DFE's New Mantis Shrimp (G. Smithii?)

[DogfoodEnforcer]

i wanted to start a thread for my new tank. it's a 10 gallon rimless tank.

the equipment is as follows:

-2 hydor koralia nanos
-18" dual T5 fixture
-magum HOB filter (replacing it with an AC 50 or 70 converted to a "fuge-type-thing".
-11-13 lbs of mixed liverock. (10lbs Iryan Jaya, the rest Indonesian)
-roughly 13-14lbs of live sand ("Fiji Pink" Arag-alive)
-the heater is glass right now, but im getting a titanium or other non-glass heater tomorrow morning.
currently the glass heater is in a bracket, with the light facing the back glass...so the mantis doesnt see it.lol

today i picked up a hitchhiker mantis shrimp that i have been eyeing for a few weeks at my favourite LFS. I got the price dropped, and also picked up a sweet mantis shrimp! My gf has named it "Mr Buffett", after Jimmy Buffett, as he was first introduced with margarita snails. I personally still havent named it yet.lol

I added it to the tank with 5 margarita snails and 5 left handed hermits.

I will include some videos as well, as the mantis decided to go to town on a hermit about 10 minutes after it entered the tank.

I believe that it is a G. Smithii, but i am not quite sure. It has a small brown spot on its shell that is worrying me, but i am hoping that some nutritious food and a successful molt might help it out. it's also missing an antennal scale, but im hoping that it will grow back if it molts successfully.

this thing is awesome. it's my first mantis shrimp and i am already extremely happy with it. TONNES of character.

please keep in mind that all of these pictures and videos were taken within 10-15 minutes of the mantis shrimp entering the tank.

FTS before addition

(how do you embed youtube videos on here???)
Mantis vs. Hermit
Mantis Shrimp Examining Neighbour
Mantis Exploring

 

[gozermantis]

nice find. awesome g. smithii. Nice set up and rock work i bet he or she likes it. My G. chiragra lost its antennal scale before last molt and is back already but very small but visible. Hope its very interactive. Seems to be liking the new pad already working at your clean up crew.

 

[gozermantis]

see here is it missing.

here is is tiny after last molt. her left side our right looking at screen.

 

[DogfoodEnforcer]

thanks for the compliments

my gf was sitting next to me as i read it and she pinpointed its lack of antennal scale. it must have gotten caught in the net when the guy at the LFS netted it, as she said she saw it float up to the top of my tank when i put it in, but it definitely didnt have it when i was acclimating it.

poor guy it tries to show off its meral spread to me, but it just doesnt look the same with one side lacking the antennal scale.lol

 

[gozermantis]

haha i know i laughed cause my chiragra does it all the time and without both scales it looked kinda sad.

 

[gozermantis]

check out some of my vids if you want i got a couple diff. mantis.
http://www.youtube.com/GOZERmantis

 

[mdavis203]

Nice smithii!

 

[DogfoodEnforcer]

thanks gozer. i checked out your vids too awesome mantis shrimps!

it played the bongos on a margarita snail for about an hour today. then went back and played them some more a couple of hours after it ate the snail inside. its also already finished off all of the hermit crabs.lol

here are a few pics from yesterday

 

[block head]

good find, is that a glass heater ?

 

[DogfoodEnforcer]

indeed it is.lol

since then ive moved it up higher and horizontal in the tank, as well as turning the light away from the mantid's view.

he doesnt swim up that high, and keep pretty low.

im actually on my way out to pick up a visitherm stealth right now

i thought i had a spare one sitting around, but it was a 100W heater, not a 50W.lol

 

[IronMdnX]

Very nice.

 

[rireuter]

gozer, your video of you, or someone, picking it up is sick

 

[Mentat]

Congratulations DFE, that is a nice Mantis and tank. Antennal scale could also be lost to a Hermit crab, they have been known to take out eyes too during struggle to survive.

Stealth heater is a good idea, it's the only kind I use now. They get a daily beating in my hybrid cichlids tanks (average 12 in. fish) without failing even once (knock on wood).