Be interesting to see how your O. scyllarus does with coral in the tank. I tried with mine and had to pull everything. Every frag I tried to introduce just got him curious which led to a few smacks and a whole pile of coral in his burrow along with a lot of frag plugs or pieces of rubble stuff came mounted on.
My Ultimate Multi Mantis System(s)
- Thread starter Kharn
- Start date
Kharn
MANTISMAN
Kharn
MANTISMAN
The Juggernaut is yet to find the entrance to his new home...
However I did catch the bulk behemoth a few times scurrying over and under parts of it, searching and testing (hitting) I caught him this evening sit up on the SPS bench just chilling really close to the surface
when I took the snap he made his way down to the substrate and begun to search again 
hope I didn't interrupt him relaxing xD.
I think I'm going to give ol' juggy a helping hand tonight basically I will lead him to the entry/exit with a piece of prawn of a skewer, I'm more then positive (like in the past) he will notice the hole and then just charge in and that will be it, the den officially his!
More to come as it happens
However I did catch the bulk behemoth a few times scurrying over and under parts of it, searching and testing (hitting) I caught him this evening sit up on the SPS bench just chilling really close to the surface
when I took the snap he made his way down to the substrate and begun to search again hope I didn't interrupt him relaxing xD.
I think I'm going to give ol' juggy a helping hand tonight
basically I will lead him to the entry/exit with a piece of prawn of a skewer, I'm more then positive (like in the past) he will notice the hole and then just charge in and that will be it, the den officially his!
More to come as it happens
Yeah my N. wennerae and G. smithii didn't touch frags I added but the O.scyllarus sure seemed to enjoy smashing up everything as he explored the new additions to his tank. Might just be an individual personality thing though since he seems to be a lot more inquisitive when things change in/around his tank than any of my others.
Kharn
MANTISMAN
Bit of a picture update with some prepared food offerings for the smaller species
EVE (G.SMITHII)
TINTIN (G.TERNATENSIS)
NICOLE (G.TERNATENSIS)
ROCKY (G.GRAPHURUS)
MINNIE (G.GRAPHURUS) - she was too quick...
MAXIMUS (G.GRAPHURUS)
THE KRAKEN (O.SCYLLARUS)
I tried to temp the Juggernaut into the DIY PVC den last night with a piece of prawn meat however he was to strong and fast and just got the bait to fast...lol, he is still outside his burrow, I don't see any signs of ill health, just curiosity, searching no panicking.
More to come!
EVE (G.SMITHII)
TINTIN (G.TERNATENSIS)
NICOLE (G.TERNATENSIS)
ROCKY (G.GRAPHURUS)
MINNIE (G.GRAPHURUS) - she was too quick...
MAXIMUS (G.GRAPHURUS)
THE KRAKEN (O.SCYLLARUS)
I tried to temp the Juggernaut into the DIY PVC den last night with a piece of prawn meat however he was to strong and fast and just got the bait to fast...lol, he is still outside his burrow, I don't see any signs of ill health, just curiosity, searching no panicking.
More to come!
Kharn
MANTISMAN
Bit of an update on The Juggernaut and the DIY PVC burrow I put in his tank...
So far the large O.scyllarus has refused to go into his new home so I have started to begin to have doubts about it...one of my potential flaws that I instantly recognized were the entry/exit holes to the burrow itself...they are all raised about 8inchs off the substrate which would mean that swimming would be needed to access it.
Even though I am certain that a simple large hole in the middle vertical at the base substrate level should allow him easy entry/exit and a greater chance of him using it in general....I have opted for a completely new design!
The good thing is that the large O.scyllarus seems to be taking it all quite well no signs of stress and eating normally, the tank is quite dark with no direct lighting on it.
So far the large O.scyllarus has refused to go into his new home so I have started to begin to have doubts about it...one of my potential flaws that I instantly recognized were the entry/exit holes to the burrow itself...they are all raised about 8inchs off the substrate which would mean that swimming would be needed to access it.
Even though I am certain that a simple large hole in the middle vertical at the base substrate level should allow him easy entry/exit and a greater chance of him using it in general....I have opted for a completely new design
!The good thing is that the large O.scyllarus seems to be taking it all quite well
no signs of stress and eating normally, the tank is quite dark with no direct lighting on it.
