Keeping a Mantis shrimp

deejeff442

deejeff442

Active Member
hey joe my supplier is getting my mantis tomorrow.he also emailed he has a 8 1/2 inch hippo and a 8 inch unicorn tang he got from a guy that had them for 3 yrs in a 125 gallon.outgrew the tank.he will sell them to me for $200.sweet deal.i found tangs that size online that added up to almost $400.
problem is he is 80 miles away and i have the home show all week and weekend.go figure i was finishing up a job right in his area this morning.they say its all in the timing .
he might meet me half way in the next couple days if not next tuesday.
well the factthat lola wont touch the small food means to me anyway she aint a shrimp scavenger .shes a hunter
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
well the factthat lola wont touch the small food means to me anyway she aint a shrimp scavenger .shes a hunter
agreed that is why I think we would be better off having them go after the food rather then just serving it up to them
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
Coincidence or not. Notice the two empty turbo shells, Lola found a way to get to the weak spot but now she is displaying them together.( she cracked the shells in her burrow two days apart) I wonder is their proximity a coincidence or is she trying to show me what she has accomplished. Or something else what do you think boys and girls?
 
deejeff442

deejeff442

Active Member
well my supplier is going to meet me tomarrow around 5 so i can pick up my mantis and tangs .cant wait.i will get some pics up when i get them home.
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by deejeff442
http:///forum/post/3245935
well my supplier is going to meet me tomarrow around 5 so i can pick up my mantis and tangs .cant wait.i will get some pics up when i get them home.
great news we will then be able to exchange real time info
 
S

saxman

Guest
Joe,
IME, clubbers are kinda like octos in that they will often pile the shells of their meals outside their lairs. Renee sometimes fills empty shells with food items and gives them to the mantis so they have to work at it, which keeps their rapptorial appendages in shape and healthy (they can indeed lose them due to atrophy).
what was REALLY weird was the time i was using a feeding stick and the mantis climbed up the stick and up my arm. i think it surprised us BOTH! when it realized it was out of the water, it just ran back down my arm.
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
mantis climbed up the stick and up my arm
Better then down your pants I bet
An unexpected plus to my mantis tank is a new found appreciation for damsels. I must admit the only other time I dealt with damsels was my first saltwater tank way way back when. I must admit that at that time I started the nitrogen cycle in my DT tank by adding two humbug damsels. (Quarantine, what QT we were lucky back then to get the fish home alive). Fast forward going by the well earned reputation I never gave them a second thought. But now that I gave Lola a tank mate and yes I must say a cheap expendable fish my view has changed. They may be devils in a community tank but in this species specific tank their beautiful color and open water swimming is very enjoyable to watch
 
kiefers

kiefers

Active Member
Well, be aware.... your not the only one doing some recon on the damsel I'm sure......
You got me on this mantis trip now (thanks...!) A couple of places I scoped out did not say a tank min. size. any opinion?: Lol.....
 
deejeff442

deejeff442

Active Member
hey joe,well got home at 10 pm yesterday tearing out a driveway.got up this morning and pouring rain.water+rain=mud
no concrete today.
my supplier text me the mantis is 5 inches and red.funny he knows alot about fish and most of the scientific names but nothing about the mantis.but red sounds about right.i might call him this morning to see if i can meet him earlier for pick up.
i cant wait to see what a 8 1/2 inch hippo looks like.i have to put them right to my 250 gallon dt .but he said they were the only two fish in the 125 gallon for the last 3 yrs and he has had them in copper for the last two weeks so i am not worried about ich.
well let you know when i get home and i will get a pic of her in the acclimation bucket.gotta pick up some snails.does it matter which kind i get?
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
A couple of places I scoped out did not say a tank min. size. any opinion?:
what type of mantis are you looking at
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthrop...me=o_scyllarus
hey joe,well got home at 10 pm yesterday tearing out a driveway.got up this morning and pouring rain.water+rain=mud no concrete today.
my supplier text me the mantis is 5 inches and red.funny he knows alot about fish and most of the scientific names but nothing about the mantis.but red sounds about right.i might call him this morning to see if i can meet him earlier for pick up.
i cant wait to see what a 8 1/2 inch hippo looks like.i have to put them right to my 250 gallon dt .but he said they were the only two fish in the 125 gallon for the last 3 yrs and he has had them in copper for the last two weeks so i am not worried about ich.
well let you know when i get home and i will get a pic of her in the acclimation bucket.gotta pick up some snails.does it matter which kind i get?
Are you locked into buying the mantis? At that size I would think he is mature . Check him out for battle wounds and see if his two raptoral appendages are in intact.While they can grow back after several molts I think you would want a matins in the best sharp possible
I would go with the turbos
Just out of curiosity why was he running copper for two weeks on a fish that was in an ick free tank for that long of a time?
 
