Tank Maintenance with Aggressive Mantis

[travisurfer]

I'm just wondering if you guys have any ideas. I have been fine for for about 8 months now with my G. graphurus. Just recently he realized that getting a quick hit on the big hand makes it go away. Now, obviously this is a problem when I have to move frags around etc. What do you guys do with overly agressive mantids? Its to the point where I am afraid to frag some of the colonies near his burrow. I'm not really sure if anyone has any ideas but I figured it was worth a try.

 

[NYer]

Get a set of Tongs so you can work in the tank without putting your hands in it.

 

[travisurfer]

Thanks, I don't like tongs but I guess I can give it a try. Getting nailed on the hand just isn't the most pleasant feeling.

 

[Pea-brain]

could try aqua gloves. They are pretty thick plastic gloves. I have a pair and have admittedly (sp?) never gotten hit, but I bet those wouldd help a little bit. Drs. foster and smith sells them. their thebright orange and blue ones......

 

[G.SMITHII]

frag at night, when lil homie is asleep!

 

[Thurge]

Frag onthe other side of the tank. I have the same mantis and he LOVES to smack me around when I am harvesting the ahir algae in the tank. I just have to keep an eye on him and not go near him.
Just wait until you get stabbed by the little bugger. Or hopefully yours isn't the true p*!@k that mine is.

 

[yankeereefer]

Go to China Buffet and steal some chopsticks

 

[justinl]

i would get both tongs and the gloves and then avoid having your hands in there anyways. I got the gloves and have been hit repeatedly by my G. smithii. I try to avoid having gloved hands in there in case Trogdor manages to pierce the gloves... 20$ down the drain.

 

[travisurfer]

So far he has just barely nicked my nail but its still enough to make me nervous. Are the gloves really enough to protect myself? I do everything I can with skewers but sometimes I just have to get my hand in there. So basically, would the gloves make a full on hit less painful? I really need to move these two mushroom frags that are right next to a tunnel entrance. Poor planning let them to be too close to a leather coral Thurge, its a graphurus, so of course he's super aggressive.

 

[english83]

We took ours out of the tank. He's a 6 inch very fast peacock in a 30 gal cube. We get him out of the cave with a shrimp treat and net him and put him in a bucket till everything is nice and clean again.

 

[Ladipyg]

I have a pair of those gloves and wouldn't recommend them for anything as delicate as fragging....they are one size fits all and pretty big at that. Try feeding the little bugger just before you start fragging...mine won't come out after I've given him a nice juicy piece of squid or silverside.

 

[mattyice]

haha an aggressive mantis will attack with full gusto while he/she is eating if you are close

travis what i would do is attach your fragging tools to a bamboo skewer and use that tactic or you could just cover up his cave with something that he cant move and then do the business and get the hell out of dodge

 

[travisurfer]

yeah, i've tried that but i really need to peel these mushrooms off of a rock. they are just too close to a cave opening though. feeding won't work because he has been known to store his food and come back out for more i have heard about the gloves being clumsy but if it got the job done...

 

[Msby12]

actually, i recommend the chopsticks, it's like having your fingers in the tank, without actually putting them in the tank, get a longer pair if you can find them

 

[Ehudd]

thrill seekers like myself find it funny getting hit by my G. smithii. He has got to the point where i touch his head now. I just used to let him wack and wack at my finger. Now he doesnt care if my hand is in there cos he knows how 'super' strong i am!!! *tenses ohhh yeah look at these babies!

 

[mattyice]

yeah well that doesnt help when you have a 5" female peacock thats always hungry or if your travis because his mantis can be mean

 

[yankeereefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9911458#post9911458 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Msby12
actually, i recommend the chopsticks, it's like having your fingers in the tank, without actually putting them in the tank, get a longer pair if you can find them

Asian market or asian section of your grocery should have "cooking" chopsticks - They're are much longer than those typically used for eating with

 

[Argent]

stainless steel chainmail glove

 

[Thurge]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9912342#post9912342 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Ehudd
thrill seekers like myself find it funny getting hit by my G. smithii. He has got to the point where i touch his head now. I just used to let him wack and wack at my finger. Now he doesnt care if my hand is in there cos he knows how 'super' strong i am!!! *tenses ohhh yeah look at these babies!

Also doesn't work when they stop wacking you and start stabbing you with the pointy end of their raptoral appendage. You will be amazed at the ammount of blood that can come out of the tip of your finger.

 

[G.SMITHII]

yea, g.smithii can mess you up!

bet my buddy 20 bucks Bane could make him bleed.

he was all "thing is way too small to hurt me"

so Sean took a piece of krill and fed it to bane with his fingers. lil guy came out, started to grab the krill, stopped, and i swear he looked my friend right in the eye and then just stabbed him.

my boy sean jumpped, and Bane just took his lunch.