Kharn
MANTISMAN
As I said above I have started to have doubts about the current DIY PVC burrow in the Juggernauts tank...even though I am sure the problem is that there are no entry/exit holes at substrate level (which would only mean drilled a large hole in the base of the current structure)....I began plans on a complete remake .
This design allows for the majority of the entire structure to be under the substrate with only a pair of raised verticals (mostly for the sake of corals and the chance of the O.scyllarus using the verticals).
There is another structure attached to the DIY PVC burrow for the sheer sake of coral plateaus, the classic long horizontal SPS bench at the rear will sit on the REAR of the verticals, whilst the ten tiny plateaus will sit on the FRONT of the verticals. Basically the idea is to just use as much space possible at various depths for various corals, and being sure to not completely cover a plateau with another above it.
The two grey boxes at the end of the structure are the tiny pumps for flow within, like the current one, which are working really well! I only wish Juggy would venture in...
More to come!
.
This design allows for the majority of the entire structure to be under the substrate with only a pair of raised verticals (mostly for the sake of corals and the chance of the O.scyllarus using the verticals).
There is another structure attached to the DIY PVC burrow for the sheer sake of coral plateaus, the classic long horizontal SPS bench at the rear will sit on the REAR of the verticals, whilst the ten tiny plateaus will sit on the FRONT of the verticals. Basically the idea is to just use as much space possible at various depths for various corals, and being sure to not completely cover a plateau with another above it.
The two grey boxes at the end of the structure are the tiny pumps for flow within, like the current one, which are working really well! I only wish Juggy would venture in...
More to come!
Kharn
MANTISMAN
Now that I have started to setup for corals I am also going to start to take my systems parameters a lot more seriously, simply put, for the past couple of years I have been doing simple tank top ups with nothing but water from my tap, hardly optimal for corals but the stomatopods themselves seem unaware and unharmed by the 'neglected' water parameters.
Having said that and as I mentioned, the plan is to step up from this and begin to utilize good healthy water a.k.a RO/DI water which means more importantly a system that stores RO/DI water, I would prefer to go with the biggest thing I can get to hold as much water possible so I am looking into small rainwater tanks.
Even after the sump upgrades are in place and running there will be about a 1000mmLx600mmWx2500mmH space available directly behind the TV which I intend to place the large water storage container behind. The TV stand is being upgraded to have wheels so I can simply roll it forward and backward as needed.
More to come!
Having said that and as I mentioned, the plan is to step up from this and begin to utilize good healthy water a.k.a RO/DI water
which means more importantly a system that stores RO/DI water, I would prefer to go with the biggest thing I can get to hold as much water possible so I am looking into small rainwater tanks.Even after the sump upgrades are in place and running there will be about a 1000mmLx600mmWx2500mmH space available directly behind the TV which I intend to place the large water storage container behind. The TV stand is being upgraded to have wheels so I can simply roll it forward and backward as needed.
More to come!
Kharn
MANTISMAN
Here is a likely outlook of the end result of the major upgrade
The latest addition is the large 500L-1000L water storage container, this is going to be in place to automatically top up the sumps as they get to a certain low point that I deem, within the water storage container are four pumps, one for each sump as labeled, along with one master pump which is designed to run all the time to maintain flow within the container and prevent the water going stagnant.
Hopefully this "pure" water addition will be a final nail in the coffin to the filtration upgrade
The latest addition is the large 500L-1000L water storage container, this is going to be in place to automatically top up the sumps as they get to a certain low point that I deem, within the water storage container are four pumps, one for each sump as labeled, along with one master pump which is designed to run all the time to maintain flow within the container and prevent the water going stagnant.
Hopefully this "pure" water addition will be a final nail in the coffin to the filtration upgrade
Kharn
MANTISMAN
The Prologue remake of A song of Ice & Fire / A Game of Thrones is completed and now public ....
It's just my versions Prologue to the first book so a remake of the original prologue.
https://www.facebook.com/notes/kharn-stomatopods/a-tale-of-hammers-spears/192399907602817
Hope others enjoy reading it as much as I did re-writing it for stomatopods!
