Bobs Nano Mantis Madness Tank Of Happy Happy Joy Joy!!!!!!

[BEELZEBOB]

i need a macro camera!

[rlcline76]

Awesome!

[Craig Manoukian]

Originally Posted by BEELZEBOB

i need a macro camera!

Digital, w/macro lens, eh?

[BEELZEBOB]

oh, so thats what its called, LOL!

[goldenmean]

Hey Bane!
Looking good!!

[Royalscott]

How do you keep Bane from eating your cleaner shrimp and the fire fish?

[BEELZEBOB]

Originally Posted by Royalscott

How do you keep Bane from eating your cleaner shrimp and the fire fish?

by keeping him fat and lazy,

and identifying a mantis species with a common tank-mate-prone disposition

[Craig Manoukian]

Originally Posted by BEELZEBOB

by keeping him fat and lazy,

What do you feed?

Originally Posted by BEELZEBOB

and identifying a mantis species with a common tank-mate-prone disposition

How do you look under a mantis without getting smashed?

[BEELZEBOB]

i feed;

FROZEN/FRIDGED: mysis, deli shrimp (all of them), silversides, cockles, cyclops, and krill.

LIVE: hermits, mynthrax crabs, snails, and whatever i buy that doesnt get the hint real quick (I.e. RIP 2 peppermints, 1 cleaner)

as far as identification goes:
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthrop...raca/royslist/

[Craig Manoukian]

Thanks Bob!

[BEELZEBOB]

sure thing!

ah man, mantis antic rule!

two days ago, i was camped out in front of my tank. there was this lil hermit crab walkin the ridgeline of the highest point in my tank.

then he got all starttled. and i see two lil mantis antenna stickin up. then "WHACK"

the hermit shot up like 4 inches in the air (water i guess), then mid float, Bane comes shooting out.
he grabbed the hermit mid air, rolled up around it like a rolly pollie, and then rolled all the way down my rockwork to the DSB.

then he dragged mr hermit into his lair.

it totally ruled.

[kathywithbirds]

Hey Bob, Bane is a Gonodactylus smithii, right?

[BarbMazz]

Nice ta meetcha, Mister Bane!

Your tank is beautiful, Bob. You're quite the artist there, aren't you? I'm looking forward to hearing about and seeing whatever these upgrades are.

[Craig Manoukian]

Awesome experience to watch!

[BEELZEBOB]

i was laughing and wiggling like a lil school girl.

it was waaaaaaay excited for me as a mantis geek.

and yes KATHY, he is a smithii.
when i was initially setting up, i was prepared to wait about 6 months and drop $100 for a smithii. being they are one of the most saught after species, and rare, i was prepared to go above and beyond the call for this species.

the day i went to my LFS for LR (which by the way is a bad idea, buy online) i saw a tank labled " 2 inch baby peacock mantis" intrigued by the fact Peacocks are in their larval stage until they reach about 3 inches, i took a look.

there was Bane, a male G. Smithii for $12.99. I bought him on the spot. i was sooo stoked. FINDING a G. Smithii was supposed to be the hardest thing, let alone cost 13 bucks!

he sat at the LFS for about 8 weeks while my tank cycled. i went in every week and bought him a hermit or a snail.

about 2 weeks after the cycle (after 2 weeks of 100% stable params), i went and picked him up