The Start Of My Mantis Tank!!!

[ej1698]

I have been wanting to have a mantis tank for a while, I found this tank and got a great deal on it, it's a tenecor 20 gal long w/ built in filteration system. I think this should big enough for a mantis..you think?

there are alot of scratches on the front...more then i thought there was when i got it. 1st step - remove the scratches....or at least try myself.

here's a picture:

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I worked on the tank tonight, i was very happy with the results. I used novus scratch remover #3 then #2 then polished it off with a hand sander. I put a cotton tee shirt over the sander so it wouldn't damage the tank. I would reccomend to anyone who plans on attempting this to use some kind of power tool for help. I started to do it by hand but by the 3rd beer I said F*ck it use the sander! lol

here's a few pictures of the tank now: THE 3RD PICTURE - IT'S LINT ON THE TANK FROM THE TEE SHIRT

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[DanInSD]

Hey, good job on the scratch removal. Didn't know that stuff worked as well as it does. I'll have to "keep that in mind".

That tank is plenty big for most species, except a peacock which really should have a 30. Do some research -- the smaller Odontodactylus species are getting more readily available and would do great here. However, they need perfect water with low nitrates and high dissolved oxygen, and they can jump, so you'll need some sort of cover.

Aside from that a P. ciliata would be cool -- especially a yellow one with black sand -- way cool.

Dan

 

[Feclar]

Amazing job on that tank!

 

[Saiyan]

That came out very nice.

 

[gholland]

Ditto what Dan said on the scratch removal! Very nice! I'll have to keep that in mind too. I can't even imagine how nice that tank would look if you had been drinking good beer! =)

If you go with one of the smaller Odontodacylus species (I have an O. latirostris), definitely cover the rear of the tank. Mine went sump-diving the second day and ended up in the drip tray. Fortunately, the water was just barely deep enough in there to cover her. Don't know how long she was in there, but she's been doing fine for 12 days now. She is SO MUCH more active and interactive than my H. glyptocercus or especially my G. smithii (damn recluse).

One comment about nitrate levels... I think it's actually ammonia levels that are critical according to Dr. Roy, although there's really no reason to have measurable levels of either. I probably have more liverock than Dr. Roy would suggest, but it's a very open arrangement with many arches and tunnels and a fair amount of sand she can plow through. It just gives me piece of mind with respect to ammonia levels. I use several varieties of macro algae to keep my nitrates low too. So far, so good.