FAQs about Mantis Shrimp
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Related FAQs: Mantis
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New mantis tank; stkg., sel.
1/24/15
Hi
<Hi Aaron>
I have a 30 gallon marine tank with live sand, and a small piece of dry rock for
several weeks now (salinity, temp , nitrates, etc. all in order).
I wanted an easy tank that is also not pricey so I decided to go with a species
tank for a mantis shrimp (chiragra, already found a local supplier).
<G. chiragras are hardy but they are also very reclusive and not interactive.
Incredibly interesting in their own right but do not expect G. smithii levels of
interaction.>
I already have spent time on how to care for it but I am wondering what I can
use to fill the tank. I don't want to have to buy a ton of live rock, and I'm
okay with some dry.
<Ample rock should be provided but PVC pipe can be used in place. It is
paramount that the G. chiragra is able to completely seal itself off during
molts and at night to a lesser extent. Rubble needs to be provided to seal off
pipe ends.>
My main issue is that I don't want the tank to look dull, instead of expensive
coral, is there any easy to grow coral or macro algae, that will be hardy and
easy to reproduce.
<Plenty of soft corals will meet your requirements and subdued lighting required
for the mantis. Capnella sp, Sinularia sp, and Xenia sp would work. Halymenia sp
are a more colorful species of non-invasive macro that are readily available.>
This is my first saltwater tank and I don't want to sink a lot of money in it.
<Easier said than done.>
Open to all suggestions, thanks
<I'd look into a more active and/or interactive species of stomatopod if you're
not dead set on a G. chiragra.>
<Jordan>
Mantis shrimp
10/20/14
I have an empty 30 gallon tank, and would like to acquire a mantis shrimp
(Neogonodactylus oerstedii, only reaches about 3 inches) , I already have a
website that will ship to me, and researched mantis shrimp care. However, this
will be my first salt water tank (though I have had success with brackish). I
know how to feed the shrimp, and have local food suppliers.
But I need technical info. I do not know the temp, ph level, or salinity (I know
it is 33-36 PSU but I do not know what that stands for on my salinity gauge).
Any basic info would help me, thanks.
<Kept these at university (Gonodactylus oerstedii back then...) and they're very
hardy. Basically, a standard fish-only aquarium kit is all you need, with
dividers if you plan on keeping more than one per tank (we used a DIY approach
with plastic mesh for this). External canister filter, a skimmer if you want.
Temperature around 25 C/77 F is fine. Lighting irrelevant.
Salinity anywhere within the normal range, but 1.025 at 25 C is ideal (the PSU
is a measurement of salinity, i.e., salt concentration, which aquarists rarely
worry about; specific gravity is a much easier proxy, for which a
hydrometer will work nicely where these hardy beasts are concerned). Tufa rock
or similar for hiding places. Secure lid probably important though ours never
got out (unlike the crabs we kept...). Feeding as per the
family, with small molluscs and crustaceans being favoured (they're "smashers").
In short, if you can maintain reasonably steady conditions, you'll find these
Mantis Shrimps easy to keep. Cheers, Neale.>
Mantis shrimp; sys. & stkg./sel.
8/28/14
Over the last year I had watched the Video true facts about the Mantis
shrimp the ones shown in that were up to a foot long.
<A few are, but most are much smaller>
Upon recent internet searches I learned about
a much smaller species (Pseudosquilla ciliate) and
I was hooked. I found a local store that caries them occasionally and I
would like to pursue getting them. I have two near empty tanks
both 30 gallons (a freshwater rectangular one,
and a brackish octagonal one). I am prepared
to drain, clean, and purchase new décor, but I have one concern,
they are both glass. The common mantis shrimp only get s about 5 inches
long, yet the still can punch (a foot long ones punch is
equivalent to a .22 caliber bullet, If you
don't believe me look it up). What are the odds
of them (on purpose or accident) punching through the glass. If
not can the spearing variety do the same? Or
would they be less likely to do so? Any help
would be appreciated.
Thanks, Aaron
<Not likely of either type to break glass tanks of the size, shape
you're considering. I give you very good odds here.
