New mantis...soon

[MDeth]

Okay...for starters, I will be joining the mantis elitist club soon!
My LFS has a small smasher hitchiker that I'm getting for free

Now...I've got a question for y'all :/

The mantid in question is about 3/4" right now...and is a DARK purple color.

Anyclue on a species? I know its vague...but I didn't see the words 'purple' ANYWHERE on Dr. Roy's list although it kind of looks like the last picture for the P cilliata.

I'll get a pic (so I can be 'initiated' ) as soon as hes caught

 

[justinl]

lol, looking forward to having you on board. get that pic... mantids are so colour variable that it is a pretty risky idea to go IDing stuff just on body colour imo.

 

[Pea-brain]

Can't wait to see pics. Dark purple is a strange body color, but I would it is likely a N. wennerae from deeper water (just a guess). I agree that very few mantises should be ID by body color. BUT some that can (cause I feel like making a list ) Peacock: Leapord spots, G. ternatensis: red intersegmental lines (can also appear in some G. smithii) P. ciliata: Sometimes pure yellow, L. maculata: yellow/black stripes. There are a few more but I'm bored now....I hope to rejoin the mantis elite again soon! This weekend I'm heading to conn. and plan to pick up a N. wennerae from another hobbiest while there. i've changed salts and hopefully it'll fix what was wrong....

Dan

 

[MDeth]

Would any of you guys recommend a specific salt for mantids?
I use this Crystal Sea Marine Mix (what my LFS stocks) for my reef, and it seems to work just fine.

Anything with better trace elements for molts etc?


BTW, I have to edit my siggy, but heres pics of my 'reef'
Hey...my name is Dan too! stealer

 

[justinl]

salt brand honestly shouldnt matter to a mantis. peabrain's particular case is just a weird one.

btw i just noticed that you thought it might be a P. ciliata. if the mantis is a smasher, then it is not P. ciliata (a spearer).

 

[Pea-brain]

I may have a unique case, but I have read up on coralife salt and it has a history of unusually high heavy metal levels. I would recommend staying away from coralife brand salt from my experience.I haven't heard about crystal sea marine mix, but as long as it is a quality salt it shouldn't matter much. BTW Dan is MY name! MINE!!!! MWAH HA HA HA HA!.....ok....I'm done....BTW theres another guy named Dan who frequents the mantis forum, DanInSd (or something like that) and he has the same name *gasp*.....well.....

Dan

 

[justinl]

... and there's only one justin. i feel like im being ganged up on here!

 

[MDeth]

Nah, I've done my research Or at least as much as possible w/o having a live specimen to compare things to.

I was just basing it on color and that P. Cilliata is the only picture of a mantis that looks remotely close to 'mine'. Also at 3/4" and in hiding I can't 100% say its a smasher

^But ...that isn't saying much

 

[yankeereefer]

My wenn was a burgundy color when I first got it - Within a couple of molts it went lime green - Now it's kind of a duller green

I use reef crystals or reguar IO in all of my tanks

Look forward to seeing the mantis mdeth

 

[MDeth]

Do you still have the aquaclear filter yankee?
What GPH will that move? I need one for a 6 or 8 gal

 

[bill999]

If its a smasher it wont be P ciliata because its a spearer. pics would be a lot easier. I appear to be the only Bill so victory is mine.

 

[yankeereefer]

I have AC filters on all my tanks

AC50 and AC70 on the 5.5g tanks - AC110 on the 20H

YR