Dear Rachel:
Thanks for the update — it sounds like you’re making excellent progress with your new seahorse setup!
Great work trapping the mantis shrimp — you have to be really patient and persistent to nab a Stomatopod that has hitchhiked into your aquarium amidst the live rock. They are very alert and wary, with exceptional eyesight so it’s very difficult to catch them unawares and they really have to get accustomed to the presence of a trap before they’ll take the bait. Well done!
It’s great that you were able to capture your mantis and find a good home for him. They are really fascinating critters in their own right and I have kept a couple of specimens in small specialty tanks of their own as pets to study — extremely interesting little beasties, but they have no business in a seahorse tank or around any small fish or crustaceans.
I think you’ll find that the addition of a sump is very beneficial for your aquarium in a number of different ways, Rachel. It sounds like it was a good idea to get a stand custom-made so it can accommodate a larger sump — that should pay nice dividends for you down the road. Here’s hoping that all of the drilling and plumbing go smoothly and without any complications!
If your peppermint shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni) are already carrying eggs, you’ll have your first larval shrimp in no time, and you can be certain that they will reproduce for you regularly thereafter. They’re hermaphrodites so anytime you have more than one in the same aquarium, breeding is virtually assured.
Best of luck taming your peppermint shrimp and raising their young, Rachel!
Happy Trails!
Pete Giwojna
Ocean Rider, Inc. is an Organic Hawaiian-Based Seahorse Aqua-Farm & Aquarium that Follows Strict Good Farming Practices in Raising Seahorses and Other Aquatic Life.
