my first mantis...i've watched him for 3 hours now

[Minhle100]

well i just got my first mantis. i purchased him from a guy down here close to me...actually i got a 9 gallon glass nano jebo (i know there not known as a great company) a mantis and star polyp all for 40 dollars.

as soon as i got home with him the pulled the tank in and it cleared up in about 20 mins. i then got a rock crab that i had in another tank and placed him into the tank also. the mantis immediately started to come out of his hole and the fight was on. the two of them went at a hide and attack dance for an hour or so. them they just seemed to give up. the rock crab is larger than the mantis but the mantis is much much quicker.

i have a question for you guys...i can't take a picture but the mantis is reddish in color and has some other lighter colors (maybe yellow or orange) around his mouth. can you guys give me an idea of what kind of mantis it is...maybe a link to some of the ones that you think that it is so that i can look and see if i can't match him with one of those pictures.

thanks everyone...he is great.

 

[Cybrex]

My suggestion would to start here... http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthro...traca/royslist/
Its got a good amount of detail about Mantis Shrimp's so Im sure you will find yours on there somewhere. Good luck

P.S. if you can get a pic of them dueling it out, that would be nice to see

 

[Minhle100]

wow ok it's the next night and the mantis and rock crab went at it again. i'm not sure when but while i was gone the rock crab now has a shattered pincher (the larger of the two...i guess the crusher as it is know as). he has since dug a hole under the other rock (there is only two in the tank) and pulled a large sea shell over the opening. i've seen him do this before so my guess is that he is going to molt so that is why he is protecting himself with a shelter of sometype.


cybrex you know your right i should have video taped the whole thing...i had no idea that it was going to be that great of a viewing. i'm going to charge up my digital cam and get him going after things on tape. thanks for the link also. i'm going to look at it and see if i can't find him.

 

[Thurge]

many mantis will lock up at night, then open the door the next morning. Plus with that big crab lurking around I can't blame him for closing up. Given the opportunity that crab would gladly crush your mantis. Its also possible for the crab to harm the mantis in their daily battles. A copule people have had mantis lose body parts to "dinner," and things like eyes don't grow back. Thats why its recommended to remove the big pincers from fidler crabs when feeding them to your mantis.