Bob Fenner>
Very Deep Sandbed; Mantis sys. f'
4/16/13
After keeping several stoma<to>pod species most of the local shops know
I'm about the only person in the area who keeps them. Friday I got
a frantic call from one of the guys and the wholesaler decided to toss
in 2 stoma<to>pods
into the order. I drove out and saw they had an adult smithii
which I happened to be looking for and had a 10g already being prepped
so I grabbed him. The other was small zebra about 3 inches long
which I was hesitant to take since I didn't have a tank that would
really be able to handle it's unique sand requirements. After
hearing my issues with talking about it I was cut a good deal on a
47g column which as it grows I can most likely plumb
into a sump for extra water volume. It didn't really hit
me how much sand
<And mixed rubble... need for stability/tunneling>
would be needed to setup for this thing and according to the
sandbed calculator on reef central said 375lbs to hit
the 20 inch mark.
<Mmm, I'd stop at eight inches or so>
I've never had a sandbed remotely this deep and I'm starting to wonder
will the tank be able to handle that much sand?
<Is dangerous... too heavy and trouble w/ not enough water to filter,
offer for gas exchange>
Water weighs a lot as well so I think I should be fine, but after doing
some Google searching I can't really find too many (any) setups that
have this sort of sandbed that aren't part of larger custom systems.
Since I'm in an apartment I just want to cover my bases before risking a
blowout and possibly having to break down all my tanks.
<I agree w/ your concern... would limit; no need for more>
Thanks
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>
Re: Very Deep Sandbed 4/16/13
Yeah I have varied grade sand from sugar fine to some coarse stuff and
some crushed coral to allow for stable tunneling.
<Ah good>
Why stop at 8 inches?
<Is sufficient depth, and for the size, shape tank you mention, leaves
enough water volume>
I mostly ask after reading care for zebras from Dr. Caldwell and talking
with Kharn who keeps some 20+ species including L. malculata and
both say to do a sandbed 1.5x the animals length which can reach 15
inches.
<... Won't get this larger here>
One of the setups mentioned had the 20 inch sandbed and only a few inches
of water.
Right now the specimen is only about 4 inches, but I have concerns about
trying to layer sand up over time as it grows trapping a lot more waste
in the sandbed versus starting with a sandbed that will support an
adult.
<... Up to you (of course)... have stated what I would do, and the
rationale for it. BobF>
Coo Coo for Stomatopods,
sys. 3/8/11
Hey there all! Must say your data base has been of big importance to
me, as I plan to set up a Mantis shrimp tank for my very first salt
water tank! I previously sent an email about livestock for a 30 gallon
Bio cube and overall stocking. I guess when it comes to keeping fish
(and crustaceans) I can get a tad ADD towards which fish I'm going
to try and keep (so many wonderful creatures out there) SO, I finally
decided to specialize a tank for a mantis shrimp, as my love for
crustaceans is somewhat stronger than fish... don't ask
why....haha. So a couple oh questions here, if you gents and ladies
don't mind!
Of course you cant miss the stories of mantis shrimps breaking glass
aquariums when heavily researching these cool critters! Is such a tale,
or fact, possible?
<Possible, but not likely>
Do they REALLY have a punch that is a little less than a .22
bullet?
<Some sources state such. Definitely powerful... Have seen break
thick mollusk and crustacean shells>
More specifically I'm talking about the most commonly found (or at
least by me) sold mantis shrimp, /Odontodactylus scyllarus, /aka the
Peacock mantis! If their so popular because of their color (and
size?),
<And common-ness>
but are apparently known to punch through 'yer' water box, then
how are they so popular? Last time I checked, a 30 gallon acrylic tank
was not the least bit cheap compared to the glass counter part! I know
their intelligent and all, so their not going to go around on a random
blitzkrieg hammering the glass to pieces (or at least not the most
common spectacle), but could an accidental blow to the glass ruin all
the money and time invested into the tank?
<Not really likely; no>
I really haven't found more than two printed accounts of a peacock
mantis breaking an aquarium, but other than that I only hear people
mimicking each others 'it will smash up your glass' speech. The
reason for my rant is because a 29 (29 gallon) Oceanic Bio cube is
probably the most cost worthy, well priced, all included, decent tank
out there, and it seems to beat the overall cost of piecing together
all the parts necessary for something similar.
I know /Odontodactylus scyllarus /get to be some of the largest ones
out there but from what I've read, heard, talked about, it seems
the common tank size for such would be 25 US Gallons. Obviously bigger
is better, which is why I'm asking about housing it in a 29 gallon.
If glass breaking is a common thing with this species, I really
wouldn't want to chance one missing blow on an emerald crab and
wasting about 250$....not to mention corals and such.... SO this brings
me to the last part of your torturous journey of reading! I went
through a website that had a page of about 50 different Mantis shrimp
species, each with its specifics etc...etc... etc.. And after much
reading I found a couple of other 'smaller' to medium sized
species. /Gonodactylus smithii, //Gonodactylaceus glabrous,//
Gonodactylellus viridis, //Odontodactylus latirostris,/ just to name a
couple/. /The only thing I'm not so keen on with the smaller 3-4
inch species, is I would really like to see them, and I just kinda
assume it would be hard in a 30 Gallon, but PLEASE do correct me if
I'm wrong! Also, with smaller smashers in mind, is it or has it
been known that smaller species wont go after fish nearly as much as
crustaceans? The reason why I asked, is because throughout the 56 you
tube videos I watched of mantis shrimp most were being housed with
damsel's. Maybe they were coexisting as id think a mantis
wouldn't be as eager to try and snatch a grumpy and slightly
sadistic damsel as fast as it would a slow..er..ish ...emerald crab.
I'm sure your allays running a risk, but if you keep your mantis
well fed I would think they could coexist. If so, or not (I may give it
a try), this is one of the possible pluses I see of keeping a smaller
mantis, along with the assurance that a smaller mantis couldn't
possibly crack open the tank.....right?
<Possibly>
(then again, anything's possible). Do you folks have any idea as to
what mantis might be suitable for such a tank?
<There are MANY... easy to likely find a "donor" and try
it out (Craig's List, your local livestock fish stores...)>
Id like to stay away from spearers, of course color would be nice, and
key of all would be activity level, as if I wanted to have a pet that
doesn't do anything or just sits in a cave or no where to be seen,
I might as well have a pet rock.....I mean don't take that the
wrong way, but I like a good creature that you'll actually be able
to see! If only at feedings, I'm cool with that, but the more
active the better! And one last thing!
Another reason why I'd fancy myself a peacock is because they seem
to be much more veracious than its smaller counter parts...then again I
haven't seen to much footage of anything else but Peacock
mantis' ...
I hope I didn't bore you too much, or give you a seizure from
staring at a screen or trying to answer such a long question! I hope
the size of this paragraph (.no no...more like essay?) didn't scare
you or waste too much of your time! But I really appreciate any
feedback and look forward to some info to feed my Stomatopod fueled
rage!
-John
<I think you'd/you'll be fine w/ a glass tank here. Bob
Fenner>
Re: Coo Coo for Stomatopoda 3/9/11
Thanks (Dr. ?) Mr. Fenner! I once again apologize for such a long
message, and I also appreciate your response! Sounds like a 29 gallon
Biocube might be the way to go, and also with a beautiful
Odontodactylus scyllarus. Hopefully he doesn't get to frisky and
try to drill through the glass..... I'm kinda highly doubtful as I
said before that if they were commonly known to do so, then
wouldn't that make them a tad bit less popular? anyways I had one
last question. Is it possible that when I'm stacking my live rock
that if I make a cave or hollow out a burrow in the centerpiece, and
when I introduce the mantis (possibly letting it go in front of the
cave) that it will bolt for the desired half way premade hole?
<Yes. Just do set the principal/larger rock directly on the aquarium
bottom... to prevent toppling by undermining/digging; i.e., not on top
of the sand/substrate>
I suppose its up to chance and the mantis at that but didn't know
if there was any light you could shine on it.. OH! and are the peacock
mantis' often found roaming around even before or not during
feedings?
