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#1
03-26-2009, 06:50 AM
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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!
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BRITTANY "Live the life you want to remember" Last edited by sunce_22; 03-26-2009 at 06:57 AM. 
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#2
03-26-2009, 07:02 AM
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Quote:
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?
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#3
03-26-2009, 07:08 AM
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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.
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BRITTANY "Live the life you want to remember"
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#4
03-26-2009, 07:09 AM
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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
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BRITTANY "Live the life you want to remember"
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#5
03-26-2009, 07:18 AM
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Quote:
The tank would be acrylic for sure because I don't trust myself building a tank out of glass 
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#7
03-26-2009, 08:06 AM
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yup, +1, a 2ft cube would make a great mantis tank.
Peacocks don't really make burrows in the sand. They make their burrows under the rocks, preferably in a close fitting U shaped cave; If i give my mantis more than two opening in his burrow, he will seal up one of the holes. A 2 inch sandbed will suffice, but you're welcome to go deeper. Escaping, in theory, would seem to to be an issue. Mantis shrimp have astoundingly fast escape responses. You know how fast a squid can jet away? well a mantis beats that and can keep up this ridiculous speed for quite a distance too. Dr. roy has witnessed large O. scyllarus clear over 6 inches of air. So, in light of that, imo, rimless is a bad idea unless you don't fill the tank the whole way (which certainly is an option if you don't have to worry about plumbing into an overflow). A lid isn't really necessary, but an open topped canopy perhaps? For the record, my peacock hasn't done much more than just barely break the surface of the water. I refuse to believe SSB can ever go anoxic and cause water quality issues, but that's a whole other can of beans. Most keepers use a fine grain sand bed and Dr. roy has noted that using rough substrate like crushed coral can wear at the mantis' pleopods and will eventually cause the colour to fade until the next molt; no real effect on the mantis except aesthetics. ah yes, LR rubble is a vital element in a mantis tank. they will use rubble and shells of their former victims to redecorate their burrow often. I know no corals are in the plan, but without rubble, a mantis will often use frags or crack pieces off of the rockwork instead. food, might as well cover this now. variety is key. three marine fleshy meats (they aren't picky) or more. soaking in a supplement like selcon once in a while is recommended. No need to over feed, at most every two days. you'll figure how much a mantis will eat as it will throw the leftovers out. I'm sure you'll have no trouble covering this section easily enough. I'm sure you'll have no trouble covering this section easily enough. Live foods are necessary just to ensure that the mantis uses its raptorial appendages (rapts aka smashing arms) once in a while. If they do not, they will tear them off eventually; although they grow back in a few molts, it's pretty stressing. At least a few turbos a month, nothing major. nothing with big claws for obvious reasons.
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#8
03-26-2009, 08:24 AM
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here's a few random sources of stomatopod info that should keep you occupied for a while...
lots to get you started here http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/aquarius/index.html and here. particularly under "stomatopod biology" http://www.blueboard.com/mantis/ here's the RC forum. lots of hidden gems posted by Dr. Roy if you're willing to dig for them. take a look at his photo gallery too while you're at it. http://reefcentral.com/forums/forumd...?s=&forumid=37 here's a good one: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...readid=1603180 here's my favourite video (taken by Dr. Caldwell). if you're familiar with the danger of a blue ring octopus the significance will not be lost on you. http://www.reefcentral.com/vid/bluer...g_content.html before animal ethics police gets on my tail, read this thread regarding the vid. http://www.tonmo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7366 now leave me alone, im goin to sleep! 
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