I got the L. macs moved into their new home, with a deeper sand bed (12"), and a U-shaped burrow (3" diameter plastic pipe, coated with sand). The male is 4.5", and the female is 5.5".
i keep the front of the tank covered with black plastic most of the time (unless i am taking pics or checking on them).
To start off with, i blocked the middle of the burrow with sand to divide it, so each mantis could have its own burrow. But they have paired up now, and are working together to dig out the sand and make it one large burrow. For the most part, each one will stake out one side of the burrow, and they meet in the middle and change sides occasionally. when i fed them earlier, the female retreated further into the burrow. she is usually a voracious eater. but then the male caught his sand shrimp and gave it to the female, who then ate it. He waited until she was done eating, then snacked on the leftovers. so it looks like the pairing is going sucessfully so far
male
female
the wennerae is now in her new tank, a 23" x 9" x 7" acrylic tank. It is designed to fit on a bookshelf, and holds 6.6 gallons. since she is not quite 2" long, it is a great size and shape to give her plenty of room to move around. (which she does not use, but oh well
)
full tank shot--her den is toward the middle of the tank, above the ricordea in the foreground.
the new G. falcatus ended up going to Dr Roy, to help out with his research on the parasitic snails. so hopefully she will do some good there
and one last thing--i finally tracked down my peacock! woohoo! i can't wait until it arrives. It is a little one, too--only 2.5". so it will be fun to watch it grow
i keep the front of the tank covered with black plastic most of the time (unless i am taking pics or checking on them).
To start off with, i blocked the middle of the burrow with sand to divide it, so each mantis could have its own burrow. But they have paired up now, and are working together to dig out the sand and make it one large burrow. For the most part, each one will stake out one side of the burrow, and they meet in the middle and change sides occasionally. when i fed them earlier, the female retreated further into the burrow. she is usually a voracious eater. but then the male caught his sand shrimp and gave it to the female, who then ate it. He waited until she was done eating, then snacked on the leftovers. so it looks like the pairing is going sucessfully so far
male
female
the wennerae is now in her new tank, a 23" x 9" x 7" acrylic tank. It is designed to fit on a bookshelf, and holds 6.6 gallons. since she is not quite 2" long, it is a great size and shape to give her plenty of room to move around. (which she does not use, but oh well
)
full tank shot--her den is toward the middle of the tank, above the ricordea in the foreground.
the new G. falcatus ended up going to Dr Roy, to help out with his research on the parasitic snails. so hopefully she will do some good there
and one last thing--i finally tracked down my peacock! woohoo! i can't wait until it arrives. It is a little one, too--only 2.5". so it will be fun to watch it grow
these non-mantis people just don't understand. he likes reef tanks and has one of his own, but just doesn't get the idea of building a beautiful reef tank for a predator that may eat, bash, move or bury anything and everything in the tank (and possibly even destroy the tank itself!) 