<In the wild, yes, at times, places they're very outgoing. In
captivity, with time, familiarity likewise they are more
forthcoming>
Or are they known to just sit in their burrow all day, and only come
out during feedings? Thanks once again!
<Welcome. BobF>
Hey crew, its salt water time! Stomatopod
keeping 10/15/10
Greetings my fine friends.
<Salve,>
After much trial and error I feel like I'm officially a journeyman
freshwater aquarium hobbyist (in no small part thanks to WWM). I'm
now getting ready for my first salt water project and would like some
advice
for the set up. I have decided to start with the cockroach of the sea,
the mighty stomatopods. My research indicates that they are a hardy,
robust species with only a few weaknesses (organic solvents?).
<They are indeed very easy to look after. Dangerous to your fingers,
yes, but otherwise undemanding.>
So what I want to know is this:
1, Is this truly a good first saltwater animal?
<Was my first tropical marine invertebrate! Kept several species for
long periods at university.>
2, What species would you recommend, my LFS is run by a old salt who
could probably find me a dolphin if I were willing to pay for it so
suggest away, and
<The Peacock Mantis Odontodactylus scyllarus is probably the most
popular and easy to obtain thanks to its bright colours and fairly
large size. The Zebra Mantis Lysiosquillina maculata is another large,
strikingly
attractive species. Of these, the first is a "smasher" and
the second a "spearer" so in the wild at least have different
preferences in terms of diet, but care is identical under aquarium
conditions. Various small
Gonodactylus are available as well; the ones I kept at university were
Gonodactylus oerstedi. These are small "smashers" less than
half the size of the species mentioned earlier. Since they're
viewed as pests by "serious" marine aquarists, you may even
be able to get a small Mantis for free if you can do a bit of
networking among your local fishkeeping club, retailer or perhaps
online.>
3, Finally how exactly would you set it up?
<Almost any basic marine aquarium will work. I kept multiple
specimens in a large aquarium (55 gallons?) divided up into
compartments with strong plastic mesh and filtered with a standard
external canister. Not very attractive, but fine for lab work. As pets,
a simple system with live rock and coral sand will do the trick. The
only thing to remember is that Mantis shrimps are burrowers. PVC tubes
work fine as alternatives to real burrows, but they do need some sort
of cave.>
a. what type of tank would you go for? I'm looking at a all in one
Biocube
type setup but I'm not settled on a brand.
<Cut according to your cloth. These are NOT demanding animals, and
provided the tank is adequate for keeping invertebrates generally, and
invertebrates of this particular size, it should be fine.>
b. live rock, live sand?
<Live rock certainly, if your budget allows, but live sand will be
thoroughly burrowed into and likely heaped in one corner, so its
practicality may be limited.>
c. size? I'm leaning towards 15g but its still up in the air.
<15 gallons should be fine for one of the little Gonodactylus, but
I'd allow more space for the bigger species.>
d. any corals viable with the little guy?
<They ignore cnidarians and sponges, so sure, you can use corals if
you want. But that adds a layer of expense in terms of lighting and
water quality not particularly important to keeping Mantis shrimps.
Plus, strong lighting will cause your Mantis to hide away. Ideally, the
tank wouldn't be lit at all, of if it was, with something rather
dim, like moonlight tubes.
I kept my Mantis shrimps with Beadlet Anemones, and these anemones bred
like crazy, eating up the leftover particles of food, I guess.>
e, lighting?.
<The shrimps couldn't care less. Most species are nocturnal,
dusk/dawn active, or at least very shy if they do move about during the
day.>
f, treated tap water is fine for these guys right?
<Should be fine, provided water quality is reasonable, i.e.,
nitrates less
than 20 mg/l.>
My goal is a very simple, easily maintainable tank, a Zen garden with a
tiny monster in the middle.
<I'll say!>
Warmest regards,
Rob
<There's a good scientific literature on keeping these shrimps
in labs, so if you have access to such, you'd find that worthwhile.
The "Lurkers Guide to Stomatopods" is a rare example of a
scientific project that has spawned good, usable information for
non-scientists, and is well worth a visit.
http://www.blueboard.com/mantis/care.htm
All in all, fantastic animals, sadly undervalued. Hope this helps.
Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Hey crew, its salt water time!
10/15/10
Thanks man, your prompt assistance is appreciated as always.
<Glad to help.>
So would a product like this truly be all that I need gear wise?
http://www.oceanicsystems.com/products/biocube.php
<Oh, sure, very nice for the right sized Mantis.>
I'm thinking Gonodactylus in a 14 gallon tank with 5lbs live rock
and 10lbs mixed pinkie sized gravel.
<Sounds good. There are some medium-sized species in this genus that
get to about 8-10 cm/3-4 inches, and those should be fine in there. You
might even look at Pseudosquilla ciliata, a bright yellow, day active
species.>
I would love to get a larger tank with a giant peacock, but the old
lady put her foot down!
<I bet. Did you tell you pet could land you in the Emergency
Room?>
About feeding, seems to me the common consensus is that they will eat
dead meaty food easily enough but a weekly serving of live crustacean
(for smashers) is best. Would fresh water crayfish from a bait shop be
as bad an idea as I suspect that it is? What would be the best (read
cheapest yet healthy) live food be.
<No live food needed. I fed mine using long forceps. Wiggle the food
enticingly. These animals are VERY smart, and soon learn where
"easy meals" come from. Doesn't take long to get them
weaned onto such fare. I'm not sure I'd use live crayfish for
the small species -- partly they may not be able to kill it, and partly
you'd end up with so much decaying organic matter in the tank
you'd ruin water quality. But plain vanilla river shrimp will do,
and at least here in England you can buy them for about 5 pence (7-8
cents) a piece from the better aquarium shops. These are estuarine
shrimps and live indefinitely in marine aquaria, so they're much
less of problem in terms of water quality. Small live clams and mussels
might be offered to "smashers". But otherwise, go browse your
local Asian food market and stock up on wet frozen squid, cockles,
clams, prawns and so on.
Unshelled shrimp is particularly good, but do bear in mind crustaceans
and some molluscs (mussels in particular) are thiaminase-rich, so you
want to either minimise their use in favour of thiaminase-free foods
like tilapia fillet and cockles, or else use marine aquarium vitamin
supplements.
Without the right diet, mantis shrimps exhibit a variety of shell
deformities and moult problems.>
Thanks again Neale,
Rob
<Have fun with your pet! Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Hey crew, its salt water time!
10/15/10
Looking forward to it.
Rob
PS: Please don't tell the wife about the emergency room thing.
<So just for once, let's hope that's one person who
doesn't visit WetWebMedia! Cheers, Neale.>
Mantis Reef Clean up crew
8/28/10
Hi Wet Web Media,
<Hello Peter,>
Peter writing here. I first would like to say I find your site very
informative and useful. I have had a 70g corner fish only saltwater
tank years ago for about 6 years before I left for work purposes. Now I
have settled and put some roots down, I have started up a little 8g
nanoreef aquarium; the information I have learned here was vital to
learning how to properly run a reef aquarium.
<Thanks for the kind words, and glad you're having fun.>
I currently have a blue damsel (which I hope to trade in for store
credit for something) in my 8g Biocube along with some tree coral,
xenias, Zoas, and mushroom coral. But what I want to is want to keep a
small smasher species of mantis shrimp for my nanoreef aquarium. What I
cannot find and am interested in is what are your recommendations on a
CUC for keeping such a small reef tank with the said mantis. I realize
that any crustaceans and probably fish I may keep for the clean up crew
are doomed as food for the mantis and want to spare the expense on CUC
and the animals lives. I
currently use about 8lbs of live rock and 11 lbs of LS for filtration
in my tank. All my water readings are pretty decent: 79 degrees
Fahrenheit, 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrate, 8.2 ph, and about .10 nitrate at its
highest. Do you have any recommendations for a clean up crew that can
coexist with a smasher species mantis shrimp. Or do you think that my
bioload is small
enough to keep a 3-4" mantis that I do not need a clean up crew at
all.
