Mantis' in your reef

[phoenixofthepyre]

Anyone here have a Mantis in your reef? I know they r a real nuisance, but I don't care, they are cool. The only problem is tey never live in my tanks for some reason. I'm gonna try to get 2 little ones in there. Not to sound like an a$$ or anythign but I don't really care about the crabs/snails in my tank, because they are all hitchikers. Well Anyone? HI MAX

 

[ross]

Good luck....
Don't plan on having any type of cleanup crew, and keep a close eye on it. They will eat your fish while they are sleeping. I wouldn't try it.
Maybe you could just get a little $30 10g set up especially for them.

 

[phoenixofthepyre]

Ross, I already tried it with a 20g. I had a Odontodactylus Scylarrus, Pseudosquilla Ciliata, Neogonodactylus Wennerae in ther and they don't survive for smoe reason. But te last one I put in my Reef tank was good for about a month, so I decided to put him in the 20g, and then he died like 2 days later . Theres something wrong with my 20g that kills them but not anything else. I have a littl grouper in theer right now and he's awesome. So I'm going to try a little mantis in my reef. Or I could do a change on my 20g and add live aragonite instead of sand. Maybe something got in ther that specifically hurts them and nothing else.

What kind of substrate do you use in your reef? Thanks

 

[phoenixofthepyre]

No it hasn't. I'm going to Re-do my 20g with aragonite and put some PC's on it and some LR. so i hopedthatll work

 

[ross]

I agree with what waterfaller said. Copper will kill inverts. Is there anything in the tank like plastic plants or decorations that have been used in a tank with copper. The copper will leach into the decorations, then from the decorations into your tank.

 

[snakes'n'fish]

I had my little peacock in a 29 gallon reef tank. He never messed with the fish but he would go thru ten hermit crabs a month. I called the tank the aggressive reef, it never messed with any coral or knocked anything over.
I lost him due to a bad shed GRRRR! . But theat is something I could not control. Good luck , I am looking for another one, but this one is going to have to be a larger one.
If you think there is something in the tank killing them (copper or water ever) you may just consider tossing the tank and getting a new set up, start over from scratch.

 

[phoenixofthepyre]

I'm going to take out the sand and put in Live aragonite, and my dad said he could send me 24inch PC's for my tank. I could make frags off some of my stuff that i already have ( star polyps, Xenia) and maybe I'll get a freebee mantis from TBS when I order some Liverock.
Sorry about your mantis but I've gone through 4 already!, it's getting really annoying hearing about how hardy they are, and then when i get them they die so easily, and I can't figure out the problem. Good luck on your search for a new one
Danny

 

[phoenixrising]

I ordered much of my liverock from a place in Florida that aquacultures it. I'll never do that again. The rock is lovely looking, but full of things I don't want in my tank, including mantis shrimp. I have removed several of them over the years and put them in the refugium. Mantis are really cool critters. Interesting to observe. One made it through the j tube and down into the filter. Sure was surprised to find him there when I shoved my hand in to get the filter pad out for a rinse without looking first! I still have one in my display that I cannot locate. It has not killed any fish, but possibly a snail or two or ten. He's been in there for at least two years because I have not added any rock to that tank since then. I feed heavily in that tank so the stars and mr mantis and the lobster all get well fed. Like you, I really enjoy my mantis. They just need their own little place to hang out. They did not ask to be plucked from the ocean and put in our tank, so we can't get real hostile about finding then there. It's not their fault. Just give them a little bungaloo and watch them with fascination! They really are cool!

 

[phoenixofthepyre]

I was thinking about getting a refugium for my tank and putting him in it. All my little Mantis diplay tanks have failed for them. Although evrything else in the tank flourishes I just can't figure out whats wrong.

 

[phoenixofthepyre]

Yeah, I need some more rock inm my tank and I am going to order from Tampa Bay Saltwater. They will most likely have a mantis or 2 in the rock, but thats fine with me. I am going to turen my 20g into a Reef and I may house a mantis in there if some come with the rock. But I've had really bad luck so far with them.