYI, if anyone out there is considering getting a mantis shrimp online, might I recommend KPaquatics? They are absolutely fantastic. Always in communication regarding the shipment of their livestock, always helpful. Just a joy to do business with them. And they have several interesting and interactive species of mantis shrimp to choose from in addition to LR, crabs/snails for food, etc. What's not to like?

My Havanensis is scheduled to arrived on the morning of 5 May! I'm going to pick it up directly at the FedEx center to avoid the possibility that it sits on a hot truck all day before getting to my house.

I'll post some pictures next weekend of me setting up the rest of my equipment on the tank so it's ready. Of course, I'll also make my final adjustments to the aquascape.

A few days before the mantis arrives I'll buy some ghost shrimp for the tank. The idea will be to feed them a little raw shrimp and just see how the tank responds to the introduction of livestock (i.e. I'll test ammonia/nutrient levels). The bioload on this tank will be pretty low since I'm not going to add any fish or corals, but I want to be sure that the biological filtering capacity has been tested at least a little bit.

 

[Martini5788]

I had the same experience with ibluewater. They were absolutely wonderful. I got pictures and videos of the mantis they had available and picked the one that I wanted. But when I decide I want a havanesis I will be using kpaquatics for sure.

 

[nmotz]

Tacked on some emerald crabs, hermits, and dwarf ceriths to my order that is slated to arrive on 5 May. I prefer to feed live prey not only because I enjoy watching the mantis make the kill, but because I believe it will keep the mantis healthier in the long run to mimic its natural diet as much as possible.

9 more days!

 

[nmotz]

The big day finally arrived! I won't keep everyone in suspense, but I went to pick up my first O. Havanensis from the FedEx shipping center today and he arrived in seemingly good health. He found a nice spot underneath a piece of rock and made a small burrow but he's clearly still in shock. Even so he sat at the entrance of the burrow for much of the evening and I'm sure he'll be out and about very soon.

Rewind though to the last few days in which I completed all of the final preparations.

First I busted out the RODI so I could complete a 50% water change. During the cycle there were no water changes performed (~7 weeks) so I thought it would be best to recharge.

There was quite a bit of equipment that I had stockpiled over the last year or so. One new item was the Python water change system which links to a faucet that creates a strong siphon and drains old water straight down the sink. I had never used it before and thought it was a good purchase. I also went with the Auto Aqua Smart ATO.

Finally, I tested the water multiple times and got:
Salinity - 1.026
pH - 7.8-8.0 (closer to 8.0)
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 5-10ppm

 

[nmotz]

My work continued yesterday as I re-scaped the tank a few times. I originally settled on a formation using 3 larger pieces of dry rock and a few smaller ones lying about. The reefsaver rock made it really easy so I couldn't resist tinkering with it and eventually came up with another design that I'll reveal tomorrow when I post more pictures. The substrate is strewn with some larger bits of coral and dry rock as shown.

I also completed the DIY screen mesh kit from BRS. The old glass top I had was pretty nasty and wouldn't facilitate efficient gas exchange. It came out pretty nice and was easy to assemble which was important for me since I'm not a DIY'er at heart.

Lastly, I threw on the HOB refugium and added 10 marinepure spheres. There is also a small piece of chaeto in there now, courtesy of KP Aquatics. All things considered, the tank came out looking pretty clean despite all of the HOB equipment.

 

[nmotz]

Finally, I assembled the ATO but had to deal with the fact that I wanted the water line obscured by the rim of the tank. This required me to cut away a portion of the rim so that I could place the sensor appropriately. Otherwise it went on pretty easily, but I have yet to put it through functional checks just yet.

So, the mantis is in his new home, along with 3 emerald crabs, 10 hermits, 10 dwarf ceriths and one feeder shrimp. More pics soon!

 

[Martini5788]

I wanna see the little guy!

 

[nmotz]

Here is a grainy pic and a grainy video. I'll work on getting better quality tomorrow. I also included a picture of the aquascape that I settled on. The only addition is a Monti Cap that I picked up today. More to come!

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2HaSPVXy2k

 

[Calappidae]

He/she is really small!

I love how quick and active the species is (actually by record, the fastest stomatopod).

Very cool!

 

[nmotz]

Yeah I was actually really surprised at its size, but it's really going to be a cool mantis, I can already tell.

It reminds me a lot of my old Peacock in how its adjusting to the tank. It has built a new tunnel or something everyday but it still won't take food and is nervous about roaming around the tank. But yesterday it was already getting more bold and it came out a few times to grab shells and bring them back to the burrow.

It won't be long before he realizes that he's king of the tank and I think he'll come out more after that. He already almost never hides in his burrow but sits out at the entrance. I get an inquisitive look every time I pass something colorful or shiny in front of the tank.