Hi Adam and all!! I just had to share this story with you, you wouldn't believe the time I had!
To those who don't know, I have a peacock mantis named Sashimibouchou ("fish-slicing knife") Sashimi for short, and since I had to move the tank anyway (was switching rooms with my sister) I figured he's like a nice new 29 gallon instead of the old 20 gallon he was living in.
So I set up Sashi's new 29 gallon in my room, then set myself up for the confrontation with Sashi himself. I'd decided to set him in the main tank's sump while I moved all his substrate, shells, fake saltwater plants, e.t.c. into his new tank. I even bought him a new filter and heater...
I grabbed a medium-sized plastic container to put him in and a net and went dove in. It took a bit of pestering but after he had enough he came out of his burrow fighting. He attacked my net several times, and every time I managed to net him he'd buck and fight so hard he'd get loose again. I was so nervous about handling him and he was so upset that I *was* handling him that I tried to move slowly hopeing he'd calm down a bit.
No dice, and he was *****ed*. Mom and my sister came in after hearing all the noise (mostly me yelping while he threw himself around the tank punching at my net) and stood behind me watching.
Then just when I thought I cornered him, he threw himself around the net and actually *leaped* 6 inches into the air and fell back into the tank, I screamed, mom and sister headed for the door and I had to stop for awhile.
I finally got him into the plastic container after giving up on the net and using a giant see-through plastic cup, gah that was awful!!
But he's really happy now, he's rebuilding his burrow and I fed him a nice, big fat live fiddler crab and he's back to his former self.
Just had to share,
Raszagil
To those who don't know, I have a peacock mantis named Sashimibouchou ("fish-slicing knife") Sashimi for short, and since I had to move the tank anyway (was switching rooms with my sister) I figured he's like a nice new 29 gallon instead of the old 20 gallon he was living in.
So I set up Sashi's new 29 gallon in my room, then set myself up for the confrontation with Sashi himself. I'd decided to set him in the main tank's sump while I moved all his substrate, shells, fake saltwater plants, e.t.c. into his new tank. I even bought him a new filter and heater...
I grabbed a medium-sized plastic container to put him in and a net and went dove in. It took a bit of pestering but after he had enough he came out of his burrow fighting. He attacked my net several times, and every time I managed to net him he'd buck and fight so hard he'd get loose again. I was so nervous about handling him and he was so upset that I *was* handling him that I tried to move slowly hopeing he'd calm down a bit.
No dice, and he was *****ed*. Mom and my sister came in after hearing all the noise (mostly me yelping while he threw himself around the tank punching at my net) and stood behind me watching.
Then just when I thought I cornered him, he threw himself around the net and actually *leaped* 6 inches into the air and fell back into the tank, I screamed, mom and sister headed for the door and I had to stop for awhile.
I finally got him into the plastic container after giving up on the net and using a giant see-through plastic cup, gah that was awful!!
But he's really happy now, he's rebuilding his burrow and I fed him a nice, big fat live fiddler crab and he's back to his former self.
Just had to share,
Raszagil
