anyone keeping multiple mantis in a devided tank??

[gpx1200]

sump living is not agreeing with my g.platysoma at all his color seems to be bleaching out and i think he might have some shell rot so i'm thinking about deviding my 20long smithii tank in half tempareraly to house the platysoma on the other side untill i can find him a new home or a new tank of his own.
i'd like to see what some peapole are useing for deviders and hear any experiences doing this.
i'm thinking of useing the plastic mesh fabric from the craft store glued to an acrylic frame to keep it rigid, since it's only temparery ill just stack live rock on the sides and bottom to hold it in place along with a peice glued along the top to form a T the the glass top will sit right on top of to prevent climbing over or lifting the devider up
opinions,ideas?

 

[Kharn]

sump living is not agreeing with my g.platysoma at all his color seems to be bleaching out and i think he might have some shell rot so i'm thinking about deviding my 20long smithii tank in half tempareraly to house the platysoma on the other side untill i can find him a new home or a new tank of his own.
i'd like to see what some peapole are useing for deviders and hear any experiences doing this.
i'm thinking of useing the plastic mesh fabric from the craft store glued to an acrylic frame to keep it rigid, since it's only temparery ill just stack live rock on the sides and bottom to hold it in place along with a peice glued along the top to form a T the the glass top will sit right on top of to prevent climbing over or lifting the devider up
opinions,ideas?

I've done this with both my current tanks just because I do not know how to say NO to a mantis for sale....

My Love? White Plastic Egg Crate!
Live it! Love it! USE IT!

The White Plastic Egg Crate holes/cubes CAN be too large for some smaller species FEAR NOT double it up/triple it up back to back and slightly raise the added sheets so essentially the squares aren't sitting perfectly together making the gaps far to small for any mantis to make it through.

It's tough as hell! It's cheap as hell! Its FUGLY as hell! But it works!

I initially had my "Sump/holding tank" wasn't a true sump as it held NO equipment just LR and multiple mantis shrimp however because they were all relatively small (or small enough to fit through the eggcrate cubes) I used fly screen mesh around the egg crate.....BAD IDEA! The fly mesh became ladders that the mantis would climb over to get at one another.

So I just triple up'd the white egg crate, now the cubes are so small its impossible for them to fit through and its more then strong enough....still....its ugly as hell.

This was what prompted me to get my ultimate multi mantis system underway the tanks that are split in 2 in my new system are done so permenantly with acrylic fixed sheets, nice and neat lookin.

I've got loads of pics in past threads of my current multi mantis system!

 

[Kharn]

You know.......

This may be an option (like it was for me)

But in order to ensure 110% safety of my mantis that share the same tank, I have kept some (Rocky, Eve, Shockwave) within large pastic containers that just hang on the inside of my sump, these containers are quite large as far as specimen containers go, there 20cmx15cmx15cm and they provided more then enough protection from the likes of Minnie / Maximus, once again though, its even MORE ugly....to the point that I don't even know what Eve, Rocky & Shockwave do all day but I know there fine, each have molted at least once and there eating ferociously.

it was never my intent to keep them in such confined quarters only a temporary housing situation I am more then positive that once they all get there own 30cmx30cmx30cm they will be more then happy =)

I feel guilty about splitting up Minnie & Maximus because once they go into there own tanks they will never see each other again ='[ and they have a really good thing going =D I mean I remember when I got them and Dr. Caldwell telling me that one day, one day soon/in the future one will kill and eat the other but, I just can't see it happening...there just so friendly towards one another and they have been like this for a LONG time FAR FAR longer then in my care....

I still don't actually know if I AM going to split Maximus and Minnie up as I do have 2 (smasher) tanks that aren't divided into 2 smaller tanks (4 are divided allowing me to keep 8 individuals) (1 for a large peacock or similar and the other for "X") perhaps Maximus & Minnie =)

 

[TundraGuy]

*cough* 12 gallon Edge *cough* O hey Kharn how you doing? and hows the little unknown guy doing any new shots?

 

[psohn703]

did u also use eggcrate to split up the smashers or did u use something else. do they ever try to attack each other?