....It's just my versions Prologue to the first book so a remake of the original prologue.
https://www.facebook.com/notes/kharn-stomatopods/a-tale-of-hammers-spears/192399907602817
Hope others enjoy reading it as much as I did re-writing it for stomatopods
!
Kharn
MANTISMAN
It's official the Juggernaut has refused his new home, the large O.scyllarus doesn't seem interested in the confines of the DIY PVC burrow which means it's back to the drawing board but more importantly...removing the DIY PVC burrow and putting in place a temporary PVC burrow which I will likely bury beneath the rubble and some live rock.
I'm more then positive that the reason for this rejection is the simple fact that there are NO substrate level entry/exit holes, something I have fixed in my latest design (3 substrate level entry/exits & 2 raised entry/exits).
Obviously I will update on this as it happens.
I'm more then positive that the reason for this rejection is the simple fact that there are NO substrate level entry/exit holes, something I have fixed in my latest design (3 substrate level entry/exits & 2 raised entry/exits).
Obviously I will update on this as it happens
.
Kharn
MANTISMAN
The frustration of a large spearer can sometimes be testing...hence the dawn of the smaller spearers ...Minos(L.colemani) & Morgoth (L.sulcata) so far have seemed to hold their worth in the filming department (Minos has really been impressive lately).
However the king of them all holds back and has held back for a long time...3 months since I have caught him in high speed bringing down some prepared food and over 9 months! Since I caught him catching something live in high speed...
The large spearer is elusive and has begun more sporadic in his attacks, in the past I could "see" it coming, the eyes aligning, appendages close in to the body, the slight lean forward...
Problem is...when he takes live prey, he may not eat for 2+ weeks so the chance of capturing footage again is a long wait off.
Patience is a virtue.
...Minos(L.colemani) & Morgoth (L.sulcata) so far have seemed to hold their worth in the filming department (Minos has really been impressive lately).However the king of them all holds back and has held back for a long time...3 months since I have caught him in high speed bringing down some prepared food and over 9 months! Since I caught him catching something live in high speed...
The large spearer is elusive and has begun more sporadic in his attacks, in the past I could "see" it coming, the eyes aligning, appendages close in to the body, the slight lean forward...
Problem is...when he takes live prey, he may not eat for 2+ weeks so the chance of capturing footage again is a long wait off.
Patience is a virtue
.
Kharn
MANTISMAN
Well last night was the final stroke for Juggys DIY PVC burrow, with the large smasher not enjoying it I took it out of the tank and replaced it with another quickly done up (no substrate and glue) PVC structure, this new temp burrow is modeled in a similar way as to how I am going to make his next official burrow, except where the temp burrow has only 1 vertical and 2 substrate level entry/exits, the next official one will have 3 substrate entrance/exits and 2 verticals.
He did what I expected and within 10mins of this new temp PVC burrow going into the tank, he disappeared within and has only been glimpsed since.
You can notice that through placing flat wide plates of Live Rock above the entrances/exits to the burrow that are substrate level I was able to further reduce the amount of light within the burrows depths.
More to come!
He did what I expected and within 10mins of this new temp PVC burrow going into the tank, he disappeared within and has only been glimpsed since
.You can notice that through placing flat wide plates of Live Rock above the entrances/exits to the burrow that are substrate level I was able to further reduce the amount of light within the burrows depths.
More to come!
Kharn
MANTISMAN
It's 65 mm stormwater PVC, I don't like the PVC look personally, I try to make things look as natural as possible, seeing as this is a temp burrow I saw no need to waste the time money and effort into making it a legit DIY burrow since it will come out within a month.
Once large smashers (specifically Peacocks) reach a certain size, it's practically BETTER to offer the large smasher a man made structure to rest within, simply because no aquarium in any home is going to be large enough to hold or allow the large stomatopod to build a sufficient burrow...in the wild a large O.scyllarus den can be as big as a fully grown adult sitting down cross legged, like a small mountain of rubble and loose things it can grab and just pile on.
The 3 key features to any large smasher burrow is going to be.
#1 Darkness
#2 Flow
#3 Complexity
The darker within the better (it should be utterly black or at least a part of the burrow), flow needs to be good to help keep the animal clean and help further lower the risk of Shell Rot and finally Complexity which can go hand in hand with BOTH Darkness & Flow, by having a complex burrow rather then a simple long piece of PVC you can easily limit where light enters the burrow or how flow enters the burrow.
