Haggisman14
New member
I was reading that these guys are really hardy. Would they be able to survive if you just mixed up some fresh SW and placed them in the tank...?
how hardy are they...
- Thread starter Haggisman14
- Start date
Hwarang
New member
Mine was shipped to me overnight. She arrived pinched in a fold of the bag, but underwater. Also I think she was suffering from temperature shock (air frieght ... ) as well as general shock from being moved a lot. She was shipped to a reefer, who put her in his tank. Then she got captured and given to the LFS. Then he went back and collected her to ship to me, where I put her in my little tank. That's a lot of stress. She's robot like in her endurance of torture.
Did you just find a mantis in your reef today?
Did you just find a mantis in your reef today?
Haggisman14
New member
I was thinking of getting a mantis for my tank, but after seeing it @ my LFS for 60 bucks...i'm gonna have to pass!
Gonodactylus
Premium Member
A stomatopod is not just a stomatopod
A stomatopod is not just a stomatopod
If you are considering keeping a stomatopod, you should pay attention to what species you have and what are their special requirements. I don't want to preach, but conditions that one species will tolerate nicely can kill an individual of another species in minutes. While most stomatopods are very sensitive to pollutants such as organic solvents, they very widely in their ability to tolerate tempertures extremes, salinity change, ammonia, and oxygen titers.
Let me give you a couple of examples. Neogonodactylus wennerae is a Caribbean species found from Bermuda to Panama. It occurs from the intertidal to 30 m +, often in coastal waters living in coral rubble. It is particularly common in some areas in rubble in sea grass beds. It can tolerate temperatures from 20 to 35 C, can take salinities from 25-40, and can tolerate heavily silted water and very low oxygen titers. As long as the gills are damp, individuals can live for hours or even days out of the water. I have actually seen animals crawl out of rubble that was setting high and dry on a lab bench after two days. This is exactly what you would expect of an animal that lives in a habitat where it is frequently exposed at low tide, experiences wide temperature extremes due to seanosnal influences as well as solar heating, and that can temporarily experience hyposaline conditions due to heavy rains. I have taken animals alive out of tide pools that were at 39 C and 50% seawater (low tide, squall followed by bright sun).
On the other hand, Odontodactylus havanensis which also occurs in the Caribbean including Florida dies if you look at it cross-eyed. This is a species that lives generally below 10 m, requires clean, very well oxygenated water with considerable flow, and is intolerant of salinity or temperature change. They ofent die in the lab if we simply stir up the sediment in the bottom of the tank. They are extremely sensitive to ammonia and other pollutants.
In the lab we keep large numbers of N. wennerae in one liter ice cream containers. The water is changed twice a week after feeding. There is no circulation, no filteration. The animals live for years in these conditions. O. havanensis are housed in large aquaria with the best water quality we can provide. We still have trouble keeping them more than a few months and any glitch in the system is often fatal.
When chosing a stomatopod, do a bit of research on the species and what conditions it experiences in its natural habitat. It will save you from over designing a system for a very tolerant intertidal species such as N. wennerae, N. oerstedii, Gonodactylus chiragra or Pseudosquilla ciliata and may prevent unnecessary losses of sensitive species such as O. havanensis, O. brevirostris, O. latitrostris or Echinosquilla guerinii.
Roy
A stomatopod is not just a stomatopod
If you are considering keeping a stomatopod, you should pay attention to what species you have and what are their special requirements. I don't want to preach, but conditions that one species will tolerate nicely can kill an individual of another species in minutes. While most stomatopods are very sensitive to pollutants such as organic solvents, they very widely in their ability to tolerate tempertures extremes, salinity change, ammonia, and oxygen titers.
Let me give you a couple of examples. Neogonodactylus wennerae is a Caribbean species found from Bermuda to Panama. It occurs from the intertidal to 30 m +, often in coastal waters living in coral rubble. It is particularly common in some areas in rubble in sea grass beds. It can tolerate temperatures from 20 to 35 C, can take salinities from 25-40, and can tolerate heavily silted water and very low oxygen titers. As long as the gills are damp, individuals can live for hours or even days out of the water. I have actually seen animals crawl out of rubble that was setting high and dry on a lab bench after two days. This is exactly what you would expect of an animal that lives in a habitat where it is frequently exposed at low tide, experiences wide temperature extremes due to seanosnal influences as well as solar heating, and that can temporarily experience hyposaline conditions due to heavy rains. I have taken animals alive out of tide pools that were at 39 C and 50% seawater (low tide, squall followed by bright sun).
On the other hand, Odontodactylus havanensis which also occurs in the Caribbean including Florida dies if you look at it cross-eyed. This is a species that lives generally below 10 m, requires clean, very well oxygenated water with considerable flow, and is intolerant of salinity or temperature change. They ofent die in the lab if we simply stir up the sediment in the bottom of the tank. They are extremely sensitive to ammonia and other pollutants.
In the lab we keep large numbers of N. wennerae in one liter ice cream containers. The water is changed twice a week after feeding. There is no circulation, no filteration. The animals live for years in these conditions. O. havanensis are housed in large aquaria with the best water quality we can provide. We still have trouble keeping them more than a few months and any glitch in the system is often fatal.
When chosing a stomatopod, do a bit of research on the species and what conditions it experiences in its natural habitat. It will save you from over designing a system for a very tolerant intertidal species such as N. wennerae, N. oerstedii, Gonodactylus chiragra or Pseudosquilla ciliata and may prevent unnecessary losses of sensitive species such as O. havanensis, O. brevirostris, O. latitrostris or Echinosquilla guerinii.
Roy
white_queen
New member
Haggisman,
No need to pay $60. You can usually find someone who discovers a hitch-hicking mantis in a shipment of liverock.
And generally speaking, if the creature survies shipment in a stack of rocks (often not in the water) than odds are it is the hearty breed.
Stick around the board for awhile....mention that you are looking for one and you'll find someone who is willing to send it to you for the cost of shipping.
Angela <><
No need to pay $60. You can usually find someone who discovers a hitch-hicking mantis in a shipment of liverock.
And generally speaking, if the creature survies shipment in a stack of rocks (often not in the water) than odds are it is the hearty breed.
Stick around the board for awhile....mention that you are looking for one and you'll find someone who is willing to send it to you for the cost of shipping.
Angela <><
Hwarang
New member
Gonodactylus, thanks again for that detailed information. Someone mentioned in another thread that you had written up a post on sexxing mantids. Would you happen to have that handy? I'm really enjoying my mantis, all her activity and curious googly eyes, especially her weird behavior. It's fun to watch her select a spot on the rock and start bashing away ait it, then lean her googly eyes down to inspect the handiwork, then bash a little more, then inspect a little more.
I want to know everything about them!
I want to know everything about them!
I just bumped the thread back into existence ... but check it out here:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=49975&highlight=sex
JJ.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=49975&highlight=sex
JJ.
