Keeping a Mantis shrimp

[florida joe]

Originally Posted by deejeff442
http:///forum/post/3246642
not sure about her either she likes the camera and is picking her head up to pose or she is looking to jump at me
got a bit closer

Let the games begin She looks great. Nothing I could post can really give you the feel of what its like to have one. Take your time in acclamation and as i just looked at my tank in response to the click I just have to smile for you

 

[deejeff442]

well everyone is in their respective tanks and all are looking great.
mrs. mantis was swimming to the top for a little bit but now has found her living quarters aka pvc shes inside looking out.i put a turbo in there but dont expect to see her settle in for a couple days.i'll try some krill tomorrow on a stick to see if she is interested.
thanks for all the help Joe much appreciated

 

[deejeff442]

funny i just got out of the chair and seen mrs mantis moving a shell in front of her home.too cool.

 

[florida joe]

Just an observation. When I walked into the room that Lola’s tank is in she was at the far corner of the tank away from her burrow. My good looks must have frightened her because in a flash she was across the tank and into her burrow. I know how fast the damsel can swim but there is no doubt in my mind that a mantis can chase down even a fish as fast as a damsel. I guess if and when Lola wants to snack on the damsel she can

 

[florida joe]

Deejeff
how goes it

 

[deejeff442]

this new site set up sucks.plus i have so many passwords it took 4 trys to find the one for here.
anyway just have a few minutes then have to get to the homeshow .i just stopped in to empty my truck and i am thawing out some fish food.so i figured i would see whats up here.well i guess mrs. mantis didnt like my pvc she dug out under a piece of lr.i dropped a snail in there and she came out dragged it to her home and now i hear her smashing it as i write.pretty cool.well gotta fly i will try to check in soon.the show takes up alot of my time till monday.funny she is really whacking that thing.hope she gets it open i know how hard it is to open a stubborn clam and i have a knife.

 

[shrimpy brains]

I wonder if she didn't like the 3" pvc or if it's just because she is a larger Mantis! Hope mine doesn't do that!!

 

[deejeff442]

what the hell ?i click on reply to thread and it goes back to the posts.whos the retard who designed this new brilliant redo?
why cant people just leave good eneough alone?
anyway,dont know if mrs. mantis ate her snail i assume so.but she is making herself quite the nesty home.i have my office chair next to the tank so when i look to my left she is already looking at me.she has moved alot of stuff around.what a cool creature she is.
i think if i left the 2 inch in there she would have used it the 3 inch is a bit big for her.
when i get done with the homeshow i will get some pics up of what she has done pretty impressive.

 

[florida joe]

it just gets better and better as she settles in. cant wait to see some pics

as far as the PVC I think you would have been better off with the 2 inch also. Are the openings to the burrow close to the glass? if so you may want to consider a small piece of acrylic up against the glass as a safety feature if she sees her refection she may try to thump it

 

[fretfreak13]

Don't mean to hijack at all, but have any of you had any experience with the G.Chigara? Mines very...boring. He/she is NEVER out, not even the head from the burrow. I'm thinking about bringing him back to the LFS and taking down the tank to maybe plan for a more active one. How often are your peacocks out? Do they run away the second you walk in the room all the time or do they interact at all?

 

[florida joe]

Don't mean to hijack at all, but have any of you had any experience with the G.Chigara? Mines very...boring. He/she is NEVER out, not even the head from the burrow. I'm thinking about bringing him back to the LFS and taking down the tank to maybe plan for a more active one. How often are your peacocks out? Do they run away the second you walk in the room all the time or do they interact at all?
MY matins is very interactive will stay at the entrance to her burrow and constantly look around. if she is in her burrow and enter the room i believe she picks up on the shadow and comes out.
I can almost hear LOLA saying “little guy you are really trying my patients”

FWI there was some discussion about reflections in the tank. Well it seems Lola can pic up her reflection at the back part of her burrow. I witnessed her thumping at what I must assume is her reflection in the back panel of the tank

 

[deejeff442]

mine is always in site.i came into the room and she came half way out of her burrow then started to rearange the rock again.i put a snail in front of her but she must still be full from yesterdays meal.she isnt shy at all.

 

[florida joe]

Deejeff the suspense is killing me what is going on

 

[deejeff442]

ive been working the show since last wednesday.yesterday was 10 am till 8 pm got home went to sleep today is 11 to 6 then have to start breaking down theshow .but i just dropped in a snail and can hear her smacking it.seems she made her burrow and is now stacking some rocks around the pvc pipe.she is very healthy and not shy at all.i will have alot more time to get pics up maybe tomarrow evening and i am going to take it easy for a few day since this show,moving and work has been beating me up the last month.it is 20 degrees outside now and some snow on the ground.fort worth texas two weeks into march what a joke.but did get quite a few great job leads at the show so far .my supplier text me yesterday and has an 8 inch achilles tang for me.will pick him up later in the week.like i said iwill try to get some pics up tomarrow or tuesday .gotta get going to the show here so talk to ya soon.
jeff

 

[florida joe]

While looking at my DT I noticed my designer crab attempting to nip the mantel of my Derasa. One had to go. The clam won and the crab was relegated to my Mantis tank. The fallowing are pictures of the insuring meeting
Before I get crucified, I would like to state that it was my moral decision to have a predator tank and the consequences of allowing the predator to do what it is genetically programmed to do were considered

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x226/floridajoe_01/DPP_2-6.jpg[/IMG
For those interested the killing process was very methodical. She began by striking the pincers of the crab when she was able to remove them she then turned the crab over and started striking the weaker underside. I must admit at this point I did not want to witness any more but something amazing happened she literally picked up the crab and wedged her in the opening of the burrow at the back of the tank out of my view
Pictures are not in order of attack as you look at pictures 3,7 and 10 you will see the pincers removed and the weak underbelly cracked

 

[spanko]

CARNAGE!!! OH NO!!!!

 

[florida joe]

My Lola coming to a tank near you be afraid be very aftraid

 

[deejeff442]

well finally got some relax time.seems mrs. mantis has been a busy constructor lately.she has taken three good sized rocks and has put them in a half circle around her burrow and has started to fix up her weekend home with rocks.i have seen her in both burrows.she is smashing a snail i just added right now.pretty impressive construction worker.the light doesnt bother her at all.she will come out right to me when i get near the tank.my supplier still laughs as to why i wanted her.if he only knew how cool she is to watch.i have a nice pic of her and the work she has done but this nasty new forum setup i cant figure out how to post it.i hit the add image and a htpp/: comes up ????????// i go advanced i lost the first writting i had and got a blank page.this new set up blows

 

[florida joe]

Hang in there, cant wait to see some pics

 

[deejeff442]

what did you do to get pics up?
well since i sent the last post mrs mantis has constructed a wall in front of the pvc now.funny she already piled up rocks on the backside and she was turning herself upside down ,coming out the top of the pvc and whacking the pvc.at first i thought she was hitting the glass but i saw her smacking the pipe.too funny.my being around dont bother her a bit.