# Ventilation for Ghosts



## mantidsaresweet (Aug 17, 2009)

Hey, I want to have a colony of about 15 to 20 ghost mantids (P.paradoxa) and was wondering if a 10 gallon tank with a screen lid would be enough ventilation for them. I know they require higher levels of humidity and I'm going to be putting sphagnum moss in the encloser to reach that. Also is 75 - 80 degrees F good for this type of mantis?

I have never raised these before and want to get everything right before I get them.

Thanks


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## PhilinYuma (Aug 17, 2009)

mantidsaresweet said:


> Hey, I want to have a colony of about 15 to 20 ghost mantids (P.paradoxa) and was wondering if a 10 gallon tank with a screen lid would be enough ventilation for them. I know they require higher levels of humidity and I'm going to be putting sphagnum moss in the encloser to reach that. Also is 75 - 80 degrees F good for this type of mantis?I have never raised these before and want to get everything right before I get them.
> 
> Thanks


Sounds like a good idea, but be aware that ghost mantids will each otther occasionally. Don't fuss too much about the temp and humidity. 75F-80F is fine. Keep the sphagnum moss moist with two mistings a day -- don't go pouring water into the moss and turning it into a swamp! Ghosts love flying insects, flies, bluebottles, bees, so make that you have a suopply of the first two before you start. How old are the nymphs that you plan on getting? Good news is that they can take house flies at an early age. Finally, you will have to find some way to prevent the flies flying out when you take the screen lid off. Perhaps you could come up with a feeding port.

Let us know how it works out!


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## mantidsaresweet (Aug 17, 2009)

Ok Phil thanks for the help.

I was planning on starting from an ooth.


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## hibiscusmile (Aug 18, 2009)

They should be fine in there, they are really good together until adult, with enough food, u should not see any loss.


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## planetq (Aug 22, 2009)

They are my favorite species as of now. (Subject to change)

They really do well together I noticed, even if they are in different stages and one might be bigger than the other.

I don't know why but they do have an immense amount of appeal compared to some others, just in my opinion.


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## yeatzee (Aug 29, 2009)

hibiscusmile said:


> They should be fine in there, they are really good together until adult, with enough food, u should not see any loss.


Plan for the worst and than it wont be such a shock when you watch your beloved green female being eaten by a sibling :angry: 

I've kept 5 in one large container since L3.....which should be way more than enough room and they are all generously fed and yet somehow they still find enough room in their bellies to eat eachother! I've lost 3 so far and two were my precious females &lt;_&lt; :angry: I guess some are more aggressive than others &lt;_&lt;


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## chrisnoahdana (Dec 4, 2009)

yeatzee said:


> Plan for the worst and than it wont be such a shock when you watch your beloved green female being eaten by a sibling :angry: I've kept 5 in one large container since L3.....which should be way more than enough room and they are all generously fed and yet somehow they still find enough room in their bellies to eat eachother! I've lost 3 so far and two were my precious females &lt;_&lt; :angry: I guess some are more aggressive than others &lt;_&lt;


Speaking of green at what stage do you notice the ones that will become green? I keep all mine in there own deli cup with some moss and I mist 2 times daily and they can handle some big food they seem so slow but when there hungry they move!


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## batsofchaos (Dec 9, 2009)

My greenie turned from tan to sorta-green at L6 and is very green as an adult, but your mileage may vary.


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## chrisnoahdana (Dec 15, 2009)

I noticed most females are green for some reason is that how it always is? I have never had a adult brown female only males? thanks


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## revmdn (Dec 15, 2009)

I had a green female and a black/brown one.


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## batsofchaos (Dec 15, 2009)

One of my females is green and the other is chocolatey brown. Adult females are not exclusively green, in fact it's somewhat rare.


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## AmandaLynn (Dec 18, 2009)

I have had only two female ghosts. The first was tan/greenish as a very small nymph... like L2-3, and turned a solid green as she got older. The other female was sub-adult when I got her and chocolate brown, when she arrived. When she molted to adult she turned partially green.  I think they can change at any time depending on their specific genetics and the environment: light+humidity+oxygen+air circulation.


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