Mantis Tank

[ElGuappo]

you may even want to consider a breeder style tank. they from what i have have seen are bottom dwellers and make their home in the sand. therefor they wouldnt need much "swiming " room.

i agree with the acrylic thing aswell. they are also known as "Thumb splitters" as they have been known to break fingers. just my 2 cents and all i have read that hasnt already been said.

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by Rbacchiega

Just let her know that if she gets a tank for the shrimp...it's only fair that you get something fancy for the 200 gallon...

Well I would have to be careful with that--she would most likely turn that around and say I have so much fancy stuff in the 200 and she wants all kind of Mantis Shrimp!

Originally Posted by ElGuappo

you may even want to consider a breeder style tank. they from what i have have seen are bottom dwellers and make their home in the sand. therefor they wouldnt need much "swiming " room.

i agree with the acrylic thing aswell. they are also known as "Thumb splitters" as they have been known to break fingers. just my 2 cents and all i have read that hasnt already been said.

I told her about the fingers in hopes that would deter her but no luck

Im just kidding though...I would be happy to set up a proper Mantis tank for her if she really does want it.

[justinl]

O. scyllarus hits a max of 18cm. Large specimens will be able to break through 1/4 inch glass easily. There's a few ways around this problem: 1) get a big tank/ a tank with thicker glass (1/2 inch would be safe but may be overkill) 2) go acrylic 3) take a chance, use a standard tank but line the bottom with strips of acrylic and apply a bead of silicone around the edge of the aquarium up to about half an inch. I chose option three in a 75g tank. It should be noted that tank breaks are actually very rare and of those rare occurences, it is super rare to have a break anywhere but in the bottom pane. breaks usually occur when a mantis is digging and wants the stupid clear obstruction out of the way.

it's a big bug and usually an active species so imo 30g minimum. I have mine in a 75g (60g display) and I find it uses the whole tank. gives the tankmates plenty of room to hide as well.

tankmates is an iffy issue with nothing proven. To increase chances of your tankmates living, think carefully. It is a given that fast water column dwelling diurnal fish have the best chances. Damsels and wrasses come to mind. benthic fish like dragonets and gobies are likely toast; seahorses probably would be too. a well-fed mantis should have no reason to try to hunt down a fish. Bigger tanks = more hiding places which i think is a big deal. what worked for me was to introduce a damsel first... the mantis tried and failed to kill it and eventually gave up; from that point on Ive added a few wrasses, and a lyretail anthias. It seems that once a single hard to kill fish breaks the mantis' spirit for fish capture, that's it. I haven't tried benthic fish though. obviously no crustacean killers like big wrasses, puffers or triggers.

if you're thinking of corals, note well that you cannot have high lighting on your tank. Odontodactylids are susceptible to shell rot which is caused by overexposure to light; males are even more susceptible. You could easily keep the lowest light SPS, most LPS and softies though. That said, I went against the grain and have a 48" t5ho and a 250W halide; this would generally be considered too much, but I've figured out where the mantis stays 95% of the time so I just reconfigured my rockwork carefully such that he is in the shade from the majority of the light in that area. Once you know your animal, careful planning may allow you to accomplish out of the ordinary things for a mantis tank.

here's a link from the authority on mantis shrimp, Dr. Roy Caldwell. I'm not sure if you've found the mantis shrimp forum on RC, but he posts there and there is a lot of good info there.
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthrop...me=o_scyllarus

you'll notice I threw in a lot of anecdotal evidence; usuallly not my style, but mantids are very peckish creatures. what you experience WILL vary individual by individual. you couldn't pick a more personable creature that doesn't have a spine. whooo, long post. let me know any other Qs

edit: i apologize if ive made it sound more complicated than it is. long story short, they are hard to kill animals, have very little in terms of demands, yet are very rewarding pets. Also, if you look up their actual biology a bit, you will be amazed. i guarantee it.

[sunce_22]

I totally agree with justinl. I have too many mantis shrimp to start listing! My general rule about putting things in my mantis tank, is that if I don't want it to be food, I wont add it, however each shrimp is an individual!

Just try to use an acrylic tank, or at LEAST a 30G glass with an acrylic bottom. They are great animals, great pets if in a species tank and respected!

Definitely research more before purchasing one though! They are misunderstood because many ppl don't learn to understand them!

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by justinl

O. scyllarus hits a max of 18cm. Large specimens will be able to break through 1/4 inch glass easily. There's a few ways around this problem: 1) get a big tank/ a tank with thicker glass (1/2 inch would be safe but may be overkill) 2) go acrylic 3) take a chance, use a standard tank but line the bottom with strips of acrylic and apply a bead of silicone around the edge of the aquarium up to about half an inch. I chose option three in a 75g tank. It should be noted that tank breaks are actually very rare and of those rare occurences, it is super rare to have a break anywhere but in the bottom pane. breaks usually occur when a mantis is digging and wants the stupid clear obstruction out of the way.

it's a big bug and usually an active species so imo 30g minimum. I have mine in a 75g (60g display) and I find it uses the whole tank. gives the tankmates plenty of room to hide as well.

