Gonodactylus
Premium Member
There was recently a question on this site about keeping Lysiosquillina maculata in aquaria. I wrote the following response and then realized that if would be buried in the thread, so if you are interested, here is my response.
I have several Lysiosquillina maculata, some that I have had for over five years. Aside from occasional molt problems leading to deformed raptorial appendages, I have had no problem with them. In fact, while their requirements are fairly specific, they are one of the easiest stomatopods to maintain.
First of all, they need a burrow. It is best if you can provide sand to burrow in, but since they dig a vertical burrow for about 1.5 body lengths which then bends horizontal for a couple of meters (10" animal) and then back up to the surface, you probably are not going to be able to allow it to excavate a natural burrow. For a large adult, that would take at least a 100 gal tank filled with at least 15 inches of sand. The good news is that there are ways around this.
I refer a satellite tank running off one of my large systems. Typically, I have a custom glass tank that is 30 X 6 x 24" filled with at least 15 inches of sand. I prefer clean coral sand, fine grained. The animal will mix the sand with mucus to form the burrow. (This can take weeks.) Connect the satellite tank to another established aquarium using s small submersible pump with a couple of siphons for the return. There is a bit of danger here in that if the siphons break, you can pump out your main tank. Either position the pump near the surface or better yet, install a float switch to the main tank to cut off the pump if the level should start to fall. Since the volume of water in the satellite tank is small, it will overflow if the siphons fail. Running several of these systems, I have only had this happen a couple of times, but then I have epoxy floors with floor drains in my lab, not expensive flooring. This set-up will allow 6 or 7 inches of water over the burrow which is plenty. The animal will usually burrow at one end of the tank, go down to the bottom and make a turn following the base until it comes to the other end and digs back to the surface. Pairs will establish two entrances, but single males will typically only have one entrance open. (Pairs would require a bigger system with the satellite tank at least 45" long.. More about that later.) The burrow will come up against the glass sides of the satellite tank. I cover these areas with black plastic that allows me to peak inside occasionally to monitor molting, etc.
Once the animal has established its burrow, it will cap the entrance during the day and sit with just its eyes and antennules exposed .spearing food that moves overhead. We feed our animals primarily frozen or fresh shrimp and supplement with freeze-dried krill soaked in a supplement like Selco. They will also take the occasional feeder damsel. Do not use goldfish! Ly maculata will eat a lot. I give my large animals a 1 inch chunk of food every day.
Adults will molt once every couple of months and when they do, they completely seal the entrance for several days. Do not dig them out. They will reappear and throw out the hard parts of the molt skin when they are ready to resume feeding.
Because L. maculata normally live in burrows that extend into some pretty nasty anoxic mud and sand, they can handle for short periods low oxygen titers and water that is not the best quality. I have several of the systems described above running off 20 gal main tanks, but when possible I install them next to 80-100's since they are the same height and it is easy to secure the satellite to the main system.
I have tried the acrylic hang-on tanks sold commercially and they work for animals up to about 6 inches, but it is hard to get the sand deep enough for anything bigger and the weight eventually warps the plastic. I find it easier to build my own from glass.
There are other housing techniques that are O.K. Another is to take a large aquarium, say one that is 48 x 18 x 24" and install a plate of glass that extends the length of the tank 5 or 6 inches from one wall and a couple of inches below the water line. Once the animal has burrowed, it usually won't come out, but if it does, you will have to put it back into its burrow since they will not be able to find the entrance. Also, maintenance of such a system is difficult as is observation.
Finally, you can construct an observation burrow. I use 4" pvc pipe for a 10" animal and assemble a u-shaped burrow using elbows (or if you are really accomplished with pvc, bend it), The burrow should be 15-30 inches long along the bottom and the two vertical entrances at least a foot long. I then use a planer to slice away about a quarter of the wall. I smear the inside of the burrow with silicon cement and pack it with the same sand that I will be using in the aquarium. After a couple of days drying, shake out the sand. The inside wall will look just like a natural burrow. Using silicon cement, then cement the burrow in place against the inside wall of an aquarium. You can either fill the entire aquarium with sand or install an internal plate of glass so that you only have to fill the side with the burrow. Use black plastic or tape to cover the exposed burrow. This will allow you to look inside occasionally. If you can find a pair, this last method allows you to see their interactions mating, caring for eggs, etc. I'm currently building another larger system like this which will allow me to hold breeding pairs that are up to 13" long. I'll have to use 5" pipe and a 72 x 18 x 24" tank.
I find these animals fascinating. They will spear food from a feeding stick, watch you with their incredible eyes, and with the right system, you can watch molting, burrowing, etc.
The big question is where to get them. I catch my own in Australia, Hawaii, Moorea - just about any place in the Indo-Pacific that has tropical water and sand flats. Getting them home on the plane is tricky, but given their ability to go with low oxygen and poor quality water, I can place a 10" adult in a 2 gallon container with a quart of water and hand carry it. Cracking the lid every few hours is sufficient. If you want to ship, it is best to place them in a plastic container (water bottle cut in two and sewn back together) to keep them from poking a hole in the bag..
I also occasionally catch postlarvae as they settle and rear them. I have one that I caught five years ago as a postlarvae and it is now 8 inches long.
Commercially, "zebra mantis" do show up occasionally. Also, along the southeast U.S. coast, a couple of slightly smaller Lysiosquillids (up to 10") are taken occasionally by shrimpers or fishermen. Hope this helps.
