Baro von Munchausen, the KILLER G. Viridis!!!

[Uriel]

So, the post-molt BvM is a slightly more purple/green (matching the coraline and the, ahem...macro-algae in his tank) beast, and he readily accepted a small piece of cod last night. He had been refusing cod and even frozen shrimp last week, getting ready for his molt, presumably.
Anyways, I put a little piece in and waved it around on a stick, letting the delicious (I love cod as well...) aroma entice him out.
No dice...
So, never one to watse food, I let one of the larger hermits have it.
Several of the smaller hermits immediately followed their little noses (?) over and began a free-for-all over the little scrap of fish.

Suddenly, what should appear, but a hungry looking G. Viridis, eyes on the prize! He darts out, dactyls ready (I have yet to get to see him make a kill), he swoops in and...


...steals the cod from the hermits.

:|

He dragged it off, pushing two hapless hermits away, claiming the fishy treat all for himself.

Um...perhaps the killing natutre of the beast is more akin to one of the stories of the real Baron von Munchausen (A crock...).

Perhaps the BvM will turn out aggressive later on (like Tim the Supermantis), but for now...I think he's more interested in me passing the tarter sauce.

Sigh...

-Ron

 

[Inigma]

Thats too funny. He was like, that's my piece of cod!

 

[Uriel]

He did it again...

Hahaha...

BvM is a mugger!

He just ran up and stole away a little piece of cod that I had given to the hermits. man, they must be scared and ****ed at the same time.

-Ron

 

[Uriel]

Well, the Baron is a confirmed Mantis-Mugger...

He now steals from the Hermits (How's that for chivalrous...) instead of eating them. I have found 2 dead snails (well, empty shells, anyways...) in one corner of the tank.
He stole a silverside tonight, then only ate on it for 2 minutes or so before pushing the fish out of his burrow violently...


I could not resist.

I pushed it back in with a feeding stick, only to have him do it again...

and again...

and a fourth time (hehehe). He actually stopped and looked out at me with a 'Oh, so you think you're funny, huh!?! Go ahead, stick your finger in here...' look.

One final funny note: I bought 4 hermit shells for my growing (since nobody is eating them) hermit crabs. The two largest have been stressed, fighting , with the second largest trying to oust the largest from his shell.
The shells that I bought are too big (looking tomorrow on Fisherman's Wharf for slightly smaller ones...), but...


Baron von Munchausen launched out and attacked one empty shell repeatedly, whacking at it again and again.

I laughed for 5 minutes, with him whacking and looking at me
(see mantis thoughts above).
I figure that if he keeps it up, he will at least keep his dactyls in shape.


-Ron

 

[SDRotary619]

If you want to see it take out those hermits dont feed it for a week. That should do the trick.

 

[Uriel]

If you want to see it take out those hermits dont feed it for a week. That should do the trick.

I don't necessarily need to see him murder a hermit, but I want to make sure that his dactyls are going to stay in shape.
He killed one or two initially, but Dr Roy said that G. Viridis prefers gastropods, and that seems true with the Baron.
I just need to find a cheap source (Online, I suppose...) of snails.
I'd collect some from the Ocean, but that's apparently illegal here/around SF.

 

[SDRotary619]

Try the So Cal forums (Chelmon I believe) I got 45 nass shipped for $24 which is cheap although they were small. I find mine likes ceriths bc they are easy to shatter but Turbo's last longer and clean more. I just put ~8 in and they get picked off 2 at first and then occasionally as it gets hungry. Works well for me.