Another ID Thread

[GraviT]

I'm thinking Peacock (Odontodactylus scyllarus), but it's more colorful than most of the examples I've seen thus far, and I'm not sure about the leopard spots on the anterior lateral carapace bit. Sorry for the pic quality, it's dark and these were shot with a flashlight:

The scary part about all this is that I planned to put it in a 5gal minibow until I got something larger to house it. Just my luck, I brought it home and found that the minibow has a crack in the bottom, so it's in a 2.5 gal, glass tank for the time being. :eek1: It's only about 2.5 - 3" long...do ya think it could break the glass yet? I've read they aren't a danger for breaking glass until about 5" (13cm), but I'm having a hard time sleeping thinking about it! :eek2:

Thanks in advance!

 

[Uriel]

Congrats, you have a Gonodactylaceus ternatensis!

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthro...traca/royslist/species.php?name=g_ternatensis

I have one as well, and she is one of my most personable mantis, although she is also the most ferocious and aggressive one that I have. Oddly, my biggest (Ny two O. scyllarus, or peacocks) are the most mellow, each having a damsel that shares it's tank, with no apparent probems.

Dr. Roy makes note that the collection of G. tern destroys branching corals, a horrible practice, though I (Selfishly) love mine, and wouldn't want to give her up.

Mine likes crabs,snails,guppies, feather duster worms ( ), pretty much whatever give her...she even tackles the occassional live mussel.


-Ron

 

[GraviT]

Hey, thanks a ton for the identification! Do you have yours in acrylic or glass?

 

[Gonodactylus]

This a female. Very large G t are prone to shell disease, so watch your water quality and provide a good cavity. Better yet, give her a branched coral or live rock and lots of small piecs of rubble to build with.

Roy

 

[GraviT]

Thanks Roy. I'm looking into getting her a larger home, but don't know if it's safe to go with glass or not. Do you think she would approve of a branched coral skeleton, or should it be live? I have a massive, brown acro in my reef that I've been trying to move someplace, maybe her new home would be a great place.

 

[Gonodactylus]

I keep mine in glass tanks and have yet to have a problem. They don't dig as much as a species such as O. scyllarus or G. chiragra - particularly if they have a suitable home.

The live acro might work. They ofen will build under them. Don't be surprised if a few branches are removed, however. In the field they live in very branch species like damicornis and literally chip a hollow opening in the center of the coloney.

Roy

 

[GraviT]

Thanks again. Do you think I would be pushing my luck by keeping her in the 2.5 gallon, glass tank for about a month? Right now, she has a hang-on filter rated for 10 gal tanks, a small heater, 3" sandbed and a nice chunk of live rock. I can add some rubbel and such to liven things up a bit.

I have a 10g, glass tank but need to either build or buy a stand that the wife will approve of. I'm already in the doghouse for bringing home something that needs it's own space...hehe. I've been looking at smaller, plastic tanks today, but the amount of money that I would have to lay down for a 5 g bowfront just seems excessive.

 

[Gonodactylus]

Risky and I do not recommend it. The smaller the tank, the less buffering you have against something going wrong. If you do go with the small system, do frequent partial water changes and be religious about removing all uneaten food, molt skings, etc as soon as possible.

Roy

 

[GraviT]

Well, I finally got her to eat something. It's strange, but I feel a bit guilty about sacraficing the snail as it's been in my reef for over 2 years now.

 

[sandlot13]

awesome! congrats on the new girl!

 

[iCam]

Wow, that is a gorgeous mantis