mantis lighting?

[ISFRAEL]

can lighting affect the colour ( and anything else ) of a mantis?
i only have one marine glow on my tank which is just for the algae and the planned caluepra.
the marine glow is a blue spectrum light which give the tank a funky night time look (which i love) but will it affect the mantis is any way? (good or bad).
i only run it 4 hrs a day.
this is the only light it gets, is it bad to miss out on a daylight cycle? (its always night)

what kind of lighting does everyone else use?

 

[Fcamdog]

Since I have my tanks set-up with rock and whatnot I go with lighting that is suitable for a reef. I think that is best for the animals, as that is what they are used to in the wild, and your tank won't be limited with what you can add to it. On my 40g I have a 192W PC and on my 20G I have a 55W PC. Nothing too serious, but pretty ample for almost all aplications.

 

[Gonodactylus]

Lighting needs are species specific

Lighting needs are species specific

The lighting requirements of a species depends on the ambient conditions it normally encounters. Animals like Gonodactylus smithii live on the reef crest or flat in shallow, clear water and normally encounter bright, full spectrum light. Under these conditions they are usually brilliently colored. The same species captured as adults at 15 m will bey a dull maroon. Many of you have O. scyllarus. Generally this species lives at 3 to 20 m or more. There is no need to flood them with bright, full spectrum light. What they usually encounter is fairly blue and not that bright.

I would suggest keeping animals on a regular photoperiod. We use 11 hours of light, 13 hours of dark. Tropical mantis shrimp will never experience days shorter than 10 hours or longer than 14.

Also, remember that most mantis shrimp spend most of their time in dark burrows or cavities. They do not typically live in bright light and if nothing else, it can sometimes promote algal growth on the animal that it cannot clean.

In some recent experiments, we kept animals in very dim light similar to what they could encounter at 40 m. They changed the color of some of the filters in their eyes and also body color (became red).

I would suggest trying to find out what habitat your animal normally occupies and then matching it.

Roy

 

[Fcamdog]

The two species of mantis I encounter on every snorkling trip are both found in only a few feet of water, Gonodactylaceus mutatus and Pseudosquilla ciliata. I have to admit though, that I have only seen one out in the open 2-3 times, in about 50+ trips in Kaneohe Bay. I haven't noticed any algae growth on either of the species, I keep both, but I only spot the ciliata out in the open with any regularity.
I really appreciate having a professional opinion around, as it helps us all, and hope you continue to post on the board we call home.