What have I gotten myself into?
In 2007, my younger brother, Michael, began setting up his 125-gallon saltwater reef tank. I found it fascinating, although a lot of expense and trouble. He had many unhappy experiences trying to rid his tank of the five or six mantis shrimp (stomatopods) that had hitchhiked in on the live rock from the Florida gulf but managed to safely capture one, which he’s raising in a separate 10-gallon tank. I was fascinated by the mantis and did a ton of research, finally deciding I’d like to keep a “predator tank” with the mantis as the star. I didn’t know if I was up to the task of keeping a saltwater tank, but I figured I could give it a try.  I asked for and received a very nice tank for Christmas (thanks, Mike!). Here’s my little blog about what an absolute beginner in the hobby experienced.

Beaker, the mantis, guarding the entrance to his cave. He's raising his raptorial appendages threateningly, which he's never done to me, but he does to Mike all the time.

On Christmas Eve, my 12-gallon Nano-Cube Deluxe arrived. Unfortunately, one whole side of the glass was cracked. I called the supplier, who shipped a replacement unit and filed a UPS damage claim. I spent a few hours building the stand, hoping something I'd assembled would be sturdy enough to hold 100+ pounds on top.

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The stand in place, with a coupon from Mike as a placeholder.  Coupon states: "This coupon entitles you to 15 lbs of live rock and 1 evil, deadly mantis shrimp pictured below. Neither giver nor his affiliates will be held responsible for any damages and/or pain and suffering incurred as the result of claiming this prize."