Dr. Roy, a question about my G. Ternatensis...

[Uriel]

So, although I bought two large pieces of LR (some form of composite lava rock thing from Fiji or some such, formed like a doughnut, with a tunnel-like cave), my G. tern does not have a completely enclosed burrow. She doesn't seem to mind overly, as she lairs behnd one piece and climbs through and sits in the other, watching me when she feels like it.
My question is this: Should I move things around to try and give her a more enclosed living situation? I added a bunch of smaller pieces for her to use in construction, though she has not (I have had her, and a new Platy for 5 days now...) seemed to pay them any mind, other than to utilize one piece (that is shaped like the bottom of a bowl) as a smashing platform, positioning snails on it to whack them.

Her behavior so far: She is very inquisitive, coming out and watching me whenever I am near. She already gets excited at the mere sight of the 'magic-food-stick', even when I am just using it to move things around a bit. She lies almost upside-down through one rock tunnel (the tunnel is only about a third of her length,maybe half), resting with her tail facing the opening, or her head, unconcerned.
I know that in general, animals do not present their back end without comcern unless they feel 'safe'.
She often lies curled in a semi-circle, looking like an otter with an abolone on the ocean's surface when she eats snails. It is really cute, though I will hold off on trying to give her a hug.

In the corner of her open-top-lair, she curls up as well, sometimes upside down (I am aware of the lack of a gravity-oriented organ (bladder?), so that does not worry me.
Should I at least put some dark foamboard in the corner, to give her the feeling that she has some privacy? I could add a small piece of PVC, I guess, but I really like the organic look of the setup.

On a funny sidenote, while she is at ease with me, and even let the stick touch her dactyl,all with no alarm, my friend Scott was watching her, right besode me, and she suddenly flared up directly at him, her ant. scales thrown out and her arms in threat posture. When he started to laugh, she reacted again, as if his laugh was annoying her (It annoys me...), and swam upwardds, perhaps in an attempt to look bigger? All the while continung to threaten this ugly mammalian monstrocity. Scott backed off and she calmed down.

 

[oddball_from_ac]

thats funny that she'd do that to a different face staring at her. sad to say my mantis sitting days for the female G.ternatensis is over shes back in my co-workers fuge, but good news i have room for another larger species.
dylan

 

[Uriel]

I really love my Tern.

My G. Viridis has really started to run about now (he is small and REALLY fast). that I have removed some of the LR rubble that I had been cramming into his little 6 gallon. I actually looked over about 20 minutes ago and all three of my mantis were out-and-about.
Pretty damned cool, if ya ask me.

-Ron

 

[Gonodactylus]

Gonodactylaceus ternatensis is a very specialized species of stomatopod that in the field is found only living in live, branching corals. They chip a chamber into the center of the coral colony. I have never collected one in any other kind of cavity. While the males seem to be preferred in the trade due to their brilliant blue antennal scales, a fair number of females have been turning up as well. This concerns me not because of the collection of the stomatopods, but because I know how the animals are being taken. The only way to collect G. ternatensis is to remove the coral head and destroy it to get the stomatopod. These are delicate, fairly long lived coral colonies. It is not worth destroying the colony to collect a stomatopod that sells for less than an dollar. There are actually very few species of stomatopods that are live coral specialist. Too bad that the collectors have found one that is colorful, reasonably large and saleable.

I know it is hopeless, but I wish I could convince all potential stomatopod keepers to pass on this species. It is not worth the loss of live coral to acquire them.

Roy

 

[Uriel]

That is incredibly sad and unfortunate.

Honestly, I bought her (yes, mine is a female) spontaneously, as I was merely buying snails for my G. Viridis. I saw her, along with a G. Platysoma at 6th ave Fish Purgatory and felt horrible for them being in such small containers.
My 10 dollar purchase turned into 300+ in tanks,heaters,LR,LSand etc...as well as the 2 Stomatopods.
That being said. Dr Roy, I do love the little monster, and she seems really content (or as content as a marine animal can be in an aquarium, at least there isn't some massive fish trying to eat her...).
I didn't search a Tern out (I was really taken with the Platy initially).

I will just ask again in simple terms, I suppose.
Should I provide any more than the LR chunks? As you say, they live in branching corals (that would be beautiful to see in the wild!), so a full burrow isn't necessary?
I am mostly concerned if/when she molts. I know that a molting creature needs to feel safe at this time (I used to raise Preying mantids, and they always went for the highest.msot remote place in their habitat, away from alll others in their time of vulnerability.

