New Mantis Behaviour

[JoJoTMB]

Hey All,

Long time reader, first time poster. I recently aquired a new mantis (pics for a positive ID when he/she decides to pose) and I'm keeping him in a 5.5g with a few large pieces of LR and a black plastic 1" tube that he has made his home by blocking off one end. I've had him for 4 days and he is eating well when I wave food near the opening of his "tube".

My questions are:

- I haven't seen him out and exploring yet, though I have caught him hiding under rocks outside of his tube/home. Is this normal? Will he become more adventurous/less shy with time?

- How often should I be feeding? He's about 2" long and I have easy access to hermit/fiddler crabs of comparable size around here. How much is too much food (i.e. can one overfeed)?

- I've had some pretty wild fluctuations in water temp (78F evenings to 83F days) lately due to the incandescent hood on the small tank and some warm Canadian weather lately, what is the ideal temp range to keep these critters in?

- Do they like a lot of substrate? Right now I've got about a 1" layer of medium crushed coral mixed with aragonite sand.

Any tips would be appreciated. As soon as I can coax him out I'll snap some photos.

--Jonah

 

[Gonodactylus]

Until we know what species this is, it is difficult to answer your questions. THere are over 500 species of stomatopod and they differ considerably in their ecological requirements and behavior.

Given that the animal has taken up residence in a tube, my guess is that the animal a Odontodactylus or Gonodactylus. If a gonodactylid, they rarely leave their cavities as long as food is available. Odontodactylus will become more brazen and will come to food (or food providers).

As for temperature, assuming you have a common gonodactylid, most will be happy from 73-80. Temperatures below 70 should be avoided as should rapid temperature swings. However, these guys are tough and can often take temperatures up into the 90's. Since they don't need or even like a lot of light, there is no reason to have a light on the tank unless it is supporting something else.

If the animal is living in a cavity with a covering of sand on the floor of the aquarium, that should be adequate.

Roy