i need a stomotopod co-worker.....

[G.SMITHII]

so heres the gig.

i quit my desk job to work at an lfs.

Then my current boss countered with a promotion to operations manager and 32k salary.

being 23 and single, thats an awsome offer i could not refuse.

i also request that i be allowed to set up a reef tank in "my ofice", and they said its a go!!!!

so im thinkin pico mantis tank. 2.5-5 gallons. what is the smallest lil mantis you can find commonly that would do ok in that small a tank?

i have a g.smithii at home, anything smaller? i was thinkin of trying to get the smallest lil spearer i could find.

MANTIS MINIONS I DESIRE YOUR SUGGESTIONS AND OPINIONS!!!

 

[Pea-brain]

I can't think of a available adult stomatopod spearing that would fit in there. Maybe a nannosquillid, but I have never seen one for sale. They are not even on Roy's list......Best bet would be a wennerae. They can fit in a 5 gallon comfortably.....

 

[Altpers0na-old]

i would say something like a 20hex or maybe a 10 hex, for a small footprint. and sump it under the desk... then just go with the ol smithy or wenn

 

[Opcn]

I might hesitate to sump it, to risky for a desk and you don't want to do something really expensive and get your boss to view you with disfavor.

 

[G.SMITHII]

i am thinkin small...

not much bigger than five gal, no sump, no skimmer just every other day WC's.

i was thinkin 5 gal tank, 10lbs lr, 10lbs sand and softies like zoos and mushies.



but then again i might just go for a total pico and build a tiny lil acrylic with a mini sump and such like those ones you see in the nano forum.


im in no rush here. (my new pay-rate won't kick in until the week after next...)

so i just want to weigh out my options... and i sure do love these stomotopod things

 

[justinl]

sweet, a tank at work. id recommend a simple 8gal biocube. go with N. wenn or G. smithii, or a small spearer like you wanted IF you can find one.

 

[Thurge]

Too bad you want to stay so small, Todd still has that baby mantis I told you about. She would fit in your tank now, but she will out grow a 5.

 

[G.SMITHII]

hmmmm.

how 'bout a ten gallon. is there a nice lil spearer that'll do well in a 10?

 

[Gonodactylus]

If you have your heart set on a spearer, there are species that would work, but I don't know how you will find them. I will assume that you do not want a burrowing species and never leaves its burrow. That rules out nannosquillids and lysiosquillids. Pseudosquilla ciliata will eventually grow too large for a 5 gal system, but you could keep some of the smaller Raoulserenea such as R. pygmae. Maximum size is only about 1 inch for this species. There are also a number of Meiosquillia that live in live rock that get no larger than 30 mm.

If you can go with a small smasher, the options are greater. My first choice would be one of the intertidal smaller Haptosquilla. THey are tough and can easily live in a 5 gal. My first choice would be H. trispinosia or H. glyptocercus. Both reach a maximum size under 40 mm. A couple of Haptosquilla get large (H. stoliura, for example), but even one of these could probably do well in a stable 5 gal. There are also Chorisquilla that would work.

Finally, if you want an entertaining animal that is really active and that would be great for a public tank, try to push the size up to an 8 or 10 cube and buy a juvenile Odontodactylus havanensis from Florida. You can probably get one at about 35 - 40 mm, it will not outgrow the tank for a year or two - at which point you can easily sell it and get another small animal. A warning, however. O. havanensis are not as robust as many stomatopods, so you want the tank well broken in and rock stable before you get one.

Another warning about office tanks that just comes to mind. Be sure to consider temperature and get a good, small heater. Many offices turn down the heat over the weekend! Most of the species that I mentioned above can handle a typical office environment of 72-75, but not below that.

Roy

 

[Pea-brain]

ooooh! Dr. Roy brings up a good point, the animal will be in a office, meaning that it will be in a office environmeand you have to deal with office threats. A very large threat is industrial cleaners. If you can ask the janitor or your boss to make sure nothing much stronger than soap and maybe windex, but keep away from air deoderizers and things like that.......

 

[G.SMITHII]

thank you Dr. Roy! i get so excited when you respond to one of my posts!

and thanx everyone else too.

now about my office...

see, its not your typical "office" space.

is a crappy old house in boulder, that functions as an office.

there are only 3 of us in the office. so i guess you could consider it more of a home enviroment.

my hearts also starting to set on a spearer, so im thinking of bumpin it up to a 10 gallon...

the only reason i was tenative to go above 5 gallons is because i want the system to support zoos and other softies, and in comes to play the whole $$$$ thing.....