New to Stomatopods and looking for input

[jason2459]

Just starting to look into getting a Stomatopod. I'll be reading up a lot more on these before I jump but here's where I'm at so far.

20g long glass tank with standard single florescent hood light (nice tight no open areas hood). Two small powerheads. I have various models so any suggestions on amount of water flow is appriciated. Heater. HOB filter w/ carbon.Airstone if needed.

Will put down some protection on the bottom and use some type of substrate and live rock with rubble. Not sure how much live rock and rubble to get though? Substrate depth I guess will also depend on the type of mantis I get? Any suggestions on either would be nice.


I'd like a smasher that is more active and hardy as this is my first one. What I'm looking at so far (any other suggestions?):



***** Gonodactylus smithii (so far I like this one the most)
Size: 8–90 mm
Aquarium size (adult): 20 l
Suitability for Aquarium: Excellent; highly interactive, hardy. This is my favorite gonodactylid for an aquarium
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthro...acostraca/royslist/species.php?name=g_smithii

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** Neogonodactylus wennerae
Size: 7–80 mm
Aquarium size (adult): 20 l
Suitability for Aquarium: Excellent; hardy and active
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthro...costraca/royslist/species.php?name=n_wennerae

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Gonodactylaceus glabrous
Size: 8–80 mm
Aquarium size (adult): 20 l
Suitability for Aquarium: Excellent; hardy, moderately interactive
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthro...costraca/royslist/species.php?name=g_glabrous

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Gonodactylaceus graphurus
Size: 8–90 mm
Aquarium size (adult): 40 l
Suitability for Aquarium: Excellent; as a coastal species, it can tolerate some fluctuation in water parameters
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthro...ostraca/royslist/species.php?name=g_graphurus
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Neogonodactylus bredini
Size: 8–60 mm
Aquarium size (adult): 20 l
Suitability for Aquarium: Excellent; very hardy; active
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthro...acostraca/royslist/species.php?name=n_bredini

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Places to look for one: (any other suggested sites?)
http://stomatopod.com/
http://www.tampabaysaltwater.com/
http://www.bluezooaquatics.com/
http://www.ccritters.com/

 

[jason2459]

I'm about 6 months out from starting this tank back up. I'm still really liking the Gonodactylus smithii for this 20l. I'm still reading up and looking for any other input or sugested tank setups. Thanks.

 

[Koshmar]

Looks like you've got everything down. Sand depth for most of those species is about 2-3 for most people. I use 3-4 large rocks supported together and stabilized as a starter burrow. You can play around with rock placement to make some cool designs. For example, I have several rocks placed near each other with a clam shell on top which resembles a búnker for my N. wennerae and she loves it (I'll post a pick of it in a few days). All you have to worry about is stability which is accomplished by putting the rocks in before they sand. Flow isnt much of an issue as long as you don't have too much. Nutrition: remember smashers require hardshelled prey (snails, hermit crabs) about once/twice a month to keep their hammers functionally healthy. Frozen squid, mysis, enriched brineshrimp, krill, and silversides can be fed two-three times a week with selcon as a suppliment. Honestly, I think you aré already well prepared enough to begin. Just keep reading until you start up.

 

[jason2459]

Thanks Koshmar for the input. Looking forward to the pictures.

So far I'm thinking of going with this:

G. Smithii

- 20g long (doesn't look like I'll need to put any acrylic down on the bottom for the G. Smithii?)
- full hood with a single 30w fluorescent (Not sure on type of bulb yet but seems the G. Smithii can take brighter light. UVL Actinic White is my thoughts so far?)
- Seaflor Special Grade substrate about 3in
- about 10-20lbs of Rock and rubble (Will probably look for 3 decent sized rocks with lots of bigger holes in them and then some rubble. If it looks like to much I'll take some out and if it looks like it needs more I'll add some in. )

- Tetra Whisper ex30 power filter 160gph
- Koralia nano 240gph
(To much or not enough flow between the two?)
- Rena smart heater 50w

Some tank mates I'm thinking of that I've read could be okay (opinions on these or any thing else that could go with my planned setup?):
tuxedo Pincushion Urchin
Some feather dusters

one or a combination of: a large turbo snail, fighting conch or sand sifting/serpant starfish or nothing at all?

 

[jason2459]

Things are moving along as planned so far. So, hopefully with in the next 6 months I'll have this started up.

More planning on my part for now. Looking at where G.Smithii can be found I thought Nature's Ocean Australian Gold would be a pretty awesome substrate to go with. It comes in different sizes and I think the #1 1.2-1.7mm might be best or maybe a combination of two of them?

Nature's Ocean Australian Gold #0 1.2-1.7mm

Nature's Ocean Australian Gold #1 1.2-1.7mm

Nature's Ocean Australian Gold #5 2.5-5mm

 

[jason2459]

I think I'd like to grow some red algae in this tank. I was thinking of some reds like botryocladia and red gracilaria. Not sure if I'd have enough light for the botryocladia but should for the gracilaria.