Thanks for taking your time to answer the questions. I really
appreciate what your crew does for all of us in the saltwater aquarium
hobby.
Thanks a lot,
Peter T.
<I recall a joke on another forum to the effect that you can have
any three tankmates you want in a Mantis Shrimp aquarium, and
they're called "Breakfast", "Lunch", and
"Dinner"! The 'spearer' Mantis Shrimps it is true
tend to ignore molluscs and mostly feed on fish, errant Polychaetes,
and crustaceans such as shrimps and hermits. The 'smasher'
species take all these as well as gastropods and bivalves. Echinoderms
are a mixed bag. Sea urchins will be eaten by some species, but brittle
stars and starfish, especially the smaller kinds, tend to ignored. They
aren't very meaty, and they also contain saponins that most
predatory animals find distasteful. So those would be the best
scavengers, to the degree that you need them at all, which you really
don't. Mantis Shrimps are best kept in their own systems, and left
to clean up behind themselves. Provided you don't overfeed them,
there's no reason not to assume the usual live rock biota won't
clean up any traces of food, and the polyps should take in any
particulate matter in the water. I kept Beadlet Anemones with by
Odontodactylus and Gonodactylus and they bred like crazy! As for
8-gallons, that's a pretty small tank, but for one of the small
Gonodactylus species, should be adequate. Mantis Shrimps are incredibly
hardy and widely kept in small systems as lab animals. Cheers,
Neale.>
thanks: Re: Mantis Reef Clean up crew
Hello again Wet Web,
Thank you for the quick reply pertaining to my question about a CUC and
mantis shrimp. Sorry about a grammar error in my last email. Must of
been a late night for me. Anyways, thanks again ;)
Peter
<Glad to help, and your message was good enough for government
work!
Cheers, Neale.>
Mantis shrimp? sys., sm. SW
period 12/5/07 Ok so I don't know if
y'all know much about mantis shrimp but here goes....So I told my
LFS to order a small mantis shrimp for me for my tank. They ordered a
peacock. Yeah, they get huge, about 5 inches. So anyways, I have a tom
deco 3, <Three gallon...
http://www.theaquaticdepot.com/tom-aquarium-products-deco-kit-3-gallon-nano-ree.html>
would my mantis be fine in my tank, for now? He about 2 inches
long...if so, how long do I have until he will grow to adult size?
<Mmm, well... stomatopods are tough animals... but I give you very
small odds of being able to keep this tiny volume stable-enough to keep
even this alive. I strongly encourage your reading re "Nano"
maintenance... and being VERY diligent re daily topping off, matching
water spg exactly for regular water changes... Bob
Fenner>
Re: mantis shrimp? Sys. and
nano 12.8.07 I totally agree it will be hard but I have all
the equipment and I am very good at topping off the water in my BC14
every week, if not twice a week. Ill tell you how it goes if you like?
<Please do. BobF>
Sick Pet Mantis Shrimp
10/22/07 Hello WetWebMedia crew, <Maria> I really love your
site and find it very informative and helpful. <Ahh, glad you find
it useful> Now, I am an owner of a beautiful 7 inch peacock mantis.
It lives in an 8 gallon nano cube with a yellow tail damsel. <Yikes.
Glad I'm not this Damsel!> The tank has live sand and a few
pieces of live rock that form a cave for her to hide in. Mantis shrimps
are cool pets and have colorful personalities. However, my mantis has
developed a brownish discoloration on its back. It started as a small
round speck and is now getting a little bit bigger and oval shaped
(around 2 millimeters). I read on the web that peacock mantis shrimps
are especially susceptible to shell disease. <Yes> I am afraid
that this is what my mantis may have. The sites I have visited suggest
to feed the mantis everyday to encourage it to molt. <Along with
iodine, sufficient alkalinity and alkaline earth content in its
water... VERY hard to supply consistently in this small volume> They
also said that by molting regularly they can get ahead of the disease.