Kharn
MANTISMAN
Night before Last was Good
When I finally removed the old DIY PVC burrow which proved to of been a failure I placed in that simple no glue or substrate PVC burrow and as I said within a few minutes the Juggernaut made its way in and hasn't been out since!
One thing I should note which has really made me quite happy...obviously my last design was a flaw on the simple basis that it lacked substrate level entry/exit holes for the stomatopod, with the idea of me trying to 'suspend' the animal at rest on guard at a burrow entrance, it simply didn't work.
However with the addition of this latest PVC burrow the large smasher has done exactly as I wanted it to! It utilizes the substrate level entry/exit holes to usually enter and leave however, more often then not the Juggernaut sits in the lone vertical entry/exit hole...peering out, so my new design should work perfectly!
Here is the proof!
More to come
When I finally removed the old DIY PVC burrow which proved to of been a failure I placed in that simple no glue or substrate PVC burrow and as I said within a few minutes the Juggernaut made its way in and hasn't been out since
!One thing I should note which has really made me quite happy...obviously my last design was a flaw on the simple basis that it lacked substrate level entry/exit holes for the stomatopod, with the idea of me trying to 'suspend' the animal at rest on guard at a burrow entrance, it simply didn't work.
However with the addition of this latest PVC burrow the large smasher has done exactly as I wanted it to! It utilizes the substrate level entry/exit holes to usually enter and leave however, more often then not the Juggernaut sits in the lone vertical entry/exit hole...peering out, so my new design should work perfectly
!Here is the proof!
More to come
Nice, Yeah I've got about 2 feet of 2" pvc for mine and he seems to like it for day to day stuff but I've noticed he seems to abandon it during molts in favor of just digging out the sand between the rock and pvc. Thinking I might try again with a more interesting structure for him and see if that helps with adoption.
Kharn
MANTISMAN
I have never had my large smasher OUT of PVC during a molt...even when I had him for a few weeks in a tiny 450mmLx200mmWx250mmH heavy duty plastic container with a small 300mmL x 65mmDia PVC tube.
This was a very temporary setup. The Juggernaut (Large O.scyllarus was in the small container reinforced with eggcrate) Morgoth stayed below and was very paranoid, luckily nothing bad happened
. Point is Juggy molted in that little compartment inside the PVC about 2-3 days after being put in.
Kharn
MANTISMAN
I have started to have serious doubts about my lights overall power and their ability to sustain SPS corals (mostly due to my lack of knowledge with SPS corals in general).
Having witnessed Juggy peering out of the lone top vertical many times now and entering/exiting the burrow through its substrate holes gives me great confidence in this new design and a clear sign to the flaw in the old one...
However my original plans were to attempt to try and keep SPS corals in Juggys tank these SPS were going to be Encrusting Monti, Dallas Acro & Birdsnest Coral, all 3 were going to be positioned very close to the surface to help ensure they get the most of the tanks lights but I fear that will not help enough due to the tank only having a 96w LED fixture above it...
So I began plans on a new design (effectively just removing the eggcrate racking between the 2 verticals) along with lowering the overall difficulty of corals to maintain which means basically no SPS (each of these types I have kept well so far).
Aside the Rics all the other corals are the colors I hope to get (specifically the hammer being the center piece).
Having witnessed Juggy peering out of the lone top vertical many times now and entering/exiting the burrow through its substrate holes gives me great confidence in this new design
and a clear sign to the flaw in the old one...However my original plans were to attempt to try and keep SPS corals in Juggys tank these SPS were going to be Encrusting Monti, Dallas Acro & Birdsnest Coral, all 3 were going to be positioned very close to the surface to help ensure they get the most of the tanks lights but I fear that will not help enough due to the tank only having a 96w LED fixture above it...
So I began plans on a new design (effectively just removing the eggcrate racking between the 2 verticals) along with lowering the overall difficulty of corals to maintain which means basically no SPS (each of these types I have kept well so far).
Aside the Rics all the other corals are the colors I hope to get (specifically the hammer being the center piece).
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