(ima newbie) buying a mantis shrimp...a few q's.

[peejfish]

hey when i stumbled upon the mantis shrimp i knew i had to have it...i have been a long time freshwater tank user and i was thinking i'd switch to saltwater slow with maybe some inverts....i was thinking a 5 gallon acrylic tank (so it wont break the glass) and how deep should my live? sand be and shouldn't i also put some live rock in there (how much?)
thanks a lot guys....i'm new to the boards and the scene but its awesome and thanks alot for your help

 

[polarpooch]

People will probably disagree with me, but you don't NEED live sand. You don't really NEED live rock...
I had one in a Hex 5 acrylic Eclipse...just some regular sand, a couple of base rocks.
You probably don't need to hear this, but cycle that tank good first...although mantis are practically bullet proof, they'll succumb to young tanks like anything else.
They are awesome animals. Fun to feed! But watch those fingers:scared:
Here's the best link on these animals...great info here:
http://www.blueboard.com/mantis/

 

[peejfish]

hey thanks alot for the info and i found that site and it says mantis shrimp can remember previous encuonters....
"A wandering stomatopod once came across a large tubular structure. Long, delicate-looking tentacles sprouted from one end to wave to and fro in the gentle current, and the arthropod moved closer in order to get a better look at the strange creature. In doing so, it brushed carelessly against the anemone, then jerked suddenly back in pain as the latter's tentacular appendages started discharging nematocysts. Stung by the unwelcome reception, the mantis backed off and hastily departed in search of its normal prey.
A few days later, it came upon the same anemone. Warily eyeing the cnidarian, it circled quickly around the large obstruction, and spared not one backward glance as it hurried along its way."
how crazy is that... anyhow these animals seem awesome...think i could keep anything else with it? not fish of course but maybe an anonome(for decore) or do you think thats a bad idea...
and yeah im going to make sure it cycles good before i do anything
**could you link me to the tank yuo bought....
and how deep is its sand?
could i possibly add a mate in later?

 

[harlequin]

Dont know much about the mate thing, but you might could do an anemone with alot of preparation. First that tank needs to have been cycled for more than 8 months before even thinking about buying it. Next you need extremely good lighting, someone else can help you with that since I am not a lighting guru. Mantis are messy eaters just because of the food they eat so a good skimmer is nessesary to keep water parameters in check.
I personally would go with zoos instead of an anemone. I dont think the mantis will mess with corals(I could be wrong) but zoos are tough coral. For lighting some power compacts would work, so cost will go down from the anemone idea. Check with the reef and nano forums for the lighting needed.

 

[peejfish]

thanks alot for the reply...so i should cycle the tank for 8 whole months with live rock and sand and stuff before putting in the shrimp at all...so have an empty tank running for 8 months?

 

[polarpooch]

These things are tough as nails. I didn't have a skimmer in my tank (where would it have gone??!!-)-just water changes (every week, or after every big meal). The tank was running for about 2 months with a damsel in it before before the mantis beast arrived.
Here's the tank I used:
http://www.marineland.com/products/consumer/con_hex.asp
You can get these at Walmart under the brandname "Regal". ( I think Marineland makes Regal products). They are about $35. Petsmart (gasp!) also sells them for around 50. Everywhere else I've seen them, they are between 60 and 70 dollars.
They're pretty cool little tanks..the light, carbon filtration and biowheel are in the top cover.
BTW, the sand bed I had was about 3" deep...I also had two rocks, one with a hole in the center for the mantis to hide in...and a little fake plant. It looked surprisingly good.

 

[polarpooch]

Here's a pic of him....

 

[bbronco]

do they eat much? i did not feed mine for about 6 months after i got it. then i feed it a big shrimp!!! that was over a month ago. he won't take any thing off the stick now???

 

[peejfish]

wow thats an excellent looking mantis! thanks for sharing....did you let your tank cycle before putting it in? and you didn't use live rock?

 

[polarpooch]

did you let your tank cycle before putting it in? and you didn't use live rock?
Yes, I cycled it for about 2 months. No, I didn't use liverock.
do they eat much? i did not feed mine for about 6 months after i got it. then i feed it a big shrimp!!! that was over a month ago. he won't take any thing off the stick now???
Mine ate at least once a week. I fed it live and frozen food. It devastated crawfish, mollies, damsels, whatever I threw in there. It preferred live stuff to frozen, but eventually got hungry and readily took the frozen stuff.

 

[peejfish]

think if i had a flame scallop in there before it was...and if i fed it enough the scallop would be okay?..and would any corals be okay with the mantis?

 

[harlequin]

not wait 8 months before the shrimp, 8 months minimum before an anemone. Shrimp are actually pretty tough, you can put one in after you cycle it.

 

[polarpooch]

I don't know about the flame scallop...never tried one. Off the top of my head, I'd say no. The moment the thing moves to find a place to attach, the shrimp will probably pop at it.
I agree on the anemone...and to get one to live in a nano tank, you'd need to retro fit the lighting ballast (about 75 bucks). Anemones need reef lighting (in my experience anyway!).
In the tank I used: MAYBE you could get away with some mushrooms if you use the mini-power compacts in place of the regular light the tank comes with.

 

[peejfish]

haha ohhh i was like 8 months! yeah anenomes have to go in an adapted system i heard....and think the scallop could survive with the shrimp? possibly some corals too?

 

[tony detroit]

Originally posted by PeejFish
think if i had a flame scallop in there before it was...and if i fed it enough the scallop would be okay?..and would any corals be okay with the mantis?
The flame scallop will almost definitely die slowly over time. 99% are ripped off the rock and are already starting the death process when you buy them, you just don't know it. Long term success is hard with them. Corals should be fine over time if treated properly.

 

[peejfish]

thanks alot tony...I'll keep that in mind..how much do crayfish run at the lfs?