re_sjo
New member
Hi all,
I set up my first reef tank about 6 weeks ago and quickly realised I had a clicking hitch-hiker. Didn't (still haven't) noticed anything missing/dead in the tank but about 2 weeks ago I got my first glimpse of the clicking culprit - a stomatopod!
It was approx 1" in length, brown in colour with yellow eyes. (can anyone ID from this loose description?)
I decided to get a dedicated species tank for it (on the hope I could catch it) but the night before I went to purchase the tank I found what I believe to be the mantis laying dead onto of my Juwel filter box (it sits approx 0.5-1" above the water level). I was a bit surprised as to how it could of got up there and why it didn't just flip back into the tank. It would have only needed to travel an inch or two to get back into the water.
I still went and bought the species tank the following morning on the hope that a) he wasn't really dead and it was just a moult or b) i'll wait for another one to crop up as I wanted one.
My LFS reckoned it was just a moult so I went home and tested it. Crudely snapping it in half (bearing in mind it was quite small and had been sitting around for a couple of days now), I found the outer shell to be quite thick but it was definately somewhat hollow inside. I would say approx. half the cross-section was hollow. Is this typical for a moult? I wasn't sure if it had just dried up somewhat leaving the soft inners dissolved and looking hollow.
Aaanyway. A few days after this event I noticed some clicking again in the tank which over the period of about a week has gone back to the original levels! So either he's still alive or I have another one, or perhaps a pistol. As I understand it, pistols can't repeatedly 'click' like a mantis can, so perhaps it is a/the mantis as sometimes it sounds like it's knocking ten tons of crap out of something (eg a hermit shell, but not seen this).
Right now i'm swaying mainly towards the notion that the original one is still alive and happily punching his way around the tank.
How does my logic sound here?
On a seperate note, someone relatively local to me has a complete 10'ish gal tank for sale, complete with a Pseudosquilla ciliata, rocks, substrate, softies etc for £80. I am seriously considering purchasing and putting it somewhere in my apartment as I really love these animals.
What is the ideal living conditions for this species, substrate, lighting, rock etc? (Roy i'd love your input here!)
Many thanks :bounce1:
I set up my first reef tank about 6 weeks ago and quickly realised I had a clicking hitch-hiker. Didn't (still haven't) noticed anything missing/dead in the tank but about 2 weeks ago I got my first glimpse of the clicking culprit - a stomatopod!
It was approx 1" in length, brown in colour with yellow eyes. (can anyone ID from this loose description?)
I decided to get a dedicated species tank for it (on the hope I could catch it) but the night before I went to purchase the tank I found what I believe to be the mantis laying dead onto of my Juwel filter box (it sits approx 0.5-1" above the water level). I was a bit surprised as to how it could of got up there and why it didn't just flip back into the tank. It would have only needed to travel an inch or two to get back into the water.
I still went and bought the species tank the following morning on the hope that a) he wasn't really dead and it was just a moult or b) i'll wait for another one to crop up as I wanted one.
My LFS reckoned it was just a moult so I went home and tested it. Crudely snapping it in half (bearing in mind it was quite small and had been sitting around for a couple of days now), I found the outer shell to be quite thick but it was definately somewhat hollow inside. I would say approx. half the cross-section was hollow. Is this typical for a moult? I wasn't sure if it had just dried up somewhat leaving the soft inners dissolved and looking hollow.
Aaanyway. A few days after this event I noticed some clicking again in the tank which over the period of about a week has gone back to the original levels! So either he's still alive or I have another one, or perhaps a pistol. As I understand it, pistols can't repeatedly 'click' like a mantis can, so perhaps it is a/the mantis as sometimes it sounds like it's knocking ten tons of crap out of something (eg a hermit shell, but not seen this).
Right now i'm swaying mainly towards the notion that the original one is still alive and happily punching his way around the tank.
How does my logic sound here?
On a seperate note, someone relatively local to me has a complete 10'ish gal tank for sale, complete with a Pseudosquilla ciliata, rocks, substrate, softies etc for £80. I am seriously considering purchasing and putting it somewhere in my apartment as I really love these animals.
What is the ideal living conditions for this species, substrate, lighting, rock etc? (Roy i'd love your input here!)
Many thanks :bounce1:
