New Mantis Setup

[APynckel]

Hey guys,
Just thought i would let yall know that i just started up a 23gallon specialty mantis tank. It's still being filled up (R/O bucket was empty :sad2: so i'm waiting on some more), but all i really lack are my lights. I want to have some corals in the aquarium as well (mushrooms and some zoo's), but i also want to be able to simulate morning/day/dusk with my light setup. Are there any places that sell 24" dual flourescent "hoods" that can independantly control each tube?

Thanks guys.

PS. The mantis is already purchased and is sitting at my favorite aquarium store awaiting my tank to be complete so that he may come and live with me. I have already decided i'm going to name him Tom partly because of Tim, but mostly because of a friend of mine who cleans aquariums w/ me named Tom.

I'll keep yall updated.

 

[slylie]

i have one of these on my 15g frogfish/nano reef. excellent light, has two switches and two plugs so you can have them on seperate timers.

http://www.hellolights.com/242xcoluaqho.html

 

[APynckel]

too expensive. I was looking for a regular flourescent tube light, not a PC or VHO setup.

 

[StrongHandsMcGee]

I doubt that those corals will make it under NO light. The shrooms, maybe. Zoos, no.

 

[APynckel]

ok well my neighborhood fish store has a 24" used PC light strip up for sale for $60. I think i'll get that one from him.

 

[crafty_50mitchell]

Another option you have is to go with a retrofit, that is if you dont mind the minor dent in your asthetics of the tank (I personally dont think it looks soo bad to have a retrofit sitting on top of a versa top). Such as the "coralife energy savers" just do a search for them generally theyll be about 30% cheaper than buying the full strip fixture.
Cheers,
Brian

 

[slylie]

you could use one 55 or 65 watt pc strip for daytime, and NO actinic for dawn/dusk..

 

[DensityMan]

Tim wishes to express the honor he feels for your new mantis's name in his own words:

klik-klik... KLAK-klt... klikklat-klatklatklat... klikkety-klik-klik-klik-KLAT... kilik... klikkik... tik-tik-tik-tik



The used PC setup or the retrofit with the NO bulbs for dawn-dusk should look great.

'Cept now Tim's gripin' that he has to settle for real dawn light and no dusk... he'll be insufferable for days now...

 

[APynckel]

I currently am using the red sea Prizm small protein skimmer/activated carbon filter for small aquariums up to 60 gallons. Has anyone had experience w/ this model? I am also highly considering using the corallife lunar light setup that was recommended. Do you thinkt that it will be able to sustain high quality mushrooms such as ricordia or a red bubble anemone?

I was thinking about putting a clown/anemone combo in the tank as well. Is this advisable w/ the mantis? Will he attack the clowns (he is a beater) or will he leave them alone and just go for snails and what the mighty tube feeds him?

 

[APynckel]

I am sorry, but what does NO lighting stand for?

 

[DensityMan]

NO stands for Normal Output flourescent lighting. It's what is normally sold with the tank hoods from the retailers.

I don't know any details about the coralife hood you asked about (too lazy to search for it on a Saturday morning), but Ikeep low-maintenance shrooms under a 96w Coralife PC fixture. I wouldn't necessarily recommend rics or the larger anemones under only PC lighting (moonlights don't count as an enhancement). While the rics/anemones may survive, they will more than likely lose color and not thrive as they may under greater light.

 

[APynckel]

well i have actually leaned towards putting some VERY nice colored zoo's in the tank and maybe some red or blue lined shrooms as well.

But UPDATE on Tom. After putting him in the tank on friday, he disappeared over the weekend. I found him in a hole in the liverock about 8" above the sandbed today.

I tried to feed him some krill today. He took it into his borrow, tasted it and just threw it back at me. SUCH REPECT I GET! Giving him an awesome home (better than an overflow) and feeding him and he just spits at me.

I think i'm gonna starve him for 2-3 days and then try to feed him again. Maybe that'll make him show some respect.

 

[EzRida206]

mine hasn't even attempted to eat any of the frozen shrimp ive offered about 3 times now - even whacked the stick a couple of times today.

 

[APynckel]

yea Tom did that to me too. He doesn't like the metal shish-ka-bob stick.

 

[APynckel]

Well for some reason, Tom has sealed himself into a hole in the liverock. Molting maybe? I dunno.

 

[Hwarang]

Probably molting. Mine uses little rock chips to seal up the hole.

 

[O'Coralman]

feed silversiders

feed silversiders

All my mantis.....all housed separate...NO lights, small HOB filters in plastic containers bought a Lowes and no coral or other life with them. They will kill it....been down that road. Others may have other luck. They love a silversider twice a week. The water is changed about 25% every month. I did not cycle them and have had no build up of anything toxic in months..Steve:dance: