Randy's Tank and Learn Thread

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I think and only a thought that when Coral have had enough the just close up. Maybe even " molt " to grow ? My Fiji tree does it for days then comes back full bore. I may have added too much Seachem Photo Plankton because another flowering if you will Coral is now acting the same way. I'm a little worried. So the point and the beauty of it is maybe its had enough , and since it can move that's what it does instead of closing up. I am interested in seeing if it moves back after a while if you don't chase it with the light

I don’t think it’s a light issue since it keeps moving upward when it can. It has reclimbed the back wall to the top.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

FWIW

I have a similar down going of my cyanobacteria mats after first five days of CaCO3 powder and skimmate - wait a week - 2 days of new CaCO3/skimmate snow - wait a week.

I have no sign of lesser calcareous algae - more the opposite.

Sincerely Lasse

Thanks, Lasse. :)

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Mantis Fishing

One of my adult daughters has been trying to catch the mantis shrimp in my tank. Here’s a video of a near miss.

 

[rishma]

Mantis Fishing

One of my adult daughters has been trying to catch the mantis shrimp in my tank. Here’s a video of a near miss.

Well, that is really neat!

That mantis is no joke. Seems like a potential female mandarin killer?

 

[Baby Damsel 219]

Mantis Fishing

One of my adult daughters has been trying to catch the mantis shrimp in my tank. Here’s a video of a near miss.

what type of bait are you using use something alive so that it is distracted on killing it and pull it up fast but make sure it does not kick back out of the jar mabey when it goes in put the lid on

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Well, that is really neat!

That mantis is no joke. Seems like a potential female mandarin killer?

Could be. She has been watching the tank closely and thinks there are two, one more yellow/green (bigger and more aggressive; the one in the video) and one blue/green mottled (more attractive but smaller). They were fighting at one point.

I moved a red one to the sump back long ago on a rock.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

what type of bait are you using use something alive so that it is distracted on killing it and pull it up fast but make sure it does not kick back out of the jar mabey when it goes in put the lid on

The bait there is an old frozen scallop. I don’t really want to sacrifice a living snail.

 

[rishma]

Could be. She has been watching the tank closely and thinks there are two, one more yellow/green (bigger and more aggressive; the one in the video) and one blue/green mottled (more attractive but smaller). They were fighting at one point.

I moved a red one to the sump back long ago on a rock.

You have a whole rainbow of mantis!

They are neat, but I don’t like them in the tank.

 

[Baby Damsel 219]

The bait there is an old frozen scallop. I don’t really want to sacrifice a living snail.

you are right but it will continue to kill your water pets so I would think add a divider so the crab could be back in the safe spot and the mantis thinks it could get to it, I did this to an emerald crab with a piece of nori and got him out from a cave in my rocks after eating my chromis

 

[Baby Damsel 219]

a night raid too some are out at night put a trap when the tank is asleep

 

[twentyleagues]

Mantis Fishing

One of my adult daughters has been trying to catch the mantis shrimp in my tank. Here’s a video of a near miss.

Its a Trap! lol

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

a night raid too some are out at night put a trap when the tank is asleep

Yes, we left it in last night too. :)

 

[fandaga]

Nice, I also have TBS rock in a new tank and can hear clicking but have yet to see a mantis or pistol shrimp so far. I hope you’re able to get the little guy - I guess they could swim out of the traps easier than crabs. Have you caught all the gorilla crabs already?

 

[twentyleagues]

Mantis shrimp have one of the most complex eyes in the animal kingdom. It can probably see the jar unlike other inverts and fish that try to swim deeper or away from the opening. Trapping it may be difficult if it sees you attempting to remove the trap. Night may be best. I have never had to try and get one of these out of a tank though. I know I have read of traps working.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Nice, I also have TBS rock in a new tank and can hear clicking but have yet to see a mantis or pistol shrimp so far. I hope you’re able to get the little guy - I guess they could swim out of the traps easier than crabs. Have you caught all the gorilla crabs already?

I am not aware of having gotten any problem crabs. I removed a few small crabs from the rock when I first put it in and sumped them, but I have no idea what species they were.

 

[fandaga]

I am not aware of having gotten any problem crabs. I removed a few small crabs from the rock when I first put it in and sumped them, but I have no idea what species they were.

Oh wow, I have an army of gorilla crabs that are pretty small (less than a quarter). I sumped one yesterday along with a weird spider looking crab on a toadstool leather. So far, none have been destructive to corals though. In fact, I took video of a decorator crab clean algae/dead tissue off a monti digi and leave the rest of the polyps alone.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Mantis Success!!!

Woohoo! She was successful in catching the yellow/green mantis. She is way more patient than I am and spent much of the day in front of the tank like a fisherman ready to haul it in. In her last incarnation of the trap, Saran Wrap covered only half of the jar opening. When the mantis finally entered, she hauled in the string, tipping the jar on its end and up to the tank top before it escaped.

It’s now in a salt bucket with water, rock, heater and air bubbler. We are off to Petco tomorrow to get a nano
tank for it because she wants to keep it as a pet. lol

 

[Sam7]

Mantis Success!!!

Woohoo! She was successful in catching the yellow/green mantis. She is way more patient than I am and spent much of the day in front of the tank like a fisherman ready to haul it in. In her last incarnation of the trap, Saran Wrap covered only half of the jar opening. When the mantis finally entered, she hauled in the string, tipping the jar on its end and up to the tank top before it escaped.

It’s now in a salt bucket with water, rock, heater and air bubbler. We are off to Petco tomorrow to get a nano
tank for it because she wants to keep it as a pet. lol

Nice job

 

[Baby Damsel 219]

congrats in the chat

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Spawning

I couldn’t get a good picture, but something in the tank spawned this morning. I noticed a fish frenzy from across the room and when looking saw the tank was loaded with hundreds of small (< 1 mm) white spheres floating around. All of the fish except the fox face were wild to eat them. :)