"They were a collected pair..." (Lysiosquillina maculata)

[MantisO_o]

I'm that greedy b*****d that bought them...http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden...+4&ddid=121063



On the page it said they were around 3 inches each and from what i recall from Dr. Roy. They would be too young to determine gender and to establish any pairing. I think maturity size he said was 17 CM.

So, i divided a 29 gallon in half and added 4 to 5 inches of live sand a few days ago. Once i learned that they were bigger then it was said to be. I added more sand and its now about 6 to 8 inches deep. Tank seems to be taking the weight and i not gonna add anymore sand. Don't want to push me luck.

I emailed Live Aquaria to ask a closer picture of this "female" (, provided its truly a female) and if these were caught as an establish pair or just sold as a pair? They respond with, "Thank you for choosing LiveAquaria. We sincerely apologize that the Zebra Mantis Shrimp have been measured incorrectly. The female is 5 3/4" and the male is 5 1/2". They were a collected pair and have been housed in separate containers since we received them on May, 13 2011."

So, that being said. How do i reintroduce them as a pair? and their sizes in centimeters...
Female 14.605 cm
Male 13.97 cm

[Jacwil]

YOU got them?!?!?!? LOL...nice pick up!

[MantisO_o]

You posted it on that "Lysiosquillina maculata activity" thread and checked to see if they were still available. To me surprise they were and i didn't think twice. I PayPaled it for a quicker check out! Now lets hope FedEx doesn't rain on me parade.

[barney1215]

Nice pickup

[JothamTheSlayer]

Originally Posted by MantisO_o

You posted it on that "Lysiosquillina maculata activity" thread and checked to see if they were still available. To me surprise they were and i didn't think twice. I PayPaled it for a quicker check out! Now lets hope FedEx doesn't rain on me parade.

No wonder the rest of us can't find mantis shrimps!

Good luck with them, hopefully things will work out well!

[nirvanaandtool]

I should have known it was you who got those L. Maculata's. Good luck with them!

[Gonodactylus]

The female is showing some ovarian development, so my guess is that she will pair. I would let both of them dig burrows in separate parts of the tank. The female will probably dig faster than the male. If she does and constructs a burrow twice her length, introduce the male into her half of the aquarium. Alternatively, you can use a piece of horizontal pvc three for four time their length (20 in), let them establish living together and then every couple of days add half an inch of sand. They should build at least on entrance into a vertical burrow.

Roy

[Koshmar]

Very exciting! Keep updating regularly and try to make a video of the introduction too!

[Enavas]

Congrats on the find. That is a rare find you got there. Bst of luck to you.

[Gonodactylus]

With all the recent interest in Lysiosquillids, I've written a piece on the "The other Mantis Shrimp". It discusses the biology of Lysiosquillids, their behavior, and how to keep them in the home aquarium. The article is illustrated with several of my photographs including my best prey capture shots. Now all I have to do is get someone to publish it. I'll keep you updated.

Roy

[DanInSD]

Dr. Roy, have you considered Reefkeeping for your article? They are a very well-respected online magazine that tends to accept articles with a lot of science content and species-specific information. For example:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-11/hcs3/index.php

Regards,
Dan

[sjmantis]

Nice! They were on there for quite a while, I was surprised no one picked them up sooner. Post some pics when they are settled in

[MantisO_o]

Thanks all and thank you Dr. Roy for the advice. I look forward in reading your article whenever you do get it published. I just got them in about over two hours ago. They seem good, however, the female (, actually male) has one rap. missing. I'm taking pictures and videos as i go.



LOL, i just found the oddest thing. When i was taking pictures of their under sides. The one I think is the female is actually the male.

I'll post pictures of their undersides later. Don't have time to make the FULL post right now.

Live Aquria has it backwards...the male is larger then the female(?). If the so called female turns out to be a boy. I do have the 1st female, 'Anthea' who's larger by .25". Again i'll let you guys tell me if this female is one or not. I'll post the introduction later in the week.

...and its just me the darker one looks strange? and it really goes have a strange blue hue on his rear.

[MantisO_o]

Part Two - Reintroducing Adam & Eve (Lysiosquillina maculata)

[MantisO_o]

Oooooops...... please ignore this post...lol

[Gonodactylus]

Dan,

I finished the article on Lysiosquillids. It is 6000 words and 22 photos - too long for most venues. I tried contacting Reef Keeping and my email bounced. Looks like they aren't in business. I'm open to suggestions on what to do with this article.

Roy

[Giga]

post a pdf or something so we can read it!

[mndfreeze]

I second PDF and put up on your Berkeley site.

[Gonodactylus]

You know what they say about giving away milk. I just heard from CORAL and they will publish it with lots of pictures.

Roy

[MantisO_o]

yay