My Ultimate Multi Mantis System(s)

[Kharn]

Um... wait... My mantis was just photographed, the new green one that people haven't id'd yet, carrying a cluster of eggs... That was about a week ago.

She no longer has them, but they were distinctly eggs. Perhaps the store where I got her has another mantis that they're not aware of?

Not sure but I 'think' stomatopods can store sperm and use it 'later' so it might be an old batch I'm not sure and then again you may be totally correct as well the store might have another their not aware of.

 

[Kharn]

Been wanting to film this for a while now and stitched something together quickly this evening so as to demonstrate my largest smasher in clean smooth high speed, I only wished I could provide high definition as well (1080p) either way you can see after each strike how debris breaks off and floats away, there is 1 particular swing where The Juggernaut missed the target even though he missed I wanted to demonstrate the speed of this swing since it didn't hit it followed rite through with the swing the film is 8x slower then normal speed and the action still happened in the blink of an eye....

<iframe width="320" height="240" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/bLc2viif18c" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

More to come

 

[Fartin'Gary]

When I add a Protein Skimmer, Reactor(s) & Refugiums to specifically STAND B (the one housing the O.scyllarus) after adding all the equipment + the added benefits of large Refugiums (as large as the Display tanks themselves) I believe that the water quality will be good enough to allow my O.scyllarus to hopefully thrive in a Reef Setup with corals etc.

But no light above their tanks can go on and have more things like coral added until the much required upgrade, as I said upgrading essentially 'ALLOWS' me to do because if I did it rite now...I foresee Shell Rot around the corner.

Here is the plans for the O.scyllarus Burrows once STAND B has been upgraded to allow for the lighting above their tanks to be switched on, you can see that most of the burrow is actually under the substrate not only hiding it but more importantly creating dark light free zones of RnR for the O.scyllarus, to add to this I made the entry/exit parts at 90degrees so the light doesn't directly descend down into the vertical portion of the PVC burrow.

Again as Dr. Caldwell has said before...

Large O.scyllarus often do not get what they require to make the burrows that they require so PVC is not only a great alternative but often chosen by the animal over the tanks substrate/natural 'building blocks' like substrate, it's just a matter of ensuring that the PVC is just a little bit wider then the Stomatopod itself and double ensuring that there are portions within it that are completely dark/light free.

My Plans Overall since it is a rough image, the PVC is going to be between 70-80mm wide and around 700-800mm Long.


More to come!

EDIT: The portions of the PVC or the Verticals will all be smothered with glue, inside and out to get a more natural look and to further hide the plastic of the PVC, the buried stuff 'should' be finely hidden.

That looks like a great space saving idea. With a tight tube system like that just be sure they get adequate water flow throughout. :celeb1:

 

[Kharn]

That looks like a great space saving idea. With a tight tube system like that just be sure they get adequate water flow throughout. :celeb1:

Both my O.scyllarus tanks although slightly different in size are the only tanks out of all tanks to NOT have dividers since they required at least 100L each of aquarium, so essentially they both have their own 3 foot tank however 1 is 350mm H (housing the Kraken) and the other is 450mm H (housing the Juggernaut).

Since there is no dividers in the O.scyllarus tanks they have 2 larger power heads, all the tanks with dividers have a small powerhead for flow however the 2 O.scyllarus tanks have a larger powerhead in them and as I said there is 2, the flow in general is quite strong and the surface tension very agitated even though neither powerhead is pointing at the surface.

I currently have 2 much more intricate/elaborate PVC structures currently running in my smaller smasher compartments, these are far more deep and certainly have dead spots in them, however the small smashers inhabiting them are completely happy with them.

Not really sure how one could create intentional powerful flow within the tube itself...beyond obviously pointing a powerhead at an entrance...to drill holes in the PVC to allow water/flow to pass through just means more light can get through and I,d rather it be as dark as possible...I am confident that the already powerful flow within the tanks themselves will be enough.

It's all experimentation as I cannot find information or threads on elaborate PVC burrow designs most are small and simple.

 

[Fartin'Gary]

Both my O.scyllarus tanks although slightly different in size are the only tanks out of all tanks to NOT have dividers since they required at least 100L each of aquarium, so essentially they both have their own 3 foot tank however 1 is 350mm H (housing the Kraken) and the other is 450mm H (housing the Juggernaut).

Since there is no dividers in the O.scyllarus tanks they have 2 larger power heads, all the tanks with dividers have a small powerhead for flow however the 2 O.scyllarus tanks have a larger powerhead in them and as I said there is 2, the flow in general is quite strong and the surface tension very agitated even though neither powerhead is pointing at the surface.

I currently have 2 much more intricate/elaborate PVC structures currently running in my smaller smasher compartments, these are far more deep and certainly have dead spots in them, however the small smashers inhabiting them are completely happy with them.

Not really sure how one could create intentional powerful flow within the tube itself...beyond obviously pointing a powerhead at an entrance...to drill holes in the PVC to allow water/flow to pass through just means more light can get through and I,d rather it be as dark as possible...I am confident that the already powerful flow within the tanks themselves will be enough.

It's all experimentation as I cannot find information or threads on elaborate PVC burrow designs most are small and simple.

I was reading an old thread from another forum and the guy was saying that he let his peacock make his own burrow and 6 months later he changed the tank. He said that when he dug it up it made the burrow in an T shape and blocked off one end(possible escape route?) like this with the northern end of the pic blocked off.

 

[lljdma06]

Not sure but I 'think' stomatopods can store sperm and use it 'later' so it might be an old batch I'm not sure and then again you may be totally correct as well the store might have another their not aware of.

Yes, from what I've read they can store it for a little while. She was in their coral display tank for months, though, so I can only assume that there was a male in there with her, as I don't think they store sperm for that long, do they? I assume they're not like cleaner shrimp who can just release eggs without fertilization?

I've told the LFS that there may be a male in there. They are watching to see if he emerges.

 

[Kharn]

Yes, from what I've read they can store it for a little while. She was in their coral display tank for months, though, so I can only assume that there was a male in there with her, as I don't think they store sperm for that long, do they? I assume they're not like cleaner shrimp who can just release eggs without fertilization?

I've told the LFS that there may be a male in there. They are watching to see if he emerges.

I'm not 110% on this...I don't think a female can lay 'infertile' eggs just to 'lay eggs' having said this I can say that...for reasons unknown to me, the latest clutch of eggs that my female was brooding has disappeared...it's clear as day when stomatopod eggs hatch, the water goes cloudy with them at this point their all looking for light as I have noticed that when the lights are off they sort of float about but when the lights are on they all rise to the surface trying to get closer...within 3-4 days they will all disappear...either die, eaten by another larvae or picked off by other stomatopods as the larvae float down the tanks.

However I know there must of been 1 survivor and this is something I have been meaning to mention for a while cause I have heard it a few times....

I think I have 1 tiny G.graphurus survivor...it is residing in either Maximus or Minnies compartment, a few times now I have noticed that when I am watching both Maximus & Minnie and they intern staring motionless back at me...a very light dim tapping, cannot be coming from them cause as I said they are looking at me not moving...I know this other tiny stomatopod can see me because once the tapping starts I slowly look around and as I do, it stops...I'd rather find it before it's parents do but I have a feeling that the tiny one is actually boring into 1 of its parents rocks since they are the only piece of Live Rock in each compartment...

Like Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) from Jurassic Park says "Life finds a way."

 

[lljdma06]

Now why didn't you do a Jurassic park movie with Stomatopods? LOL

 

[Kharn]

Now why didn't you do a Jurassic park movie with Stomatopods? LOL

I likely will do something like that in the future however I wanted to detail something with this current movie remake which resembles more of an intellectual before a fear some beast, yes the stomatopods are clearly terrifying in the film (just because of their size) however it's their intelligence that I wanted to remake something that the original film plays off, if you noticed in the film not many humans actual die but many cold of been killed and at specific points the lead ape tells some of them in particular to hold back before delivering a lethal blow.

Rite now I lack the abilities to re-create such aggressive, jurassic park style movie simply put, if I want to scare people in a horror way with these animals and films then the footage has to be really good/effective, not my current standards.

If I could somehow find a way to be able to film my stomatopods and then 'somehow' remove everything but the stomatopod so I essentially have the animal performing it's motion captured but on a 'blank canvas' THEN I could make some REAL movies!

Rite now it's all picture for picture based...and a good gruesome "horror" level true film of just a spearer impaling/decapitating someone would be 100's of single pictures all rolled together...

I wish I could do better :headwalls: I'd love to just get some random email from a mate saying like "Dude did you see the news? One of your trailers was on the Super Bowl half time!!!!" Then I would know that finally the stomatopods are world wide public knowledge =D!!!

My stands started with a dream...

 

[Kharn]

Here are some videos of my stomatopods lately an there live food offerings

As usual all are 1080p HD capable however there is 1 High Speed film in there, this time I edited it to be capable of having 1080p HD playability and it actually looks "watchable" in a rather nice size so this is really exciting all I should need is more light which is incoming with the High Speed Filming Light Stands.

