New Mantis owner, any tips?

[krazeekiddie]

Hi Everyone!!

I picked up (unexpectedly) a mantis last night! I love him!!! I had set up a 29 gallon nano for a frag tank, well, I guess it is squishy's home now!! lol

He is about an inch & a half long, predominantly green, with "fringing" of light purple on his tail. Not a peacock, not really to sure on his species either!

I did some reading last night on him & have a pretty good grasp on his care, but does anyone have any pointers?? He ate a small silverside last night as his first meal & this morning, he had re-arranged all of my frag "shelfs" as well....hehehe....squishy squishy!!!

Here are some pics of my squishy!

 

[krazeekiddie]

From those pics can anyone help me on an id?

 

[Pea-brain]

Maybe N. wennerae, G. viridis, G. chiragra (going off white meral spot) and a few others. A good shot of the telson (end of tail) would help confirm an ID. I'd say you look good. Does he have a rock to burrow in? That is important....

Dan

 

[krazeekiddie]

Going to build his set-up tonight when I go home! Right now, he made underneath my powerhead his home! I have a zoa colony I am going to give him & hope to piece together some sort of cavern with some LR I have had curing for a while.

Will try to get a better picture of the little dude tonight, he's so small it's hard to get my camera to focus on only him to get a clear picture!

Will post new pics in a few hours! Thanks for the reply

 

[gharner]

i would say hes a Neogonodactylus wennerae. from the carribean area. love his colors.....hes very pretty and by the looks of it active. great find

 

[gharner]

actually maybe hes not a wennerae.....he kinda looks like a ternatensis???? maybe Dr. Roy or someone can provide you with a positive id

 

[krazeekiddie]

Thanks, he was an excellent gift actually! My favorite LFS employee gave him to me, he was a castaway from someones live rock! How could I say no to that cute face!? lol He is wicked active, moved around my eggcrate, zips around the tank, he really is awesome to watch (if you can find him! He is sooooo small!)

Ok, not a very co-operative squishy! Maybe once he settles in a bit more, I can get better pics....but here we go!

 

[gharner]

i like the picks......keep em coming. get some video of him smashin some snails or hermits too....that will keep me entertained for a little while hahahahaha

 

[Gonodactylus]

I can't see the telson, but the color looks like N. wennerae.

Roy

 

[krazeekiddie]

I will wrench him from hiding tonight! =)

Hopefully I can put him in a bowl & take a bunch of pictures, the telson is his tail correct? I will get as many of the tail as I can!!!

Thanks!

 

[UCBryant]

Coloration looks exactly like my N. Wennerae.

you can ask the fish store if they get their live rock from florida .. that'll tell us a bit