Twq 4" Peacock Mantis Shrimp @ Flying Fish Express

[moviegeek]

$18 each
Here's the link:
http://www.ffexpress.com/cc.htm

Look in top left corner

I wish I had a home ready...

[Jared Cooper]

@#$% I saw that today, I wish I had bought that eclipse set up when I had the chance!!

[soyu22]

Hello,

I just bought the two of the peacock mantis shrimp. I hope they are indeed Odontodactylus scyllarus! Or I will have somewhat wasted 74$!
I'm gonna give the other to my brother. I'm sorry to whoever may have been interested in buying these.

Anyone have experience with FF Xpress?

They are supposed to arrive tomorrow morning!

[Fcamdog]

Two philippine mantis will only cost you $50 from me, that includes shipping. If anyone is interested drop me a line.

[Death Shrimp99]

It seens almost all online shippers like anchorfish and ffexpress that have mantis shrimp they are Odontodactylus scyllarus. Is this just a really common mantis or do they not know what their talking about. What are the chances of getting a injured or non colorful mantis when ordering online? soyu22, tell me about your mantis when you get them.

[Jared Cooper]

Facmdog-
How large are they usually and are they colorful? Iam new to the world of mantis shrimp keeping and am deciding if I should use a 6 gal or 12 gal eclipse system, would this be enough for a phillipine mantis?

[Death Shrimp99]

Ya, mantis are real colorful. If your kinda lot with the hole thing this website is the "all you need to know about mantis" site - http://www.blueboard.com/mantis/

[Jared Cooper]

Awsome web site. Very helpful, thanks deathshrimp. I didn't find any info on a phillipine mantis, does anyone know the scientific name so that I could get an idea of what they look like?

[Jared Cooper]

Stupid...I relized that I should look in Hoovers Sea Creatures book that I have. The phillipine shrimp or Gonodactylaceus mutatus looks pretty awsome, but they only grow up to 2 1/2 inches (p211) and I kinda want a larger type.
Fcamdog-
could you ever get the giant mantis shrimp or Lysiosquillina maculata shrimp (p212). That would be awsome. I'd be a little nervous bagging one of those

[Jared Cooper]

Soyu22-
Tell us about your Mantis shrimp you recieved today!!! Are they really peacock Mantis's? I've got stuff from ffexpress and have always been happy with it.

[soyu22]

Hey,

The good news is that both shrimp arrived today and are definitely Gonodactylus scyllarus. They both have nice coloration too! Both have been placed in 10 gallon tanks with live rock and nothing else. One tank is acrylic and the other is rectangular glass. The first one adjusted well, and has already eaten a dried piece of krill (you know those orange ones that come in cans and have vitamins in them).

The bad news is that one is dead/dying! Also, they listed them as 4inches, and these are about 6! Probably an inch and a quarter thick too...I say this is bad 'cause they may be near the end of their lifespan and probably won't get much larger. I'd love to have a small one and watch it grow to this size. Also these 10 gallon tanks are probably too confining for them...Anyone have any guesses on how much longer they'll live under perfect aquarium conditions? A year? two? Half?

The reason one is dying is because he was in the bag too long. I think his oxygen was running out. I had to bring him to my office tank after putting the first one back at my house (which is for my younger brother coming to visit on turkey day)

When I put the second into my office tank he had been in the bag for 4 hours longer than the first! I had to take stuff out of the tank and get it ready...The packet was still warm, so his oxygen must have been depleted. I knew it was trouble as soon as I cut the bag open. A gust of comewhat foul air pushed out. This really sucks, also they charged me 92$ after quoting 74$ plus/minus 5!

Well, I'd still be happy if the other can pull through.

Please tell me if you think he will make it. Here are the details of how he reacted.

When I decided to get him in the tank his water was still warm and the heat pads were warm, he looked rigid in the bag and did not respond well. I decided to forget any acclimation procedures....I put him in the tank he just slid out of the bag and landed on his head with his tail up against a rock! He was motionless for a few seconds, then he had a sudden burst of energy and moved a bit but then quickly stuck his head into the ground unnaturally. His eyes were not moving, his body somewhat contorted, his antennae flat against his body and not attentive to say the least...the only good sign was that his swimmerettes?(beneath his tail) were moving slowly every so often. I touched my hand to the tank near his head and there was no reaction! Now a creature known for it's aggressiveness, this can't be good! After 15 minutes he made some noticeable changes. His eyes reacted to my movement very slightly, his swimmerrettes were moving more rapidly and more often. I nudged him a little with a chopstick, and he barely reacted. His body was still in an unnatural position with his eyes in the gravel. I touched the area infront of him and he jerked back slightly...I stopped there. I did not want to aggravate him more, and am hoping he is revitalizing!

I know they are supposed to be hardy, and I guess I'll find out soon enough! I would have stayed at work longer to see the outcome but my parking meter was coming to an end and my girlfriend wouldn't understand me staying for this!!!

I'll have to go back tomorrow to check it out!

