Tiny Smasher Mantis!

[StatelineReefer]

Pop rocks...


Tropical Punch?

I dig the joke!

 

[StatelineReefer]

Day one: Murderbug, the N. Wennerae arrives at 4:30pm Central. The live rock is placed in her already cycled Eshopps Deskmate 4.8 gallon AOI. Beautiful rock, as can always be expected from Tampa Bay Saltwater. Pieces with macroalgae are used as burrow walls. Included sand is added around the rock for stability, then smaller pieces of rock arranged on top of the larger pieces and in the sand to suggest a den entrance. Silt is filtered out with a felt sock, the water is clear by 6:48pm. Murderbug is added to the tank. She promptly disappears into the rock before any pictures can be taken of her, or her new habitat. Seven minutes later she is exploring the rocks and surroundings. She sees me, rears up a little to get a better view, and darts into the rocks.

A gorilla crab is declawed and placed in the tank. Claws are dropped near her 'entrance' and the lights are turned off. Within a few minutes, you can hear her click her raptorials on something. The remaining gorilla crabs are placed in a 1 gallon glass AOI bought to be used to house mantis food.

 

[StatelineReefer]

Day 2: Murderbug has disappeared into the live rock. Did not see her all day, but I can hear her at night smacking on the rock and moving things around. She came out for a light snack sometime last night, because yesterday I noticed a small hermit crab clinging to the rock, and now I see the shell, but no hermit crab. Performed a 1g water change.

Salinity 1.026sg
N 12
P 0.09
Cal419
Alk 8.15
Mag 1390

 

[JoJosReef]

Exciting!

 

[StatelineReefer]

Day 3: Murderbug closed off her burrow last night. Both sides. I expected her to molt soon, but this is quick. Once again I saw her for a moment peeking out of a hole in the rock, and then she was gone before I got a good shot of her. Hopefully after the molt she's more courageous and curious.

I will be continuing this thread in it's own build thread from this point on. But I see you out there, looking in curiously on my little nano and it's littler occupant! What are you waiting for, contact TBS and get a mantis of your very own! Because the N. Wennerae doesn't grow past 4 inches maximum, it's perfect for the 5-15 gallon aquariums available on the market, and comes with live sand, live rock, and feeder crabs or snails, making it a nearly all inclusive package for anyone who has a cycled nano or pico tank.

I look forward to seeing you all in the new build thread, and thank you to everyone at Tampa Bay Saltwater for making my dream of having a Murderbug come true.