Too bright lights? G. platysoma

[andromedia226]

Hi all!

After a dry spell I brought home a gorgeous female Gonodactylus platysoma.

She's in a 12g reef tank, with a 130 watt corallife deluxe light fixture.

She has lots of places to hide, and my one main concern is:

-Is my lighting too bright? I don't want her getting shell disease.
-Should I put PVC pipe in there? She already has a place under a rock.

Thanks everyone!

 

[andromedia226]

OH!


And is she one of hte mantis' that JUMPS or carpetsurfs???


Thanks!

 

[andromedia226]

Also, tank is 18" deep. I think since the platy is only 2m deep, the light will be ok...

Just answered my own question!

 

[Uriel]

Yep, shallow water species. My platy is my most active (Other than my peacock) mantis, more so than him sometimes even...
I hope that yours decides to be as adventurous as mine.

Glaurung, my platy currently has a small powerhead in his tank. He sits on it, looking at me for a treat. When I get close, he shoots off of it, surfing the water jet, like some kid at a Aquatic Park.


-Uriel

 

[justinl]

hahaha i like te power head story.

in general, so long as the light isn't ridiculously bright and the mantis has dark places to hide (decent dark burrow), light isn't a problem.

 

[andromedia226]

Thanks!!!

I'm amazed - I thought my platy would be less adventuresome than my g smithii, but she's even more active! In less than a day, she already has a roomy cave under one of the live rocks with three exits (and one hole in the top i think she'll bore out more), as well as she will swim up and sit on the thermometer and from her throne survey the land. She's taken to very actively stalking my lawnmower blenny (who has a much larger tank to run to today), and is thwacking astrea snails left and right.

Today i'll pick up some thin-shelled friends for her to "party" with!

Okey dokey, the main lights are about to go on....

...let there be light!