She really does not seem to mind being in the open,unlike Baron von M (Viridis), who has a really extensive burrow and LR castle, or Glaurung (Platy), who lives in an open faced cave with a bunch of rubble that he arranges into a door every night.

As an aside, I had heard that G. Platysoma was a shy mantis, but Glaurung travels around and explores (constantly in search of the perfect rock for his construction...he even uses his legs and tail to blow sand away to inspect rocks!) his lair quite a lot. I guess that I got lucky with my G. Platy.

My G. Viridis has become really outgoing in the last 5 days. I joked about him being worried/jealous that he might not be my favorite anymore, but it could also be that I removed a fair bit of the LR than I had been crowding in there (putting it into the other tanks). He has room to zip around (and he is FAST!) now.


-Ron

 

[Gonodactylus]

G. platysoma is a really good choice for the aquarium trade. They are a good size, colorful, and are easily collected without destroying live or even dead coral. This is a species that lives in the lower intertidal and during low tides, individuals travel large distances over the reef flat looking for snails, hermits, and mates. They are also broadly distributed from Tahiti to the Indian Ocean and can be very numerous. On Enewetok we used to pick up a dozen or so in an hour. While they are not particularly aggressive say as is their close relative, G. chiragra, they are often very active moving from rock to rock across the sand. I haven't had great luck keeping them for long periods in the lab, but they certainly will last several months. We don't know too much about their life history. Juveniles settle out of the plankton at around 9-10 mm and seem to live in LR until they are 25-35 mm. At this point they become more active and begin cruising the flats. They probably breed beginning at 50 mm and reach a maximum size of around 80 mm. This is a typical mate-guarding species with males and females sharing a cavity for a few days until the female spawns. Then the male leaves. She guards the eggs for 3 weeks and the larvae remain with her for another week until they molt for a third time, become photopositive and enther the plankton.

As for the G.t, I've found that they like a cavity with several entrances. I use pvc T connectors in the lab instead of the usual straight pieces of pipe.

The rational to buy a particular animal "because it is already in the shop and will die anyway" is compelling and we have probably all given in to it. If everyone would say no, the shop owners would take a loss, that information would be passed on to the importers who would take a loss, and hopefully ultimately to the collectors. Unfortunately, it doesn't always work that way. First, most aquarists will continue to purchase any attractive manits. Secondly, the importers don't know one gonodactylid from another. And third, the collectors are taking damsels and other prizes from the coral heads. It is not a good time to be a coral in Indonesia!

Roy

Roy

 

[Uriel]

Ack, when you said that the Platysom lasted for several months, does that mean that I shouldn't get too attached (I already am, he's a greay little fellow...), as they have a short life expectancy in captivity?

As to the Tern, I understand your argument completely. I bought the Tern partially because it was there and so attentive (I didn't know what it was until M-M-Mantis and I had a PM or two...), and partially because I know how animals fare at that particular store...

I won't go out of my way to get another, that I promise. I will try and make her (yes...it's a female, acK again) life as enjoyable as can be in the setting (my room). She does seem partial to Tchaikovsky, btw...




As to the dwelling, I have basically two options; <a> I can move the pieces around and try and rearrange the big rocks to form more of an enclosed area, or <b.> I could buy some PVC, I suppose. She seems content to lair in the corver behind one rock,however. My last option <c> would be to just put some dark posterboard along the back edge of the corner where she lairs, thus turning the clear plexi into a (albeit smooth) cavity wall of sorts.
Once again, she seems pretty happy. She rolls in midair (water?), doing somersaults, almost as if she were performing for me. It's uncanny,really... As well when she eats she either lays on her back,curled (looking like an otter eating an abalone on the surface of the Ocean...) or sticking out through the top hoe of the smaller piece of LR, watching me (Am I a movie or something!?!).




.

 

[biomekanic]

About three or four years ago I recieved a G.ternatensis that had come in as a hitchhiker on a wild harvested acropora colony. This was back when FFE was still in business. I had a friend who worked there and he set it aside for me until my next order. He told me that it was common to have them come in as hitchhikers on wild collected colonies, and occassionally to get them in on the bigger farmed colonies. Just an FYI.

 

[EMG]

G. It is not a good time to be a coral in Indonesia!

Roy

ITS NOT A GOOD TIME IN INDONESIA FOR ANYBODY! :eek1: