Mdpflueger
New member
Thanks for the info.
My Ultimate Multi Mantis System(s)
- Thread starter Kharn
- Start date
Thanks for the info.
DreamScape
New member
Is that just normal eggcrate that seperates them? I have two that are around the 7cm mark that I want to keep in a single tank but am concerned that they might slip through it and fight.
Eh, I'll try it with one first and see if it gets to the other side! haha.
Eh, I'll try it with one first and see if it gets to the other side! haha.
Last edited:
Kharn
MANTISMAN
Unfortunately I must of been smokin' the crack when I made my display tanks but I am adamant to keep it as is...basically what connects each display tank to one another (within each stand) is a single 32mm bulkhead with matching 32mm poly plumbing...
This SEVERLY reduces overall turnover and I am more reliant upon good flow within each compartment.
Basically the new filtration system must be capable of keeping a slow pace that which a 32mm single bulkhead can handle....
Kharn
MANTISMAN
Normal eggcrate is NOT a good substitute as a divider for these animals, they just give them a fun problem to solve...inevitably 1 of the stomatopods will get through/under/over the eggcrate, the only reason I have eggcrate within this compartment is simply because the 2 stomatopods within it are abnormally comfortable with each other (being smashers this is exceptionally rare).
All other tank dividers are fixed in place double layered (1 sheet of acrylic & 1 sheet of glass) back to back.
Stomatopods are great at finding flaws...
Kharn
MANTISMAN
All this upgrade stuff is doing my head in so here are some pictures of Minos who has shown vast improvement to the point where I am now comfortable with him surviving and thriving in his new home.
Firstly, the burrow, finally after over 1 year of not being inside a sandy burrow, Minos has constructed a deep one and now resides within it 24/7, it is deep enough for him to disappear entirely from my sight as I sometimes see an empty hole only for him to poke his head up and stare back at me.
Molts, this is the second time he has molted under my care and for the second time he has come out of it alive, each time I get more and more confident in his survival and comfort in his new home.
Finally and this is another GREAT sign as with the previous photo captured a couple weeks back...more evidence of his natural predation albeit not actually caught on camera one cannot deny the simple presence of a decapitated fish head...
It may look like a 'plain' layout but this is my attempt at recreating a sandbank theme for my large spearers, I'm not entirely certain about how accurate this is for Minos the L.colemani...he was captured in a trawler off shore at a depth of 65fathoms...for a deeper water dweller he is certainly adapting to shallower climates and conditions.
More to come
Firstly, the burrow, finally after over 1 year of not being inside a sandy burrow, Minos has constructed a deep one and now resides within it 24/7, it is deep enough for him to disappear entirely from my sight as I sometimes see an empty hole only for him to poke his head up and stare back at me.
Molts, this is the second time he has molted under my care and for the second time he has come out of it alive, each time I get more and more confident in his survival and comfort in his new home.
Finally and this is another GREAT sign as with the previous photo captured a couple weeks back...more evidence of his natural predation albeit not actually caught on camera one cannot deny the simple presence of a decapitated fish head...
It may look like a 'plain' layout but this is my attempt at recreating a sandbank theme for my large spearers, I'm not entirely certain about how accurate this is for Minos the L.colemani...he was captured in a trawler off shore at a depth of 65fathoms...for a deeper water dweller he is certainly adapting to shallower climates and conditions.
More to come
Kharn
MANTISMAN
Minos (L.colemani) has certainly began to show his true colors...having captured and partially eaten another of the schooling fish within his compartment, I plan on just leaving these fish in and letting him have his fill seeing as this is the first time in a year that he has really had the opportunity to show his full potentials...
There were 10 originally now there are 7...
Either he is a glut and just has eyes too big for his stomach or whether the fish that come close are trigger a reflex similar to how we jump out of the way of an oncoming car...
There were 10 originally now there are 7...
Either he is a glut and just has eyes too big for his stomach or whether the fish that come close are trigger a reflex similar to how we jump out of the way of an oncoming car...
Kharn
MANTISMAN
No that phenom is something that has happened to my 2 larger spearers...this smaller spearer was the one I was most concerned about (survival wise) and also one of the rarest species I have ever seen / owned...that rare G.smithii strain/mutation I have now seen at least half a dozen of including owning 1, however I have never seen another Minos (L.colemani) before...
L.colemani have only ever been recorded within Australia and within 1 place...The south eastern most coast of QLD and the north eastern most coast of NSW. I would personally rank Minos (L.colemani) as a rarer species then Zuzu the Unique (rare strain mutation of G.smithii)...
Kharn
MANTISMAN
Having said the above...Minos has yet again captured and killed another of the fish within his compartment bring the total now down to 6 however this time...there was nothing left over, no sign of discarded half eaten corpse on sand bed.
It's a safe bet to say that the L.colemani is not only 1 TOUGH Lysiosquillidea...
The difference between Lysiosquillidea & Squillidea is amazing...sure they look quite different and any stomatopod amateur could tell they are different but as far as suitable for aquariums...Lysiosquillidea really do take to it and survive the harshest of things...Squillids will drop like flies unless total understanding and requirements are taken into account a.k.a ask 'EelFreak' his tank is just beautiful and so is his Squillid.
It's a safe bet to say that the L.colemani is not only 1 TOUGH Lysiosquillidea...
The difference between Lysiosquillidea & Squillidea is amazing...sure they look quite different and any stomatopod amateur could tell they are different but as far as suitable for aquariums...Lysiosquillidea really do take to it and survive the harshest of things...Squillids will drop like flies unless total understanding and requirements are taken into account a.k.a ask 'EelFreak' his tank is just beautiful and so is his Squillid.
Kharn
MANTISMAN
Some great news that Minos has given me 
I am now more then 100% comfortable that he himself is comfortable within his compartment, not only has he finally created a large burrow that he can completely disappear in, a vital thing for stomatopods, it brings out their individual characteristics / personalities, a homeless stomatopod is a scared stomatopod irregardless of species etc.
If you close enough Minos is grasping and munching on one of the fish inhabitants within his compartment.
The second and most reassuring thing is this...look back through the various photos I have uploaded on here about Minos lately...there were 12 little fish in his tank to begin with and now...there is 1 left...a clear sign of his comfort and health seeing as in the past he not only refused to hunt live food but often refused prepared food as well mixed in with his old skittish suicidal behavior (if something fast went past him in or out of the tank he would freak out and dart all over crashing into things and striking the water wildly until he was exhausted), now I get to see his true personality that he has a burrow and a really full belly....
Where there was once a dozen of its own, this lone fish having witnessed what happened to all its other companions now simply waits for the inevitable...
More to come as I think it is high time for a larger spearer update.
P.S. I have made some minor changes to my filtration upgrade and seeing as I have just taken a week off work I plan to purchase most of the bulk things this week (Custom sump tanks, Skimmers & Lights), to make things much simpler on myself and to anyone who has followd in depth and knows what I am talking about, the major change to the filtration is simply this...where there were 3 sump tanks per stand there will be now 2.
I am now more then 100% comfortable that he himself is comfortable within his compartment, not only has he finally created a large burrow that he can completely disappear in, a vital thing for stomatopods, it brings out their individual characteristics / personalities, a homeless stomatopod is a scared stomatopod irregardless of species etc.If you close enough Minos is grasping and munching on one of the fish inhabitants within his compartment.
The second and most reassuring thing is this...look back through the various photos I have uploaded on here about Minos lately...there were 12 little fish in his tank to begin with and now...there is 1 left...a clear sign of his comfort and health seeing as in the past he not only refused to hunt live food but often refused prepared food as well mixed in with his old skittish suicidal behavior (if something fast went past him in or out of the tank he would freak out and dart all over crashing into things and striking the water wildly until he was exhausted), now I get to see his true personality that he has a burrow and a really full belly....
Where there was once a dozen of its own, this lone fish having witnessed what happened to all its other companions now simply waits for the inevitable...
More to come as I think it is high time for a larger spearer update.
P.S. I have made some minor changes to my filtration upgrade and seeing as I have just taken a week off work I plan to purchase most of the bulk things this week (Custom sump tanks, Skimmers & Lights), to make things much simpler on myself and to anyone who has followd in depth and knows what I am talking about, the major change to the filtration is simply this...where there were 3 sump tanks per stand there will be now 2.
Kharn
MANTISMAN
Bit of a picture update
_________________________________________________________________
EVE - G.SMITHII - The top half of her compartment / DIY PVC Burrow has been completely overrun by the macro algae effectively further camouflaging the man made burrow.
ADAM - G.SMITHII - I caught him trying to get a glimpse of Shockwave (G.falcatus) in Shockwaves heavy duty free floating temporary plastic container.
ADAM - G.SMITHII - Upon realizing he was caught being naughty trying to fire up Shockwave, Adam like all young teenage boys in denial, swiftly darted for his burrow amongst the rocks then poked out aggressively with a threatening display or...a very large cheeky grin after all it's all part of the mouth.
TINTIN - G.TERNATENSIS - With growth comes strength, the 2 G.ternatensis under my care have both grown to well over 2inchs long and are now more then capable of hauling around pieces of crush coral to block entry/exit holes of their DIY PVC burrows, here you can see Tintin poking out from the barricade of coral rubble, Nicole was not seen and likely molting.
MINNIE & MAXIMUS - G.GRAPHURUS - Did a lot of pruning in their compartment this morning to cut back the Macro Algae that really took over, ended up pruning back a full 375ml cup full, upon removing the algae I was swiftly reminded what made these 2 so special, their colorful bodies mixed in with their individual colorful nature was a sheer reminder of how lucky I am to have these 2.
MINNIE
MAXIMUS
RE-EDITED MINNIE & MAXIMUS COPULATION VIDEO WITH LARVAE
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hUXioKdpryQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
THE KRAKEN - O.SCYLLARUS - Energetic and very alert this active little O.scyllarus is out of his burrow more then in it, always on the prowl he surprises me sometimes by pulling a small live crab out from the rubble 1 that I must of placed in the tank and it initially escaped.
Spearers inc...
_________________________________________________________________
EVE - G.SMITHII - The top half of her compartment / DIY PVC Burrow has been completely overrun by the macro algae effectively further camouflaging the man made burrow.
ADAM - G.SMITHII - I caught him trying to get a glimpse of Shockwave (G.falcatus) in Shockwaves heavy duty free floating temporary plastic container.
ADAM - G.SMITHII - Upon realizing he was caught being naughty trying to fire up Shockwave, Adam like all young teenage boys in denial, swiftly darted for his burrow amongst the rocks then poked out aggressively with a threatening display or...a very large cheeky grin
after all it's all part of the mouth.
TINTIN - G.TERNATENSIS - With growth comes strength, the 2 G.ternatensis under my care have both grown to well over 2inchs long and are now more then capable of hauling around pieces of crush coral to block entry/exit holes of their DIY PVC burrows, here you can see Tintin poking out from the barricade of coral rubble, Nicole was not seen and likely molting.
MINNIE & MAXIMUS - G.GRAPHURUS - Did a lot of pruning in their compartment this morning to cut back the Macro Algae that really took over, ended up pruning back a full 375ml cup full, upon removing the algae I was swiftly reminded what made these 2 so special, their colorful bodies mixed in with their individual colorful nature was a sheer reminder of how lucky I am to have these 2.
MINNIE
MAXIMUS
RE-EDITED MINNIE & MAXIMUS COPULATION VIDEO WITH LARVAE
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hUXioKdpryQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
THE KRAKEN - O.SCYLLARUS - Energetic and very alert this active little O.scyllarus is out of his burrow more then in it, always on the prowl he surprises me sometimes by pulling a small live crab out from the rubble 1 that I must of placed in the tank and it initially escaped.
Spearers inc...
Kharn
MANTISMAN
Continued...
_________________________________________________________________
MORGOTH - L.SULCATA - This spearer has been kept quiet lately however things are about to change...
THE LEVIATHAN - L.MACULATA - Like his smaller cousin above the giant amongst stomatopods has been quiet over the past few weeks however this is also about to change...
A grave yard littered with the decapitated partially consumed heads of fish...
Bones scattered all over the clean white sand from over a dozen fish...
MINOS - L.COLEMANI - He has become the very embodiment of 'Hunger' itself, having captured killed and consumed the last 'scat' that was in his compartment, he cleaned up all dozen and now only their bones remain littered about the sand bed...Minos certainly has solidified his place within my crew and now that he has perfected his art I intend to capture it by now starving him a bit then offering 1 fish at a time...
More to come!
_________________________________________________________________
MORGOTH - L.SULCATA - This spearer has been kept quiet lately however things are about to change...
THE LEVIATHAN - L.MACULATA - Like his smaller cousin above the giant amongst stomatopods has been quiet over the past few weeks however this is also about to change...
A grave yard littered with the decapitated partially consumed heads of fish...
Bones scattered all over the clean white sand from over a dozen fish...
MINOS - L.COLEMANI - He has become the very embodiment of 'Hunger' itself, having captured killed and consumed the last 'scat' that was in his compartment, he cleaned up all dozen and now only their bones remain littered about the sand bed...Minos certainly has solidified his place within my crew and now that he has perfected his art I intend to capture it by now starving him a bit then offering 1 fish at a time...
More to come!
Kharn
MANTISMAN
Ok so I sought of forgot / lied about Minos (L.colemani) finishing off the last fish within his compartment...I had forgotten about this little 2inch long blenny that I caught locally on the mud flats, obviously it's been picking up scraps or something as I caught the little sneaky bugger picking on some of the remains of what Minos threw out.
Cute little thing but after my last blenny incident I don't plan to get attached to this one...it might take a while but it will inevitably be found.
Cute little thing but after my last blenny incident I don't plan to get attached to this one...it might take a while but it will inevitably be found.
Islandoftiki
New member
I have to say, the mantis copulation video is disturbingly erotic...
Kharn
MANTISMAN
Feedings this evening - Prawn Meat
STAND A
EVE - G.SMITHII - I was late with the feedings this evening and Eve had blocked up her entry/exit that she uses primarily as I sign that she was at rest...nonetheless I poked a hole through the door and she came charging out, once she realized it was food her anger turned to instant joy as she zipped around the compartment in anticipation of a feed to come.
ADAM - G.SMITHII - He must of smelt/tasted the prawn meat on the water from the compartment beside him containing Eve, so Adam was already on high alert and 'sniffing' around, once I showed him the prawn flesh on the skewer from outside the tank, his suspicions
SHOCKWAVE - G.FALCATUS - Incapable of photographing due to temporary housing situation but he accepted the food offered.
TINTIN - G.TERNATENSIS - Incapable of photographing due to being to swift in retrieving the food off the skewer.
NICOLE - G.TERNATENSIS - Did not show, left food in compartment, has since disappeared.
ROCKY - G.GRAPHURUS - Like those above him, Rocky had the scent/taste of prawn meat on his mind and was swiftly searching for the source of the tasty meal, as I waved the flesh on the skewer infront of his compartment, he shot forth directly at it and crashed into the front of the tank, only to start zipping up and down the front of the tank, as soon as the flesh entered the tank, he wrapped himself around it and just pounded it until it was free.
MEGATRON - G.CHIRAGRA - Did not show, left food in compartment, has since disappeared.
STARSCREAM - G.FALCATUS - Did not show, left food in compartment, has since disappeared.
That concludes STAND A and the small smashers.
More to come! :lol2:
STAND A
EVE - G.SMITHII - I was late with the feedings this evening and Eve had blocked up her entry/exit that she uses primarily as I sign that she was at rest...nonetheless I poked a hole through the door and she came charging out, once she realized it was food her anger turned to instant joy as she zipped around the compartment in anticipation of a feed to come.
ADAM - G.SMITHII - He must of smelt/tasted the prawn meat on the water from the compartment beside him containing Eve, so Adam was already on high alert and 'sniffing' around, once I showed him the prawn flesh on the skewer from outside the tank, his suspicions
SHOCKWAVE - G.FALCATUS - Incapable of photographing due to temporary housing situation but he accepted the food offered.
TINTIN - G.TERNATENSIS - Incapable of photographing due to being to swift in retrieving the food off the skewer.
NICOLE - G.TERNATENSIS - Did not show, left food in compartment, has since disappeared.
ROCKY - G.GRAPHURUS - Like those above him, Rocky had the scent/taste of prawn meat on his mind and was swiftly searching for the source of the tasty meal, as I waved the flesh on the skewer infront of his compartment, he shot forth directly at it and crashed into the front of the tank, only to start zipping up and down the front of the tank, as soon as the flesh entered the tank, he wrapped himself around it and just pounded it until it was free.
MEGATRON - G.CHIRAGRA - Did not show, left food in compartment, has since disappeared.
STARSCREAM - G.FALCATUS - Did not show, left food in compartment, has since disappeared.
That concludes STAND A and the small smashers.
More to come! :lol2:
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