 

[gpx1200]

this is what i came up with to devide my 20 long with smithii on the left and g.t on the right. i used 2 layers of black plastic mesh fabric from a.c. more and strips of 1/8 acrylic. it's installed as a temperary barier with rocks much bigger than either mantis buried along bolth sides of the bottom and a 1 1/2 inch wide strip of acrylic glued to the top to form a T that the glass top sits right on top of so it's not lifhting up and the T top holds it at 90* from the top and bottom. the plastic mesh is cut and glued togeather so the holes are offset and you can only see through it at an angle so if the mantis come face to face hopefuly they won't even see each other.
bolth mantis have checked it out but they don't seem to notice each other at all and neither one has put the plastic to the test yet but theirs a net on the shelf right under the tank just in case, it's only been a few days but so far so good.

 

[Kharn]

Must be careful when making dividers for smaller species of mantis shrimps.

If the dividers holes are too big (like egg crate) most can easily past through, if the holes are so small like a "Fly mesh" effect, they can use it as a ladder to crawl over to get to the other side, didn't take mine long for this too happen and before I knew it my large G.smithii female was attaking the smaller Rocky (G.graphurus) although I separated them quick enough but I learnt my lesson =).

 

[psohn703]

thanks guys for input. i use a thin clear acrylic that has holes about 1/16 of an inch in diameter and the hoels are about 1/8 of an inch across the whole sheet. i siliconed all three sides and the acrylic goes all the way up to the glass top so they cannot climb over. Also good catch kharn i didnt even think about them climbing over. but what i was worried about is when they see each other through the acrylic it might stress them out. do u guys think this is a problem? gpx1200 ur barriers look great, i wish i did something like that before i siliconed everything down.

 

[MantisO_o]

this is what i came up with to devide my 20 long with smithii on the left and g.t on the right. i used 2 layers of black plastic mesh fabric from a.c. more and strips of 1/8 acrylic. it's installed as a temperary barier with rocks much bigger than either mantis buried along bolth sides of the bottom and a 1 1/2 inch wide strip of acrylic glued to the top to form a T that the glass top sits right on top of so it's not lifhting up and the T top holds it at 90* from the top and bottom. the plastic mesh is cut and glued togeather so the holes are offset and you can only see through it at an angle so if the mantis come face to face hopefuly they won't even see each other.
bolth mantis have checked it out but they don't seem to notice each other at all and neither one has put the plastic to the test yet but theirs a net on the shelf right under the tank just in case, it's only been a few days but so far so good.

That looks good to me

What i do with smashers i use clear acrylic. Its the cleanest looking divider you can use. I don't silicon the sides or anything. I weld a small acrylic sheet on to the acrylic divider wall. Making an upside down T. The water goes around the sides or you can drill holes in the acrylic if needed.

With larger spears(, 4+ inches) that is only when i go with egg crate, however, with smaller spears or smasher acrylic is best.

thanks guys for input. i use a thin clear acrylic that has holes about 1/16 of an inch in diameter and the hoels are about 1/8 of an inch across the whole sheet. i siliconed all three sides and the acrylic goes all the way up to the glass top so they cannot climb over. Also good catch kharn i didnt even think about them climbing over. but what i was worried about is when they see each other through the acrylic it might stress them out. do u guys think this is a problem? gpx1200 ur barriers look great, i wish i did something like that before i siliconed everything down.

They don't mind each other too much. In the beginning they may threaten each other but later on they will ignore one another. Later on they will become to busy working on their burrows.

 

[psohn703]

cool thanks. i have always worried about them stressing out from watching each other.

 

[Kharn]

Its going to be interesting when I put Morgoth & Leviathan in there temp tank which is quite smaller then there current tank....they will be much closer together with no sand to hide in I would LOVE to get a picture of both of them sizing each other up at the same time like those Komodo Dragons do =D I doubt it would be a picture ever captured ?

 

[MantisO_o]

Its going to be interesting when I put Morgoth & Leviathan in there temp tank which is quite smaller then there current tank....they will be much closer together with no sand to hide in I would LOVE to get a picture of both of them sizing each other up at the same time like those Komodo Dragons do =D I doubt it would be a picture ever captured ?

Likely they would be too busy to try to fine away to create a burrow. When my pair were placed next to each other in a divided tank they didn't care much about each other. First on their minds were a place to hide, where am i? (or long unknown meaning...sitting in one place for hours on end) and then food. After all that then 'maybe' bother to look at one another.