ADAM (G.smithii)
<iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rVjmKcPb80c" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

MEGATRON (G.chiragra)
<iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/6ZTeuw6361g" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

NICOLE (G.ternatensis)
<iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/kKfeY2HKgAc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

MINNIE (G.graphurus)
<iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/DyXJLkzYh1A" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

THE KRAKEN (O.scyllarus)
<iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/nKxSVE1TPZE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

THE KRAKEN (O.scyllarus) - High Speed Recording
<iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/GVcMN4IgAcs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

MORGOTH (L.sulcata)
<iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/gUGjW1WSRtI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

More to come as I get them

 

[nmotz]

Great videos....I especially liked the Chiragra and Smithii.

 

[Kharn]

As I mentioned I am diverting this question to my thread to not derail the owner of the other thread that the comment was in.

Wow, full motion? I have a hard enough time getting my mantis to sit still long enough to get a decent static photo. I've had the tripod and my camera with the big zoom lens trained on the tank all day and he's decided to just muck around in the back area behind the rocks.

I can't imagine getting any sort of moving shots of them and adding them into a trailer.

By the way, did you notice that Youtube took down you first trailer for "copyright infringement"? I was showing them all to my fiance last night in reverse order and the first one wouldn't come up.

I don't even know how I can do it which is why I'm talking to this guy on Youtube whom has his own videos on there. The concept is "simple" but employing it is what is difficult.

"All I want to do"...is basically take one of my videos of one of my stomatopods preying on / hunting live food, the latest video of Megatron (G.chiragra) is a good clear simple one, however I want to remove everything from the video except for the stomatopod, then place the motion picture of the stomatopods movements onto a new background, where the subject that is being removed from the background is replace by the stomatopod.

Trying to visualize what I say here but Megatrons latest video would be a good video to use...Megatron is hiding behind a car on an empty street, poking out and staring at a human on the other side of the street, the human is staring back frozen, after a brief few seconds of nothing, the human takes a step back and Megatron shoots forward tackling the human then dragging the body off. The camera angle would be that of a person in a building further down the street recording it and as the stomatopod shoots forward towards the human, the camera man flinches as noted by the jolting of the camera.

This would be easy to replicate with a few hundred individual pictures...but it would never have the smooth flowing motion of a true motion film.

 

[Kharn]

Having said this I would rather be able to make my own totally independent film, not using anything other then my own footage (everything I speak of is using an already existing film and just replacing the current "monster(s)").

This I think would be the ultimate challenge but something far beyond my capabilities as I myself can barely sit through many of these "monster flicks" mostly because of the poor quality of effects etc.

One of my favorites beyond Rise of the Planet of the Apes (since that movie is meant to be more emotional then action/horror) is Cloverfield, love it or hate it, from an aspiring movie makers point of view that wants to create monster movies...this is a GREAT starting film...if I had of realized/noticed it before I started 'Rise of the Planet of the Stomatopods' I would of likely recreated it instead but, it is more action based/what people expect to see specifically those of us who know what stomatopods are.

What makes Cloverfield so unique/great is that the already made full length feature film features little of the actual 'monster' itself nor is there any reference to what it really is and the overall acting is quite good, replacing the monster(s) in this film would be a relatively simple matter and should yield a very good result.

There is one scene in Cloverfield towards the end where a camera man is picked up and partially eaten whilst holding the camera the entire time, this is a very good scene to recreate, the chomping and the screams are very well done and the distortion from the camera lets you guess it could be ANYTHING eating him lol....it would be relatively simple too allowing one to keep a lot of the original motion picture in place without anyone guessing.

The main point is Cloverfield would allow for a lot of it's original motion picture content to be left in the remake due to a lot of it being sheer suspense or shadow/distorted action.

 

[lljdma06]

My mantis are very lazy compared to yours.

 

[Kharn]

My mantis are very lazy compared to yours.

Lol maybe they need to get some treadmills xD...

 

[Kharn]

Here is a Trailer on the next film to be attempted by me, this trailer is very 'psychological' there is nigh on NO stomatopod content in it however...there is also nigh on NO content of the actual monster in it either, the impressions upon the viewer are made by the atmosphere, the actors & the whole "what is it!?!" since nothing is actually seen in clear view and not for very long at all.

So what this meant was...it was very easy to make being 99% of it's original footage & because of that simple fact, it's 99% full motion lol.

Either way this is the first trailer for the next film 'Rise of the Leviathan' utilizing the theme and footage from 'Cloverfield'.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZtLR_R_NPIY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Hope you enjoyed it and there will be at least 2 more to come the film is a while off but I have settled on it's choice of remake (Cloverfield).

