o. briareus II ! even smaller then the last one total impulse purchase

[DWhatley]

I think the open tank gives a better chance of survival for the small ones as long as you can get food to them and so far, this seems to be working out most excellently. PE Mysis should be fine. Inspite of them being FW they are a staple in the Marine environment for corals and fish. I would look for alternates to change out a couple of times a week though. Before you leave, If you have access to some small hermits, leaving a couple in the tank (snails without an operculum will likely be as good) when you are gone. Even if he can't get them out, he can work on them and if really hungry will likely succeed.

 

[corpusse]

Got him eating again tonight. He seems to know the tweezers. He even almost stuck his head out of the hole. I just hope he doesn't relocate dens until he gets bigger. It's nice knowing where he is

 

[corpusse]

Fed a fiddler yesterday, probably back to PE today. He partially came out of the den which was a bit surprisingly. The crab was fed on tweezers too despite being alive. He is a lot more bold then the previous guy. If things keep going well and he grows a bit I will start with uncooked shrimp by hand.

I'm just so lucky he picked a den that is in the front of the tank and that he hasn't moved on yet.

 

[DWhatley]

that he remains in the front den. Little Bit (O. joubini) took a front den after a couple of months and continues to be visible all the time. O. joubini is supposed to be nocturnal but she stays exposed 24/7 (her mantle is backed into the rock but her arms, head and eyes are in the open) and rarely seems to sleep during the day. I do occasionaly see her moving about in the early evening just after lights out (about 10:30) but she is far less nocturnal than the O. mercatoris dwarf or O. briareus young. Inka is not visible at all yet except the two times she has taken food. From the photos, I would guess Inka and O. briareus II are very close in age and I am guessing about 6 weeks from the photos at that age I have of Cassy.

 

[corw314]

Awww....very cute! Good luck with him!!

 

[corpusse]

I can't find him. It appears he may have moved on. If I don't find him monday the new location will prove a costly one as I'll have to order some live fiddlers if I can't find him to target feed him.

 

[DWhatley]

Try taking your tweezers and scratching the rock at the time you have been feeding him. IME, O. briareus are less sight oriented than vibration oriented for feeding and respond to anything they feel on the LR. Plan on standing there for at least 15 minutes before giving up and try it a couple of nights in a row if not immediately successful.

 

[corpusse]

This morning I grabbed what was likely the last fiddler I have. I had him o the tweezers and was going to move him around the area his old den was. Well much to my surprise he came right out and grabbed not the crab but the tweezers out of my hand. The crab made a timely escape.

Tank lights off but room lights on he was semi wandering in the open. I finally grabbed the tweezers from him but not before he grabbed my hand with 2 arms and held on for a good 5 seconds. I fed him a bit of pe mysis and he hung out in that area for about 5-10 minutes then darted to the back of the tank. He may have spotted the crab but I can't say for sure. Looked like a little squid swimming and I lost him again. Still it took only a couple of days to spot him and while still really shy he is a million times less shy then the first one.

I'm probably going to order a small amount of fiddler crabs and maybe some shore shrimp. I gotta clean out their disgusting tank which might just consist of dumping it outside

 

[corpusse]

Here are some pictures I never got a chance to post from last week. Prior to the escape.

 

[DWhatley]

LOL, tonight Inka grabbed the feeding stick, well above the food. When I moved the stick so the food was obvious she latched on and has stayed in the open eating it. I think she is going to be a big eater as she has taken food larger than her mantle for three nights now.

 

[corpusse]

Lights on or off?

Today he came out with the lights on. Fully out of the rock, only for 1-2 minutes but still pretty neat. He also grabbed my hand again.
I found another fiddler hopefully I have 2 more and I will feed them tomorrow since I will be out of town wednesday but back thursday so even if I have to skip feeding for a day it should be no big deal.

He probably has slightly grown but wow he is tiny.

 

[DWhatley]

Lights always off with Inka but she is coming out nicely when I rub the feeding stick on the rocks (not always at the same place though so I have to watch for her). Neal finally got to see her tonight for the first time. As much as she is the spitting image of Cassy in the pictures, I just don't remember Cassy and tank having such a tiny mantle with such long arms.

 

[corpusse]

I took this video today, its not the best quality as tank lighting is not too bright but I'm very surprised I was able to capture this so soon after bringing him home

 

[corpusse]

Just 2 weeks in and he's out and about during daylight!

I was shocked to go downstairs and see him on the glass. Of course camcorder battery was almost dead but I got one video then another with my iphone.

He was out for a good 10 minutes then I gave him some PE Mysis, at first again more interested in the tweezers but then he started picking up the mysis one by one before darting to the back.

Going to try and pick up some ghost shrimp this week and will probably end up placing an order for fiddlers from paul. Right now the heat is brutal so it might not be the best time to order.

Anyway here is the video and some pics :

 

[corpusse]