Mantis Identified!!!! and for all those other Mantis lovers.... there is another one!

[Ticketyboo]

Hi guys....

... i was just given a peacock mantis shrimp, and i dont have an acrylic tank... just now hes been put in my 20 gallon GLASS tank... and i keep hearing... click... click... click......

I have been told of horror stories where this type of shrimp has been known to smash glass tanks, so i really need a 20 gallon or so acrylic tank...

Anyone got one??? its going to take 1.5 weeks to get one made, so that means 1.5 weeks of sleepless nights worying about a flooded floor

Can anyone help? or lend me one until i get one made? I can trade my glass tank with cabinet stand for one or just buy?

[seashells]

Have a 55 g actylic with custom stand. Built in fuge. $100.00

[justinl]

how big is the mantis? only adult peacocks at 6 inches and up pose a threat to glass aquariums.

edit: i do recommend an acrylic anyways though since i presume you plan on keeping it until adulthood? just sayin that if it isn't big enough to smash glass, then there's no real rush

[Ticketyboo]

its 3 inches..... scares the whoop whoop out of me when we captured it... any advise on how to calm him down? i turned the lights off and gave him lots of shelter in regards to hiding spots.... hes stunning though....

[justinl]

you did good. That's what i would have done too. leave the lights out for at least 24hrs. Don't attempt to feed it or anythingg else in the tank unless absolutely necessary. also don't keep checking up on him every 5 minutes... i know you are. we're all guilty of doing that.

as for calming him down... well it IS a peacock mantis, what did you expect? lol, just give it time to get comfortable. there may be a period of a lot of clicks for a few days while it finds itself a nice burrow. Just imagine how po'ed it'll be once you move it again! lol

hey i just noticed your title says surrey... but you live in white rock i thought?

[Ticketyboo]

ok so leave it alone.... ok i can do that.... i will just throw the wife in bed now and i will sleep out in the living room with the sleeping bag next to the tank... just in case... ok?

Its stopped clicking which is a good sign, i threw in another rock with more holes in the tank so its got more hiding places, as well as 6 towels and 3 buckets around the tank....... just in case

Many many many thanks to the person who donated the matoid... you know who you are... its a beaut and i will try my best to look after him / her.

Justin... what do i feed it? and how frequent? does it like light? im only using standard 40 watt flourescent lights on there, do i need more? i wouldnt think so...

Oh and i offically lived in white rock but had to move to 18th ave, which i do believe is officially south surrey but 1 block from white rock.... sigh..... politics, politics,,, politics....

How did the cannucks do? my cables down..

[fishmaster]

Back when I lived out there. I found quite a few people from from South Surry would claim they were from White Rock Has a better ring to it, don't you think?
Shaun.

[G1GY]

If you're worried, you can set him up in a 5 gallon salt pail with a powerhead and heater untill you get the acrylic tank.

Just a thought.

[Ticketyboo]

Ok i survived the night :-)

The mantis is out and about and quite happy

Ok so i took a few pics.... can anyone ID if it is a true Peacock? Justin.... im countin on ya, cause your my hero

[justinl]

the canucks are sitting with the series at 1 and 1. We sucked for the first halves of the 1st and 2nd periods (that's when dallas scored both). other than that we dominated but couldn't manage a finish. game ended at 2-0. sigh. well sopel is back in the game from his supposed strain while picking up a cracker. lol. on to game 3 in dallas!

im your hero?! lol buddy, you're MY hero! you're the one who got me my mantis in the first place!

okay now you're probably gonna hate me for sayin it, but that's no peacock (leopard spotted head and red legs). If what i see in the first pic is part of its meral spot, then i think you have a G. smithii. do you think you could post a pic of the guy's telson (tail)? if it has two lil pink bumps on it then i will say definitely G. smithii.

I have a G. smithii. they stay small... maximum is a bit over three inches. no way is it capable of smashing glass. minimum volume tank to keep em is 5gal. they are sort of the holy grail of mantids. generally they are the most active of all and probably the most hardy too.

I feed mine varied frozens every 2-3 days. these include white shrimp, scallop, krill... pretty much any marine meaty food. just make sure that the chunks of food you feed it are about half the mantid's size. I drop the food a little bit away from the burrow so the mantis is forced to come out in the open. I gradually move the food further and further from the hole. I only feed if the burrow isn't sealed up.

G.smithii is an intertifdal species and is used to lighting anywhere from low to high. Just be sure it has the right materials to make a nice dark burrow. if peacocks are kept in strong lighting they tend to develop shell rot. icky.

what are your tank cohabitants? they will probably determine how carefully you must watch the tank and what lighting is required more than the mantis. they really are very very hardy.