 

[Kharn]

My old man is a sneaky devil he kept 'demanding' what I wanted for Christmas but the only thing I wanted was something I didn't want anyone purchasing for me because it is rather expensive...the Nikon 1 V2...eventually I gave in and told him about it but he replied with how it isn't out yet and he can't find one locally and if I would be happy to receive it when it arrives for sale in Aus which was a couple months off, of coarse I said I would wait.

I didn't really think whilst unwrapping my presents as I don't like to expect anything, it's a gift, appreciate them for what they are, period. As I unwrapped a present in the shape of a small rectangle...it revealed itself....

The Nikon 1 V2 and he got the Fancy White Version





The camera looks very sexy ... looks like that O'reilly's trip is closer around the corner then I thought ...to add to this he also got me a 'Drys a Bone' photographers vest, loaded with pockets and additions to hang things off, there is a part in the back for a tripod to slip in so I don't have to carry it in my arms .

Time to see what this baby can DO! I already know it can film High Speed Footage at 400FPS (where as my previous stuff was all 240FPS not to mention the lens swapping capabilities it has!

 

[lljdma06]

Oh what a nice present!

 

[Kharn]

Oh what a nice present!

Now I need to get a few lenses

1 for Macro Photography
1 for Best Quality HD filming
1 for Best Quality HS filming

As the current lens is fairly stock, standard.

The great thing about the Nikon 1 series is that even though they are not "true" DSLR cameras, some of them (V1 & V2) have the ability to swap out camera lenses, initially I thought it was just a perk because there are only 6 lenses in the Nikon 1 series range, however I read about this "F-Mount Adapter" which when mounted onto the Nikon 1 V2's body enables it to hold ANY Nikkor Lens making the choice far greater then the mere 6 in the specific Nikon 1 Class Range.


LEFT: F1-Mount Adapter | RIGHT: F1-Mount Adapter on body of N1 V1 with NIKKOR Lens.


"With the Nikon 1 F-Mount Adapter, NIKKOR lenses can be used with the Nikon 1 system to produce amazing images.
Explore the showcase below to see photographs by four of our Nikon Professional Services photographers using the Nikon 1."

 

[Kharn]

Been using my new camera all day and evening figuring out how I can get better pics with my current lens these are the 3 best pics I think that I have got so far detailing the stomatopods themselves.

MINNIE (G.GRAPHURUS)


JUGGERNAUT (O.SCYLLARUS)



I would love to be able to fill the screen in HD with just their eyes.

Here is something I have personally been waiting to do but have put off due to it's much easier setting ability after all it is High Speed Recording and there effectively is only 1 setting the camera can record it in depending on what FPS is selected. Either way I had a go at it and instantly ran into a flaw that made me smack my head against the wall...something I didn't read (or swore I read somewhere about the camera in a review) was how long it could record HS for, initially I thought it could record for 1 min straight and then essentially play back a 10min 400FPS slow motion clip, unfortunately this is more then not the case....

My Nikon P500 could record for 10seconds @ 240FPS however this Nikon 1 V2 can record 400FPS but for only 4seconds....too make matters seemingly worse...the Nikon P500 would record @240FPS when the OK button was pressed and once the 10seconds of recording was finished it would keep recording but revert to a HD resolution @ 30fps, so basically when the Nikon P500 is recording it doesn't stop until you press stop, it just reverts to HD after HS is full (10sec). The Nikon 1 V2 on the other hand doesn't 'seem' (I am still knew it may as I hope) to be able to revert after filling it's 4second HS recording, so basically after the 4seconds it stops recording requiring the button to be pressed again to start recording and it will be HS but it seems like I cannot get that HD to HS in a single clip with the N1 V2 as I can with the P500.

So there are flaws in having the extra 160FPS slow motion with the N1 V2(400FPS) as opposed to the "more workable" P500(240FPS).

Having said all this the N1 V2 does have a "fun" perk that is 100% gimmick because of it's total uselessness (output quality) it can record at a whopping 1200FPS as well but the resolution is even worse then 640x240...still with some editing) it may prove 'watchable' as I am editing all my slow motion high FPS clips for better viewing even if it means worse resolution, it's a matter of finding the 'medium' which I think I have when the clips are viewed in the sizes given from the youtube channels (not full screen).

Either way as I said I tested the camera and even though it was awkward as hell & essentially 3x more likely to NOT capture the footage due to it's 4sec record as opposed to the 1min I assumed or the 10sec I expected as a bare min....I did good I got all I could basically fairly well for a first attempt at trying to catch such a swift movement in such a short time frame (it's more a matter of reading the 'animal' knowing what it's movements mean and premeditating it's strike).

It's got 1080p HD capabilities and I suggest you select it however watch it in the window size provided as full screen is very poor quality...

<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/A9VaPgpCwfs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

More to come