had to save the mantis last night

[lillurker]

So, I bought a couple of new pieces of live rock, one's a tonga and the other is, well I dunno, it has a xmas tree shape and a few feather dusters on it. This one almost did it in for my mantis.
About three hours after placing the rocks, my mantis, who I have finally named "Carnage" decides to dig under it. Well it sinks down right on top of him. I happen to walk in to take a peek, and he's buried up to his eyeballs. I didn't figure at first his predicament, until I see him try and dig some more. The rock started to sink more. So I lifted the rock and he rocketed away. Not even a simple thank you, jeez.

 

[Agu]

You're lucky he didn't whack you when he had the chance :lol: .

 

[Ladipyg]

When you've got any kind of digger, but sure the rock is sitting on the bottom when you put it in the tank, not just on the sand..otherwise collapses like that are very common.

 

[Gonodactylus]

Actually, this is normal digging behavior in the field. The animal was probably not in any danger. If it wanted out, believe me, it would have exited.

Roy

 

[Ladipyg]

Digging behavior is normal, but not when rocks are set on the top of the sand and shift to the bottom as the mantis is digging and moving the initial support..

 

[Gonodactylus]

In fact, loose rocks on the surface are excavated. The animals often did below the surface looking for entrances to cavities. The result is that stomatopods play a roll in partially burying rocks into the substrate. When I'm looking for gonodactylids, this is one of the cues that I use to spot occupied rubble.

Roy

 

[lillurker]

Yeah, my mantis has managed to excavate almost all the sand on one side of the tank to the other, I have one live rock that is almost completely buried in sand. Thats not bad for live rock is it?