Roy
I have several Lysiosquillina maculata, some that I have had for over five years. Aside from occasional molt problems leading to deformed raptorial appendages, I have had no problem with them. In fact, while their requirements are fairly specific, they are one of the easiest stomatopods to maintain.
First of all, they need a burrow. It is best if you can provide sand to burrow in, but since they dig a vertical burrow for about 1.5 body lengths which then bends horizontal for a couple of meters (10" animal) and then back up to the surface, you probably are not going to be able to allow it to excavate a natural burrow. For a large adult, that would take at least a 100 gal tank filled with at least 15 inches of sand. The good news is that there are ways around this.
I refer a satellite tank running off one of my large systems. Typically, I have a custom glass tank that is 30 X 6 x 24" filled with at least 15 inches of sand. I prefer clean coral sand, fine grained. The animal will mix the sand with mucus to form the burrow. (This can take weeks.) Connect the satellite tank to another established aquarium using s small submersible pump with a couple of siphons for the return. There is a bit of danger here in that if the siphons break, you can pump out your main tank. Either position the pump near the surface or better yet, install a float switch to the main tank to cut off the pump if the level should start to fall. Since the volume of water in the satellite tank is small, it will overflow if the siphons fail. Running several of these systems, I have only had this happen a couple of times, but then I have epoxy floors with floor drains in my lab, not expensive flooring. This set-up will allow 6 or 7 inches of water over the burrow which is plenty. The animal will usually burrow at one end of the tank, go down to the bottom and make a turn following the base until it comes to the other end and digs back to the surface. Pairs will establish two entrances, but single males will typically only have one entrance open. (Pairs would require a bigger system with the satellite tank at least 45" long.. More about that later.) The burrow will come up against the glass sides of the satellite tank. I cover these areas with black plastic that allows me to peak inside occasionally to monitor molting, etc.
Once the animal has established its burrow, it will cap the entrance during the day and sit with just its eyes and antennules exposed .spearing food that moves overhead. We feed our animals primarily frozen or fresh shrimp and supplement with freeze-dried krill soaked in a supplement like Selco. They will also take the occasional feeder damsel. Do not use goldfish! Ly maculata will eat a lot. I give my large animals a 1 inch chunk of food every day.
Adults will molt once every couple of months and when they do, they completely seal the entrance for several days. Do not dig them out. They will reappear and throw out the hard parts of the molt skin when they are ready to resume feeding.
Because L. maculata normally live in burrows that extend into some pretty nasty anoxic mud and sand, they can handle for short periods low oxygen titers and water that is not the best quality. I have several of the systems described above running off 20 gal main tanks, but when possible I install them next to 80-100's since they are the same height and it is easy to secure the satellite to the main system.
I have tried the acrylic hang-on tanks sold commercially and they work for animals up to about 6 inches, but it is hard to get the sand deep enough for anything bigger and the weight eventually warps the plastic. I find it easier to build my own from glass.
There are other housing techniques that are O.K. Another is to take a large aquarium, say one that is 48 x 18 x 24" and install a plate of glass that extends the length of the tank 5 or 6 inches from one wall and a couple of inches below the water line. Once the animal has burrowed, it usually won't come out, but if it does, you will have to put it back into its burrow since they will not be able to find the entrance. Also, maintenance of such a system is difficult as is observation.
Finally, you can construct an observation burrow. I use 4" pvc pipe for a 10" animal and assemble a u-shaped burrow using elbows (or if you are really accomplished with pvc, bend it), The burrow should be 15-30 inches long along the bottom and the two vertical entrances at least a foot long. I then use a planer to slice away about a quarter of the wall. I smear the inside of the burrow with silicon cement and pack it with the same sand that I will be using in the aquarium. After a couple of days drying, shake out the sand. The inside wall will look just like a natural burrow. Using silicon cement, then cement the burrow in place against the inside wall of an aquarium. You can either fill the entire aquarium with sand or install an internal plate of glass so that you only have to fill the side with the burrow. Use black plastic or tape to cover the exposed burrow. This will allow you to look inside occasionally. If you can find a pair, this last method allows you to see their interactions mating, caring for eggs, etc. I'm currently building another larger system like this which will allow me to hold breeding pairs that are up to 13" long. I'll have to use 5" pipe and a 72 x 18 x 24" tank.
I find these animals fascinating. They will spear food from a feeding stick, watch you with their incredible eyes, and with the right system, you can watch molting, burrowing, etc.
The big question is where to get them. I catch my own in Australia, Hawaii, Moorea - just about any place in the Indo-Pacific that has tropical water and sand flats. Getting them home on the plane is tricky, but given their ability to go with low oxygen and poor quality water, I can place a 10" adult in a 2 gallon container with a quart of water and hand carry it. Cracking the lid every few hours is sufficient. If you want to ship, it is best to place them in a plastic container (water bottle cut in two and sewn back together) to keep them from poking a hole in the bag..
I also occasionally catch postlarvae as they settle and rear them. I have one that I caught five years ago as a postlarvae and it is now 8 inches long.
Commercially, "zebra mantis" do show up occasionally. Also, along the southeast U.S. coast, a couple of slightly smaller Lysiosquillids (up to 10") are taken occasionally by shrimpers or fishermen. Hope this helps.
Roy
. 
