FFE peacock mantis
- Thread starter lapiz
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JEMichael IV
New member
They ship them very nicely. They will come in a huge bag inside a pizza container with lots of holes. I didnt use a net when I got mine. First I floated the bag for about a half hour, then I took a bucket and put some water in the there enough to cover the container, then I slowly added water into the bucket over a 2 hour period to slowly aclimate her.
Good luck, you will love it!
Good luck, you will love it!
new mantis, first mantis
new mantis, first mantis
Yes!!! She arrived! At least I think it's a she - I see no extra equipment on the last pair of walking legs.
They did pack her well. I was worried about the heat here in Tucson. When the box arrived it felt hot when I handled it - but inside was nice and cool. She's beautiful!!! About three inches long, with turquois eye stalks, bright orange and red antennae, scarlet legs and swimmerettes (correct name?). meral paddles yellow on one side and olive on the other, and fabulous scarlet and bright blue trim on her tail. My son wants to call her rainbow. It fits.
I acclimated her as instructed. She was fairly docile. She only struck once as I clumsily tried to scoop her into a cup to transfer her into the tank. Within five minutes she was eating dried krill. Within ten she was clearing gravel out of the pvc pipe I had buried for her. Then she just stayed in her burrow with the front inch of her body sticking out, watching, and occasionally grabbing some gravel and clearing it away.
She is very cool. I love the little appendages she uses to scrub herself with. Really amazing! And the way you can see down into her eyes.
I have wanted a mantis ever since I saw one in a LFS in Downey, California about fifteen years ago. I recently came upon a 30 gallon tank and decided it would be nice to have a Mantis, if possible. I started reading this board about three months ago and decided to give it a shot. Since then I have been preparing the tank. It has the buried pvc, fifteen pounds of live rock, a few hermits (one less than it did before she arrived), a couple snails, a Bakpac skimmer, some caulerpa, and that's it. Oh, it now has a long neck clam I bought from the grocery. I guess it was too big for her. Anyway, it has now buried itself. Any chance it will survive?
When I can borrow a digital camera I will post pictures.
Thanks everyone for all the information. And thanks Jeff for the heads up on availability.
new mantis, first mantis
Yes!!! She arrived! At least I think it's a she - I see no extra equipment on the last pair of walking legs.
They did pack her well. I was worried about the heat here in Tucson. When the box arrived it felt hot when I handled it - but inside was nice and cool. She's beautiful!!! About three inches long, with turquois eye stalks, bright orange and red antennae, scarlet legs and swimmerettes (correct name?). meral paddles yellow on one side and olive on the other, and fabulous scarlet and bright blue trim on her tail. My son wants to call her rainbow. It fits.
I acclimated her as instructed. She was fairly docile. She only struck once as I clumsily tried to scoop her into a cup to transfer her into the tank. Within five minutes she was eating dried krill. Within ten she was clearing gravel out of the pvc pipe I had buried for her. Then she just stayed in her burrow with the front inch of her body sticking out, watching, and occasionally grabbing some gravel and clearing it away.
She is very cool. I love the little appendages she uses to scrub herself with. Really amazing! And the way you can see down into her eyes.
I have wanted a mantis ever since I saw one in a LFS in Downey, California about fifteen years ago. I recently came upon a 30 gallon tank and decided it would be nice to have a Mantis, if possible. I started reading this board about three months ago and decided to give it a shot. Since then I have been preparing the tank. It has the buried pvc, fifteen pounds of live rock, a few hermits (one less than it did before she arrived), a couple snails, a Bakpac skimmer, some caulerpa, and that's it. Oh, it now has a long neck clam I bought from the grocery. I guess it was too big for her. Anyway, it has now buried itself. Any chance it will survive?
When I can borrow a digital camera I will post pictures.
Thanks everyone for all the information. And thanks Jeff for the heads up on availability.
Congrats on the mantis!
I feed live clams to my peacocks, too. If they survive the first day, they usually live for a long time. Well, until the mantis gets hungry and digs them up.
You can buy a liquid diet for it (I think Kent makes one) if you like, but it's very easy to overdose the tank feeding one clam.
Jennifer
I feed live clams to my peacocks, too. If they survive the first day, they usually live for a long time. Well, until the mantis gets hungry and digs them up.
You can buy a liquid diet for it (I think Kent makes one) if you like, but it's very easy to overdose the tank feeding one clam.Jennifer
I dug out the old bottle I was using. Kent Marine Phytoplex. It's "concentrated aquacultured marine phytoplankton". It says it's for feeding live hard & soft corals, tube worms, clams, and other invertebrates. Sounds like it might work. You might need other foods as well for the star and feather dusters, but they'd eat some of the Phytoplex.
I'm afraid I don't do much saltwater except for mantis shrimp, so I'm hoping someone else will chime in here with advice, too.
Jennifer
I'm afraid I don't do much saltwater except for mantis shrimp, so I'm hoping someone else will chime in here with advice, too.
