Preparing Mantis Tank..Need Advice

[Tangalong]

STOMOTAPOD.COM HAS PEACOCK SHRIMP !!!!!!!!

I just checked my e-mail..Billy said he would save a young 3 inch size one for me for when my tank is ready....He said they are getting another shipment in as we speak...

I AM SO EXCITED....I have to get out of here and get some sand. Things are starting to melt anyway....I keep hearing cracking of the tree limbs...the dogs are staying by the porch...must know something I don't Even the horse won't go down the driveway which is arched in trees...

I wonder if there is one of those throwaway cameras that will take the type of pics to post? I don't know how to, but if my printer would work I could scan them and do something that way...no electronic brain at all.

 

[lionbacker54]

yes, this is exactly how i would have reacted if stomatopod.com had mantis shrimp in when i was looking! congrats!

as for your DSB, may i recommend the carib-sea aragonite live sand? it is only $1/lb and has been wonderous for me in terms of buffering my tank and creating biologic filtration. case in point - i have only 7lbs of LR for a 9g nano, but have 20lbs of the live sand. i have never (even intentionally with a rotten shrimp tail) been able to create any kind of ammonia spike ever since.

 

[Tangalong]

You're absolutely correct, Lionbacker...Aragonite is the best !!! There is a 6 inch DSB in there now...that is what I have to take out. I will use a few cups of it from the top to seed the sand I get..The only problem I am having is finding courser sand than the OOlite... I have been told that since they dig so much that there will be a perpetual cloud in the tank. Have thought about maybe mixing it with some crushed coral...I got rid of all my Nitrite problems after I put the DSB in. The LR in the Emperor also will contribute to the biological process. It amazes me to watch the aneorobic (msp?) action as the crud is pulled from the top of the DSB towards the bottom. I don't know if it continues with the constant digging though. A good question to ask Randy maybe.

I told my husband about the video...he's going to love this shrimp!!! I'll try to get it again now and show him. I don't think he really believes me about them being so smart.

 

[crysis]

The carib sea sand I got is pretty coarse, Tyson digs and its only floating around for a second, then all clear. As for burying the pvc, I kinda like the way I have it. I just laid the pvc down first, then molded the LR around it. Then I put the sand in and dont worry about the pvc getting halfway buried, The mantis will dig it out and make it exactly how he wants it. Its important to have the LR not on top of the sand so make sure you can do that with such a deep sand bed.

 

[Tangalong]

Crysis, I did the PVC like you said. I used the 2 inch for now, but will get bigger later on.

Lionbacker, its funny...my husband went out yesterday AM and bought me a bag of Carib Sea crushed coral....too cool..I mixed it with the oolite that I scrubbed for an hour in boiling water and then let it sit an hour in good SW. So we have another great DSB. (I got to see your thread of your Mantis...neat...love the tanks) Someday I'll get a camera that will take pics for this computer...no one close around to teach me how to use alll of the features.

I'm ordering my Mantis today....have to check the weather first to be sure I'm not waiting for Fedex in freezing cold

Oh, crysis, I put eggcrate on top of the acryllic under the LR so I won't have any more structure disasters.. I really like the crushed coral mixed with the sand...what temp should I keep the tank????

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Curly

 

[Koshmar]

75-82 degrees farienheit. The most important thing regaurding temps is to avoid rapid changes. I like to keep my tank around 78 personally. High temps can lead to high metabolism thus affecting the lifespan of the mantis.
When fedex delivered my mantis, they just left the package at my door and drove off....
What mantis did you get? Congratulations by the way!

 

[Tangalong]

I'm getting Scyllarus...small female..that way we can get used to each other before she gets bigger...

Fedex people are instructed not to leave packages in insecure places...they don't even let them carry plastic to cover them as they aren't supposed to leave them in the open. Some people just don't appreciate the fact that they have a JOB !!!

I'm not sure which day I will receive her...waiting to hear from them. They ship on Tues and Thurs. I know Friday is supposed to be pretty good weather (40's) but think maybe snow in between. I just hope the guy treats her kindly.

 

[n2aviation]

Just FYI....Fed-Ex rung doorbell and left mantis on my doorstep. Thank god I was home and pretty much standing by the door all day but still, kinda PO'd me they would do that when the box says "live animal"! I kept clicking on "refresh" every few minutes on the Fed-Ex site to see if it he got delivered to the wrong house. LOL I ordered mine from liveaquaria.com. They didn't have one on their site so we called and took a gamble on the coloration. (LFS had a beautiful sapphire, emerald, ruby one a long time ago so I requested that one be bold colors and the one they sent, wasn't the same deep sapphire colors but not too bad either.) Got a new wrasse so the shipping fees didn't give me so much of a heart-attack. Both were fine and dripped both for an hour. The packaging was great from them. I'll keep checking back and see when you get yours! Congrats!

 

[Koshmar]

I got a snail package from a member on another forum and they used fed-ex too. When the lady brought it to my door, she was carrying it under her arm! It even said live animals on the box. Thank god it wasn't coral or something, sometimes I don't know about fed-ex but I've worked for UPS and I've seen some things from the warehouse that would make me think twice about shipping through them. I guess all companies have employees that don't really care. Still, I don't like it when an animal is handled like that, especially when it's a marine invert. I guess that's why some distributors pack their livestock so well when shipping.

 

[n2aviation]

Koshmar...that was our first order from liveaquaria.com and I was impressed. B/c of our snow/ice conditions when he was suppose to ship, they called and emailed and told us that shipping would be delayed b/c of our weather. I had to wait a couple of extra days but that was fine. Just ticked off that we saw Fed-Ex in our security camera just put down the box, ring bell, and ran. Plus, he was an hour past the guarenteed time but our neighborhood roads were still not the greatest b/c of the weather.

 

[Koshmar]

They have good and bad days. The companies are not necessarily bad it's just sometimes it is really easy to generalize. My past experiences were not good though so that was my "taste" of fedex. Glad that your shipment got in ok though.

 

[Tangalong]

Yes, glad yours was good...sounds pretty. That's exactly what Fedex did to me several times in Dec when I was setting up my tank and had ordered a few things. They would literally run to their vehicle and take off. Wonder what gives? Even my LR was left out in the cold. I can't see the driveway from inside. Wish I had those security cameras.

Pretty sure she will be here on Friday. Are they supposed to deliver by 10:30 AM? I got out first time in a week this PM to grocery. Driveway is a skating rink !!! 86 Dodge Ram Van is a sled!!!LOL

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Curly

 

[Tangalong]

SHE IS BEING SHIPPED TONIGHT !!!!!! supposed to be here by 10:30 AM....I am so anxious...Fedex did it to me again yesterday...left my big bucket of salt, a big box and a box of food at the entrance to my yard by the swing-open gate. I had to get the two-wheeler and haul that stuff myself across the snow and ice...not a big person either...really ticks me off...guess I will camp out in my Van in the morning to stay warm and watch for the pigs..getting a real dislike going for them.

Anyway, Billy from Stomatopod.com was so very helpful and I got lots of wonderful advice plus he is a very nice person to talk to. I am glad I decided (with your help) to order from him.

I will let you know when all is settled. Simply have to get out of this place down the ice driveway...LOL..CABIN FEVER.l

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Curly