tankmates is an iffy issue with nothing proven. To increase chances of your tankmates living, think carefully. It is a given that fast water column dwelling diurnal fish have the best chances. Damsels and wrasses come to mind. benthic fish like dragonets and gobies are likely toast; seahorses probably would be too. a well-fed mantis should have no reason to try to hunt down a fish. Bigger tanks = more hiding places which i think is a big deal. what worked for me was to introduce a damsel first... the mantis tried and failed to kill it and eventually gave up; from that point on Ive added a few wrasses, and a lyretail anthias. It seems that once a single hard to kill fish breaks the mantis' spirit for fish capture, that's it. I haven't tried benthic fish though. obviously no crustacean killers like big wrasses, puffers or triggers.

if you're thinking of corals, note well that you cannot have high lighting on your tank. Odontodactylids are susceptible to shell rot which is caused by overexposure to light; males are even more susceptible. You could easily keep the lowest light SPS, most LPS and softies though. That said, I went against the grain and have a 48" t5ho and a 250W halide; this would generally be considered too much, but I've figured out where the mantis stays 95% of the time so I just reconfigured my rockwork carefully such that he is in the shade from the majority of the light in that area. Once you know your animal, careful planning may allow you to accomplish out of the ordinary things for a mantis tank.

here's a link from the authority on mantis shrimp, Dr. Roy Caldwell. I'm not sure if you've found the mantis shrimp forum on RC, but he posts there and there is a lot of good info there.
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthrop...me=o_scyllarus

you'll notice I threw in a lot of anecdotal evidence; usuallly not my style, but mantids are very peckish creatures. what you experience WILL vary individual by individual. you couldn't pick a more personable creature that doesn't have a spine. whooo, long post. let me know any other Qs

edit: i apologize if ive made it sound more complicated than it is. long story short, they are hard to kill animals, have very little in terms of demands, yet are very rewarding pets. Also, if you look up their actual biology a bit, you will be amazed. i guarantee it.

Thanks! Great info.

She just wants the mantis and no fish in the tank. This is really just a mantis tank. The Seahorses are just something she also has wanted but not for this tank--I misunderstood. No corals, just a bit of macro algae and no more than a CF bulb. This is really just a Mantis tank.

I think we will go acrylic and custom made. Would you think a 2'x2' cube is enough or too small?

Do they like deep sand? I assume yes.

Im sure there will be more questions later on.

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by sunce_22

I totally agree with justinl. I have too many mantis shrimp to start listing! My general rule about putting things in my mantis tank, is that if I don't want it to be food, I wont add it, however each shrimp is an individual!

Just try to use an acrylic tank, or at LEAST a 30G glass with an acrylic bottom. They are great animals, great pets if in a species tank and respected!

Definitely research more before purchasing one though! They are misunderstood because many ppl don't learn to understand them!

Thanks.

I am thinking I will grab some 1/2" acrylic and make a nice rimless tank for it and I assume they need a lid? Do they ever try to escape?

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by justinl

Also, if you look up their actual biology a bit, you will be amazed. i guarantee it.

Any suggestions of where I can do this? I have been searching the web but not come up with much.

[sunce_22]

Its not that mine have ever TRIED escaping? (I have three peacocks) However they will sometimes get excited and swim at the top at such a high speed that they will come out of the water... Mine havnt come out far, but they can.

I would definately put some sort of canopy on top that covers the top.
Do not use a heater that has the little red light inside it. I recommend Stealth heaters because they have a black protective layer on top that is nearly shatterproof and will not tempt them by the light.

I dont use a fine grain sand, because they dig often and I dont want the sand to A.) cave back in so they are constantly digging because that can lead to water quality changing!

Put in big pieces of live rock and small rubble. They love to redecorate, and small pieces are easy to move. When they molt they will also close their burrow with these pieces.

I feed my mantis shrimp live food only because I like to give them the exercise (I have heard if mantis dont use their raptorial appendages [smashers] that eventually they can lose them in a molt)

Sorry Im rambling and could go on and on!... Hope that helps.
P.S. a 2' by 2' cube would be good amount of space if its made of acrylic for safety measures.

[sunce_22]

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthrop...raca/royslist/

That is a great website for species profiles and has links to great informational site as well.

Roy Caldwell is an expert on these shrimp (technically stomatopods) he he he

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by sunce_22

Its not that mine have ever TRIED escaping? (I have three peacocks) However they will sometimes get excited and swim at the top at such a high speed that they will come out of the water... Mine havnt come out far, but they can.

I would definately put some sort of canopy on top that covers the top.
Do not use a heater that has the little red light inside it. I recommend Stealth heaters because they have a black protective layer on top that is nearly shatterproof and will not tempt them by the light.

I dont use a fine grain sand, because they dig often and I dont want the sand to A.) cave back in so they are constantly digging because that can lead to water quality changing!

Put in big pieces of live rock and small rubble. They love to redecorate, and small pieces are easy to move. When they molt they will also close their burrow with these pieces.

I feed my mantis shrimp live food only because I like to give them the exercise (I have heard if mantis dont use their raptorial appendages [smashers] that eventually they can lose them in a molt)

Sorry Im rambling and could go on and on!... Hope that helps.
P.S. a 2' by 2' cube would be good amount of space if its made of acrylic for safety measures.

This is great info, thanks.

The tank would be acrylic for sure because I don't trust myself building a tank out of glass