new mantis/crappy pics

[shivametimbas]

Odontodactylus havanensis?
i'll get more pics as soon as i can.
got it from sealifeflorida so i'd imagine its from florida.

 

[Frostyeel]

He's a very cool looking mantis, and he looks almost exactly like the havanensis pictures on Roy's list so I would agree with you on that. I hope you have good luck with him!

 

[Gonodactylus]

Odontodactylus havanensis like/need to burrow. It should have a substrate of sand and large gravel (pieces of LR and shell 1/4 - 3/4 inch) about 3 inches deep. Place a piece of flat LR on top. The animal will dig a burrow under the rock eventually ending up with a u-shaped burrow. Usually they will eventually bury the surface rock, so don't use one with valuable corals, etc.

O. havanensis are some of the most interactive and interesting stomatopods available, but they are not the easiest animal to keep. They can jump at least 4 inches out of the water, do not tolerate rapid temperature and salinity swings, and most importantly, do not survive periods of low oxygen.

One of the more fascinating things about them is their polarized signaling system. Look at the pink uropods and antennal scales with a pair of polarized sunglasses and you will see that as you rotate the plane of polarization, the color will change. These signals are used in species and sex recognition.

Enjoy!

Roy

 

[shivametimbas]

its going to be in a fairly shallow tank. how much light does this mantis like? i think the tank might be 10 inches tall. i was going to put a 65w 50/50 pc on it if that'll be ok. i dont think i'll put much coral in it. maybe some easy going frags. i was leaning more toward macro algae perhaps.

although the tank is a nano (6.6 us gallons) i know that i can keep it stable because i've had the setup before. the mantis is about the size of my pinkie at the moment. is this tank suitable? i will try to find the exact dimensions of the tank.

thanks for the info.
tk

(the tank in the pic is not the one he'll be going into. i am setting one up differently just for the mantis.) and i did get a nice flat piece of liverock.

 

[Gonodactylus]

O. havanensis live in open habitats with little coral or algae. They are typically found from 50 to 120 feet, so they do not experience strong, broad spectrum lighting. Maximum size for this species is about 65 mm. They are not a long-lived as many stomatopods, typically living for 3-4 years.

Roy

 

[shivametimbas]

so the 65w 50/50 would be way too much eh? should i just go with the regular 15 w normal output flor. bulb that comes with the tank? and what type of bulb if so? daylight,50/50, or maybe an actinic only, that would look pretty nice. thanks for all the help roy.

by the way, i got the mantis from ken at sealifeflorida. he said that they usually go to someone in cali that does research on them. i think i got one of your mantises! he said he hasn't talked to the guy in a while. is it you?

 

[Gonodactylus]

Yes, I typically get my animals from Ken.

At the depth these guys live, they see mostly blue light around 470 nm. I would go with 15w in the blue.

Roy

 

[shivametimbas]

cool, thanks. i'll keep you updated.

i just changed his current lighting from 18w 50/50 . to 2x9w actinic pc lighting.

 

[Thurge]

That mantis is simply georgous.
I think I need one of those, but my girl friend may think otherwise.