But right now I have 4 tanks going, three with mantis! The other mantis I have is the gonodactylus Chigra, or something...He just smashed and ate a mussel the other day.

Alright, hope this dude pulls through!
Get back to ya'll when I find out!

If he dies, then my borther just lost his x-mas gift! ha ha
-sean

[Gonodactylus]

A good rule of thumb to use on stomatopod survival following shipping stress is to look at their raptorial appendages. If they are extended, the game is probably over.

A six innch Odontodactylus scyllarus can still live another two or three years. In fact, I would rather have a large one than a small one for the following reason. The major source of mortality is molting. Any O. scyllarus that has molted half a dozen times in captivity is at increase risk. Small animals molt more frequently and it is rare that they will grow to a large size in captivity, so with a large one, you will get probably just as long a time. The down side as you have already found out is that large O. scyllarus are more subject to shipping stress.

Roy

[soyu22]

The mantis is "alive". He does not seem attentive, and will not eat. I can nudge him with a chopstick and he'll barely react, although I had to force him to turn around to see if his "raptorial appendages are extended". And, yes, they are extended and not tight against his body. But he definitely is still alive. Any chance for a recovery??? He's been alive in the tank for almost 24 hours now...So shouldn't he have died by now? And if he's here now, then he'll live right?

I would imagine he'd have died in the first few hours in the tank.

Although he refuses to eat, or maybe he doesn't like the dried shrimp?

I will have to bring more food items monday morning to see if he'll eat. or if he's alive!

He is not attentive at all, his eyes are moving, he looks "hunched" over...

The other one is doing quite well. I have to go, football to catch!

[Gonodactylus]

When the raptoria appendages are blown, it can take a day or two to die. If the animal does survive, they usually lose (actually pull off) their raptorial appendages. I would say that the prognosis is not good.

Roy

[soyu22]

The mantis is still alive, but still in the same almost unreactive state. He is kinda laying on his side, and one of his eyes is against a rock.

When you move toward the tank his antennae up, but they are normally down...He did not eat and tried to push away the food.

When you mentioned his raptorial appendages were "blown". I said they were extended, but then when I looked at my other mantis at home who is doing well, his smasher was somewhat extended much the same. If they are hanging down, then they are "extended" right?

I don't mind if he loses his smashers, as long as he lives!

What do you think his chances are? 30%?

Man, this is sad to see him like this. I turned the light off, but he's not even trying to hide really. Is he suffering?

[Gonodactylus]

Sounds like the game is up. Now for the unpleasant discussion - how do you dispatch a stomatopod in the least painful way possible?

I can't answer the question "Is it suffering", but it is obvious that they can react to painful stimuli, so when I have to kill a stomatopod, I try to do it in the least and quickest way possible. Since they exchange oxygen across the delicate gill filaments, placing chemicals in their water that can knock them out usually appears to cause distress. I've tried alcohol, ether, MS-222, quinoldine, and magnesium chloride, and several other anesthetics that are used for fish and other invertebrates and most seems to produce a prolonged, painful death. There is one anesthetic that works quickly and in the correct concentration is reversible - eugenol (the active ingredient in clove oil). We use it for surgery, but it could also be used to kill them.

For many crustaceans, cold is the easiest way to go. Most stomatopods live in warm water and don't react well when placed quickly into cold, but when placed in the fridge and allowed to cool down, stress seems relatively minor. It does take several hours to kill them unless you transfer the animal to the freezer.

The quickest method is probably to take a heavy pair of kitchen shears and snip off the head. However, if you aren't used to handling these beasts, this may not be the easiest method for you. If you do go this route, make sure that you make the cut at least as far back as the carapace.

Roy

[soyu22]

Do you think he has no chance???

I'd hate to kill him, 'cause it seems he is making slight improvements!

I'd like to give him another day and hope he pulls through.

[Gonodactylus]

Given that it has survived this long, there is certainly a chance. If it were me, I would probably wait. I was just trying to suggest some options.

Roy

[soyu22]

Dr. Caldwell, Thank you for all your help thus far.

I'm gonna wait it out some more and see how he appears tomorrow. All the parameters for the water are perfect, and he's been alive this long, so maybe he can come back!

It'd be a shame to lose him...i'll keep you updated.
thanks again!
-sean

[soyu22]

The mantis is still alive. His state is about the same. He was "on his back" my boss said this morning, but when I got in he was sidways and in a cave. I tried to feed him again and he ignored it. His smashers appear to be tucked in now, but maybe it was because he was on his side. He has mucus on his little claws by his mouth, not sure if that means anything, but just noticed it today.

Actually it looks like his smashers are tucked in. He is definitely lethargic and limp...

I'm gonna keep him in the dark again for the day...

Any thoughts?

He's been in the tank since saturday noon time...

[wonchance]

Just wondering what ever happened...

~Ash

[soyu22]

Hey, the conclusion I posted in a new thread...it died.

The other thread is titled "dead.."
there's a little more info there.