Jennifer
biomekanic
New member
invert food
invert food
if you buy a non-liquid food (and if it's liquid and unrefrigerated, its about as good as sugar water since the cells break down PDQ) be sure and follow the directions on the container. Spray dried marine phytoplankton needs run through a blender on high for 3 minutes - says so right on the bottle, and if you don't, the particles are to big for the filter feeders.
I ordered one and he came in today (at least I think it's a he, the lights are off at home to keep it cool and I didn't have my glasses on). Acclimated nicely and was poking around the tank. now my worry is the cats playing patty paws with the new critter, I really don't want about 20 gallons of water on the floor.
invert food
if you buy a non-liquid food (and if it's liquid and unrefrigerated, its about as good as sugar water since the cells break down PDQ) be sure and follow the directions on the container. Spray dried marine phytoplankton needs run through a blender on high for 3 minutes - says so right on the bottle, and if you don't, the particles are to big for the filter feeders.
I ordered one and he came in today (at least I think it's a he, the lights are off at home to keep it cool and I didn't have my glasses on). Acclimated nicely and was poking around the tank. now my worry is the cats playing patty paws with the new critter, I really don't want about 20 gallons of water on the floor.
Jerry Gonzales
New member
I got my daughter's a peacock from FFE. She is a good looking lady
My girls call her Susie Snapper. excellent shipping and she is about 6 to 7 inches long. great deal Jerry
My girls call her Susie Snapper. excellent shipping and she is about 6 to 7 inches long. great deal Jerry
I buy them from the grocery store locally (north side of Seattle). Safeway and Albertson's are where I usually get them, but you can usually also find them at any grocery store with a seafood department, as well as local markets like Pike Place.
My O. scyllarus seem to prefer Manilla Littleneck clams, _Venerupis philippinarum_. You can find a picture here at the top of the page:
http://www.wa.gov/wdfw/fish/shelfish/beachreg/1clam.htm#manila
The clams are usually less than 2" across, and both of my O. scyllarus break them open with a whack or two. The store usually has them in stock at the seafood counter, and they do very well in my tanks.
Jennifer
My O. scyllarus seem to prefer Manilla Littleneck clams, _Venerupis philippinarum_. You can find a picture here at the top of the page:
http://www.wa.gov/wdfw/fish/shelfish/beachreg/1clam.htm#manila
The clams are usually less than 2" across, and both of my O. scyllarus break them open with a whack or two. The store usually has them in stock at the seafood counter, and they do very well in my tanks.
Jennifer
BTW, the clams are also very tasty for people. I liketo use them in soups like cioppino. One of these days I'm going to buy a clam-digging shovel and get some of my own when we go fishing. Gotta find a different beach to catch sand crabs anyway, since WDFW is treating the closest beach with an herbicide for some kind of bad algae. Don't want to poison my mantises with the herbicide. 
Jennifer
I liketo use them in soups like cioppino. One of these days I'm going to buy a clam-digging shovel and get some of my own when we go fishing. Gotta find a different beach to catch sand crabs anyway, since WDFW is treating the closest beach with an herbicide for some kind of bad algae. Don't want to poison my mantises with the herbicide. Jennifer
Most species up here are coldwater. For example, I tried adding a couple native shrimp (not mantis) to one of my SW tanks, but they turned pink within 5 minutes and were dead as doornails in 15, and I tried to acclimate them slowly. But I've found that Manilla clams can be dropped straight into the tank after buying them, and they do just fine. If they came into the store that day or the previous, and the grocer selects good ones, usually none of them die off. (I buy a dozen at a time, 6 per mantis tank.)
I went to get some today but they had a different species, I think the Eastern softshell (Mya arenaria). I'll let you know if they live or die. At least the smaller O. scyllarus grabbed one immediately to eat, so they won't all be a waste if they go kaput.
Jennifer
I went to get some today but they had a different species, I think the Eastern softshell (Mya arenaria). I'll let you know if they live or die. At least the smaller O. scyllarus grabbed one immediately to eat, so they won't all be a waste if they go kaput.
Jennifer
DiscoToo
New member
Hey Folks
Hey Folks
Sorry if I am out of line for posting this, I am not big on pushing product here on RC. But I must have taken 10 calls last week for a Large Peacock, and the caller(s) mentioned RC. We have one in, have not checked the sex (active little bugger wont stay still, snaping up a storm). My best guess in length is (a little) over six inches, (but "it" keeps curling up when a I place a ruler next to it).
If the need be, I can email you a picture. You may contact me @ ron@ffexpress.com
Thanks
Ron
PS Again Sorry If I have overstepped boundries
Hey Folks
Sorry if I am out of line for posting this, I am not big on pushing product here on RC. But I must have taken 10 calls last week for a Large Peacock, and the caller(s) mentioned RC. We have one in, have not checked the sex (active little bugger wont stay still, snaping up a storm). My best guess in length is (a little) over six inches, (but "it" keeps curling up when a I place a ruler next to it).
If the need be, I can email you a picture. You may contact me @ ron@ffexpress.com
Thanks
Ron
PS Again Sorry If I have overstepped boundries
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