deejeff442

deejeff442

Active Member
he runs copper in all his qt.he is just taking the word of the guy he got them from.i have not gotten a fish from him yet with ich.a couple have gotten bacteria but no ich.although i have gotten some corals from him that had ich.
he text me that he wants to meet me earlier and i am waiting for a time ifigure in a few hours.well gotta go see what the rain did to my driveway.hopefully good for tomarrow morning then have to pour a disply at the homeshow.so hopefully the fish settle in today.
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by deejeff442
http:///forum/post/3246418
he runs copper in all his qt.he is just taking the word of the guy he got them from.i have not gotten a fish from him yet with ich.a couple have gotten bacteria but no ich.although i have gotten some corals from him that had ich.
he text me that he wants to meet me earlier and i am waiting for a time ifigure in a few hours.well gotta go see what the rain did to my driveway.hopefully good for tomarrow morning then have to pour a disply at the homeshow.so hopefully the fish settle in today.
keep me informed and post a pic as soon as you can
with that size of a mantis i would go with pieces of rock larger then you see in my tank as they seem to be constantly moving them around
 
deejeff442

deejeff442

Active Member
well my mantis friend here she is.5 inches long.i stopped to get the 3 inch pvc the 2 inch looked a bit tight.funny when i walked into his home i was talking to hi in the foyer .i heard some load clicking.iasked not thinking what is that.he said that thing kept waking me up last night.then he said what in the world do you want one of these for?i just laughed.she is a beauty .very healthy looking.had her in the bag she crawled up the side and let me look at her up close.i do have 5 or 6 2-3 inch pieces of broken lr in there for her.
she cost $40.
also the hippo and unicorn tang are sweet fat as can be both at least 8 inches for $225.
also i couldn't help myself picked up a yellow eye kole tang 4 inches for $40 and a 4 inch orange shoulder tang for $40.i will put those two in my 55 qt fo a few weeks.it should work out great 4 tangs starting with the friendly hippo and unicorn then add the kole and orange shoulder.
i will get some pics of the fish as soon as they settle in and let me.
 
hunt

hunt

Active Member
Originally Posted by deejeff442
http:///forum/post/3246625
well my mantis friend here she is.5 inches long.i stopped to get the 3 inch pvc the 2 inch looked a bit tight.funny when i walked into his home i was talking to hi in the foyer .i heard some load clicking.iasked not thinking what is that.he said that thing kept waking me up last night.then he said what in the world do you want one of these for?i just laughed.she is a beauty .very healthy looking.had her in the bag she crawled up the side and let me look at her up close.i do have 5 or 6 2-3 inch pieces of broken lr in there for her.
she cost $40.
also the hippo and unicorn tang are sweet fat as can be both at least 8 inches for $225.
also i couldn't help myself picked up a yellow eye kole tang 4 inches for $40 and a 4 inch orange shoulder tang for $40.i will put those two in my 55 qt fo a few weeks.it should work out great 4 tangs starting with the friendly hippo and unicorn then add the kole and orange shoulder.
i will get some pics of the fish as soon as they settle in and let me.
wow, 40 bucks, my lfs must be doing well, they had a 2-3in peacock mantis for 20 bucks.
 
deejeff442

deejeff442

Active Member
not sure about her either she likes the camera and is picking her head up to pose or she is looking to jump at me
got a bit closer
 
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