 

[jason2459]

I like to visualize so here's the red grape (Botryocladia sp.)

and the red Gracilaria

 

[jason2459]

Finally moved into the new home and have a perfect spot for the 20 long in our new living room. I'll start getting some pictures as I go along here and post them.

This wont be a fast process but I'm getting started now. I just ordered 2 20lbs bags of the Nature's Ocean Australian Gold #1 1.2-1.7mm.

 

[Mustang Boy]

i think you are going to have an amazing tank and if your wanting some cool plants you could upgrade the lighting to a 30in PC light something like this would be a decent light for your purposes and would allow you to keep soft corals and maybe even some LPS. i would also recommend doing an aquaclear DIY fuge this would add some water flow and help reduce nitrates at the same time also if you use an AC110 you may have enough space in it to hide the heater in there so you wont have it in the display.

as for LR amounts i think 10-15lbs of rock and 5-10 lbs of rubble would be good. i think the recommendations on rock placement given already will make for a great looking tank and you can have a few piles of rubble near your rockwork and maybe a couple more piles here and there in the tank, this way if you mantis wants more he can scurry across the tank to get it or maybe even build 2 hide outs if you have 2 rock structures in the tank.

also i would shy away from a sand-sifting star because everything i hear about them is they deplete the bio-organisms in the sand bed then starve to death but i think a serpent star would be a great addition to the tank and if you mantis is well enough fed you could probably keep nassarius snails in there to stir the sand and he might only snack on them once in awhile

 

[jason2459]

Thanks for the ideas MustangBoy. I might look into the powercompacts down the road or a t5 setup. I just don't want to overwhelm the little guy. Yep, the stars are out. I'd still like a blue tuxedo urchin. I'm thinking of going with two rock structures.

 

[jason2459]

Here's the new tanks location in the living room. No, the speaker is not going to stay there and will be hung up on the wall.

 

[Mustang Boy]

looks like a perfect spot for the tank i hope you like to snag he recliner right next to it so you can stare into the tank all afternoon lol.


i cant wait to see this tank progress

 

[Koshmar]

The one thing you may want to watch out for is salt creep and water spills when doing a water change. The reason I say this is I kept one of my twenty longs on a desk and water ended up all over it. Saltwater can mess up wood so I would make sure those cabinents are treated to resist water. Nass. snails can last for awhile but I found out mantids can some how track where they aré and dig them up out of the sand sometimes.

 

[jason2459]

The one thing you may want to watch out for is salt creep and water spills when doing a water change. The reason I say this is I kept one of my twenty longs on a desk and water ended up all over it. Saltwater can mess up wood so I would make sure those cabinets are treated to resist water. Nass. snails can last for awhile but I found out mantids can some how track where they aré and dig them up out of the sand sometimes.

Good point on the salt creep and water spillage. I'll get one of those clear plastic mats and cut it down to size to put under the tank. That sounds like it would be fun to watch the little guy hunt down the nass. snails.


The recliner is typically my seat and really looking forward to laying back and watching.

 

[Koshmar]

Not the best quality (took em with my phone) but this is the bunker concept I had:

She basically has two burrows. Though her primary is this one which shows sometimes the best home is not a collection of rocks but one very porous and irregular one:

Of course you can use a huge rock with a "cave-like" structure already built in to create a vast underground complex possibility for your little guy. The burrow entrance is on the far left (the hole you see) That is all one big rock which has been hollowed out by my G. chiragra. This was my tank a few months back:

I would advise on several large, very porous rocks. They can be hollowed out and made into a huge home. Try to pick out ones with some holes already blasted into them. Both of my guys seem to zero in on the holes and work their way into the rock. Make sure to sit them on the glass though to prevent collapse. Hope that gives you a few ideas.

 

[jason2459]

Some how my post didn't make it here from a while ago. Thanks for the ideas Koshmar. I really like your setup.

I just ordered some BRS Pukani Dry Aquarium Eco Rock. It looks pretty nice and is suppose to be very porous. http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/brs-pukani-dry-aquarium-eco-rock.html

For lighting I decided I'm going to gut out the T8 components and retro fit in some LED lighting. I like the simple and seamless look of the cover and light that is there now so doing this will allow me to keep that look. It will also provide a lot more light and keep the heat down to a minimum compared to adding either power compacts or T5s. Also, I don't have much room above the tank and below the shelf for a light fixture to stand alone and sitting a fixture right on top of a glass cover just looks cheesy to me. Plus the heat it would generate would not be good.

 

[Koshmar]

That looks perfect. Thanks for the compliment too, too bad Ive got to sell it all. I've still got pics of how I divided my tanks when I had 4 mantids in two 20 gallons just in case you go that route.

 

[jason2459]

Got the rock in today and it looks amazing. I would definitely order this rock again. I ordered 20lbs and I probably got about 15lbs in there. I gave this other rather large piece to my sister inlaw who is starting up a small tank. I got the sand and rock rinsed out and in the tank drying out. I'll probably get water in it in a few weeks to get it cycling. Will upload some pictures later.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

 

[jason2459]

Here's some pics.

 

[ritter6788]

Looks great, I really like that liverock.