My little spearer

[drewby07]

So I have been out of the reefkeeping circle for a long while now, but I took the plunge and bought a mantis. I happened to be at the LFS the other day and lo and behold there was a nice big fat mantis. Needless to say it came home with me.

So far I have been able to narrow down the identification to something close to Squilla empusa....or Gibbesia neglecta. I'm not totally sure yet. I have her in a small (and over-filtered) 5 gallon awaiting construction of her new permanent home. She seems happy in her cave that she has dug out and is eating frozen foods readily. I tried a couple mollies but she didn't seem interested.

So what do you guys know about these? I know they are not the most commonly kept mantids....but I like her just the same.

I will get some pics soon.

 

[Gonodactylus]

The easiest way to distinguish S. empusa from G. neglecta is by the number of spines on the raptorial dactyl. S. empusa has 6, G. neglecta has 5.

Roy

 

[drewby07]

I'll have to try and count.....she may not be very eager to display them for me..haha.

I also noticed that her telson isn't exactly like those of S. empusa or G neglects....I will try to get pics.

I noticecd tonight that she doesn't seem to be eating the frozen foods like brine, etc.....but actually burying them in the sand at her cave entrance.... saving them for later or trying to cover the smell? Who knows.

What temp range and type of setup would you recommend? I was contemplating some sort of deep substrate with maybe a few rocks and maybe some shrooms or plants or something....

 

[Gonodactylus]

If this is a squillid, they burrow in muddy bottoms and have trouble with clean sand. Without a flow-through sea water system, they are difficult to keep in a natural burrow that mimics those in the wild. The best you can usually do is a piece of dark pvc about three times the length of the animal and twic its diameter.

Roy

 

[drewby07]

Thanks! I will try the PVC method.....should it be straight or can I make it angled? I was thinking of getting a cube-type tank and maybe constructing a burrow that would sort of wrap around the tank with openings on each end......

 

[Gonodactylus]

I often use curved tubes. You can buy gray pvc 90 degree electrical conduit at many hardware stores These work very well (but soak them for several days before using). Bending pvc is difficult, but it can be done if you fill the pipe with sand, cap it, and heat it in an oven. This will prevent kinks.

Roy

 

[drewby07]

I was actually thinking of using pvc and fittings like elbows.....and then burying this all under a layer of sand a few inches deep. I would have the ends angle up to the surface for entrances/exits....

I'm also thinkng of filtration.....I'm thinking of an oversized hang-on type filter so I can run carbon....yes? I have a canister filter I can use as well......any other recommendations?