Mimius five month anniversary/tank stand

[Detritus]

Well, I apologise for the absence but with the house move and a few family emergencies, I was unable to take the time to post much lately. Mimius's new tank stand is finished. The lighting hood will be made as the new tank cycles. Included is a picture of Mimius with eyes above the water directing the construction of his stand...

 

[Detritus]

A couple of more shots of Mimius.

 

[Nancy]

Glad to see that Minimus is doing so well. Happy fifth anniversary! He's looking good - what are you feeding him?
I'm sure he's looking forward to the new tank.

Nancy

 

[Detritus]

Hi Nancy, Mimius prefers lobster which is his/her staple food. In addition it also gets frozen blue crab meat and shrimp. Fiddler crabs are hard to come by this time of year in the pet stores, however, Mimius also likes to hunt and eat the large turbo snails. I always have several in the tank and restock when the LFS has sales on snails. Mimius is now hidden alot and has taken every rock it can move to build an incredible den. It is still taking food but I suspect maybe infertile eggs may be in the den. Mimius spends alot of time in the den now blowing sand out and cleaning. Rarely comes out over the past several days. I guess we'll see...

 

[cuttlegirl]

Nice food choices Mimius! She seems to spend a lot of time near the top of the water - planning her escape?

 

[Castor]

Beautiful work on thestand, I feel a little envious (sp?), and Mimius looks fantastic! I can't wait to see the completed tank.

Felix

 

[Detritus]

Thank you for the compliment. The whole idea was to downsize from my original 180 gallon reef to something simpler and smaller. I will have the tank on the stand in the next couple of days and am awaiting a new R/O membrane (2 months and counting!) to begin filling. The sump will be behind the wall in the "furnace room" where I have already installed all needed stuff such as sink, water, electricity, GFCI etc. After such a long time and so much planning, I can't wait to get Mimius's new quarters up and running. Should be cool...90 gallon cube shaped tank etc.

 

[Nancy]

Do you think that Minimus is building a den to lay eggs?

Nancy

 

[Detritus]

I think so Nancy. Mimius if O. aculateus, then is adult size i.e., armspan over three feet. Behaviour is uncharacteristic the last week to ten days. Mimius used to be out in the open almost all the time. Now she(?) stays in the den and cleans the interior constantly. I've also noted using funnel to propel fresh water through the den - maybe aerating eggs? In any case she/he still eats but with less enthusiasm and does not leave the den. The arms come out crawling and searching, however, the head and mantle stays hidden. It will take at least 6 weeks to get the new tank up and cycled si I have time to observe Mimius's behaviour without having to worry about disturbing the den and perhaps destroying a clutch of eggs. Unfortunately, I can't see the interior of the den and have no way of knowing if there are eggs or not. Have to wait and see.

 

[Nancy]

It would be a bit sad if Minimus did lay eggs and never got to move to the new tank. It wouldn't be the first time this has happened to a TONMO.com member. Perhaps she would live some after the eggs hatched (or were infertile and she grew tired of eggs) and could enjoy the new tank.

And, it's always there for Minimus II.

Nancy