Ok Joe! Here I go! Mantis tank!!

S

shrimpy brains

Guest
Joe put his in Tips and Techniques, and Nwdyr put his in the Nano forum! Thought I would be crazy and put my build in the Invert. section!

Ok, so Mantis tank build with questions!

Tank is 20g long. Added acrylic to bottom and painted the back. (black)
Bought 2 sizes of abs(black pvc) 2" and 3"
Questions:
Is this tank lrge enough for a peacock or should I get a smaller species, like O. Havesis(spelling?)
Also, if I go with a peacock, I was concerned about the 2" pipe being too small for him/her to turn around.
My thinking is, a full grown Mantis is 6 or 7". Seems like it would be at least
1" wide, and Cran says the tunnel should be 3 times the width of Mantis!!
So, 2 or 3" pipe for tunnel?
Pics attached(ofcourse):



 
S

shrimpy brains

Guest
Hope this gives a decent visual! Added the white so you can see better. Black on black doesn't photograph well!
Pic 1: top view
Pic 2: front view
Will prob. have to reconfigure pipe (more u-turn) to make it fit better!

 
smoothie

smoothie

Member
My mantis was alot more active with a damsel in the tank. Calms them down and brings them out more.
Fish was tough and was never harmed or attacked. Of course I fed the lil mantis every other day
 
cranberry

cranberry

Active Member
I had a damsel for 2 years with a mantis... then one day he decided to kill his cave buddy. Make sure any fish tankmate is highly "disposable"..
 
S

shrimpy brains

Guest
Maybe, I should take Meowzers devils off her hands.
Hadn't considered putting an fish in there. I will give it some thought.
So, I am def. going with the 3" tunnel. I had a nice rock with a hole in the midle. I tried to hollow it out to fit around the pipe, but it was too porous/fragile and broke all apart on me.
Will have to find another rock.
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by Shrimpy Brains
http:///forum/post/3241301
Joe put his in Tips and Techniques, and Nwdyr put his in the Nano forum! Thought I would be crazy and put my build in the Invert. section!

Ok, so Mantis tank build with questions!

Tank is 20g long. Added acrylic to bottom and painted the back. (black)
Bought 2 sizes of abs(black pvc) 2" and 3"
Questions:
Is this tank lrge enough for a peacock or should I get a smaller species, like O. Havesis(spelling?)
Also, if I go with a peacock, I was concerned about the 2" pipe being too small for him/her to turn around.
My thinking is, a full grown Mantis is 6 or 7". Seems like it would be at least
1" wide, and Cran says the tunnel should be 3 times the width of Mantis!!
So, 2 or 3" pipe for tunnel?
Pics attached(ofcourse):
welcome to the club my friend^
My two cents
tank is fine for a peacock. i have witness the turn around so i would say anything double their thickness in diameter will be fine for the pvc. I love the set up it is almost identical to mine.
as far as the rock you did not need to bore it out as long as the mantis can get in and out. I used two part epoxy to attach the pvs to the rock and seal it. also as i have stated i do not believe going with pvc you need a deep sand and rubble bed just add lots and lots of broken up rocks
 
S

shrimpy brains

Guest
Hey, Joe! yeah, that was a bad decision on boring the rock, but now I have more rubble to offer my Mantis to build with.

Anyhow, my lfs had 3 or 4 rocks with a hole in it. I will go back this weekend and get another. (if they stil have 'em)
Yes, my set-up will be a pretty close copy of yours. Right down to the egg crate top. (hope you don't mind) They say imitation is the best form of flattery.

I tried super glue, to attach the rocks to pvc, but it didn't work. Was gonna try silicone, but you say you used 2 part epoxy. Would that be like JB Weld?
Is it safe?
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by Shrimpy Brains
http:///forum/post/3241972
Hey, Joe! yeah, that was a bad decision on boring the rock, but now I have more rubble to offer my Mantis to build with.

Anyhow, my lfs had 3 or 4 rocks with a hole in it. I will go back this weekend and get another. (if they stil have 'em)
Yes, my set-up will be a pretty close copy of yours. Right down to the egg crate top. (hope you don't mind) They say imitation is the best form of flattery.

I tried super glue, to attach the rocks to pvc, but it didn't work. Was gonna try silicone, but you say you used 2 part epoxy. Would that be like JB Weld?
Is it safe?
NO go to your LFS for two part epoxy i will get you the name after dinner
 
cranberry

cranberry

Active Member
You can use some of the epoxies found at the hardware store and such.

Contacted Manufacturer and the gave the following instructions....
SAFE! (after cure. Do NOT add to aquarium with inhabitants until 24 hours after the putty was mixed.)
MSDS

Contacted Manufacturer and the gave the following instructions....
SAFE! (after cure. Do NOT add to aquarium with inhabitants until 24 hours after the putty was mixed.)

Contacted Manufacturer and the gave the following instructions....
Safe! Said you did NOT have to wait 24 hours.
MSDS

Contacted Manufacturer and the gave the following instructions....
SAFE! (after cure. Do NOT add to aquarium with inhabitants until 24 hours after the putty was mixed.)
USES per Manufacturer
Coral Propagation!!!!!!!
And in the same light, both Waterweld and Aquamend are the same thing... the same base company. They both are made by Polymetric Systems. The MSDS for Aquamend lists the trade name as being Waterweld.... so they are one and the same. And remember the Waterweld said you did NOT have to wait 24 hours... and if Aquamend and Waterweld are the same thing..... and aquamend lists a use as coral prop, it must be safe to use underwater like "official" aquarium safe putty.
HTH
 
S

shrimpy brains

Guest
Thanks for the info. Joe and Cran. I think I may be able to find one of those products!

Beth, sorry my build is too slow for you.

I get paid on Friday and will try to move things along!!
 
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