I have been feeding my mantis everyday (hermit crabs, snails, and
frozen krill). I also read that keeping the tank light on can help
expedite the disease. I have no idea if this is true. <Mmm, can...
if adds stress, the "spots" are algal...> Lately, I have
been keeping the lights off on her tank (unless I am feeding her). I
have also been performing 2 gallon water changes on her tank every week
to try to keep the water quality up. Any suggestions or tips on what I
should do? I would hate to loose her. Do you guys think it may be shell
disease? Thanks in advance. MR <Mmm, better environment... a bigger
tank... what are your measures for Mg, Ca, Alkalinity? Do you
supplement I2? Bob Fenner>
Hola amigo, mantis biz, biz of life... Hey
Bob, <Hello James!> Questions... as usual So, the local
mantis shrimps that they call shako are about 4 or 5 inches long
and I can get them alive for a few pennies each at the marina when
the boats come in. Actually I've been given several pounds for
free - but they sell cheap at the market. I decided to bring a
couple home, and I've kept two in a 25 gallon tank together for
about a month now. Not only have they not killed each other, they
haven't even noticed each other apparently. So, I'm
wondering - you think there would be any money to be made by
shipping some out? And would you have any idea at all about how I
would get started trying to figure out how to do it, the legality
of shipping critters from here, etc. I plead complete ignorance of
the shipping transshipping aspect of the hobby/business from the
supplier side... <Hard to say... there's such a strong
anti-mantis sentiment in the hobby, that I suspect dealers would be
wont to stock them... but worth a try.> Other stuff... Looks
like I'm staying another year. I'm saving more than ever
(no bills), I've got a couple of books going, and still
enjoying the place quite a lot. I have taken your advice about
rental/real estate to heart and plan to return will enough cash to
get the future started right. I'm also toying around with the
idea of starting a product line - but again that's something
I'll have to learn a lot about before making any real decision
to jump into business ownership again. Anyway, life is good.
<Yes my friend... despite common practice/s in the U.S. at the
federal to personal level, "everything starts with
savings"... and cash will be more "king" as time
goes by... keep saving> Hope you are doing well - say hey to
Pete for me if you think about it, JF <Will do. Be seeing you,
maybe back in Hawaii... am hauling out 8/9-31 if you can make it...
then again in October. Bob Fenner> P.S. check out the eyes! very
cool creatures <Neato> James W. Fatherree Minami Oohashi
3-4-1 Okimoto Kopo #502 Fukuoka-ken, Yukuhashi-shi Japan 824-0032
www.fatherree.com/james/yukuhashi/home.htm
www.fatherree.com/james |
|
Mantis Removed Hi Crew, Dave in China here
again. I recently installed some LR into the tank; and after a day or
so heard that glass cracking snap every once in a while that lead me to
search the site. I have heard some lighter sounds in the past but much
less frequent than this, and had 'things' completely disappear
which has started me thinking as I write this. Anyway, after much
searching in your FAQ and catching a glimpse of eyes at the end of
storks on a new piece of rock, it was obvious that a MS was recently
added unintentionally. I didn't react immediately as it looked from the
glimpse very small. Imagine my fear in the morning when I saw this
2-1/2" to 3", I must say stunningly beautiful MS strolling
around the tank. <Gorgeous, intelligent animals> My feelings of
this cute little MS staying in the day before were soon re-evaluated in
about a millisecond. I tried the bottle and food trick without success,
but then he was startled by a fish, small fish may I add and to my
surprise, but he shot straight back into the piece of LR and closed his
door, which I also think is amazing. Again I had this urge not wanting
to dispose of this fascinating creature, but the main tank has small
fish, Turbo's, small crabs, cleaner and boxer shrimps etc, so had
to make the decision to remove. I quickly grabbed the wife to watch the
rock for bail out as I removed it from the tank. Then I thought about
keeping him in the sump which I am slowly converting to be
sump/refuge/Caulerpa growth area. <Good idea> The sump has (4)
sections with a total capacity of about 30 US Gal. Section 1 has the
skimmer, 2 has crushed coral and Caulerpa at the moment, 3 has crushed
coral and 4 the pumps and heaters etc. I have placed the LR with MS
into section 2 where the lights are on 24/7. So the questions:- 1) Do
you think it is OK to keep the MS in the sump? <Yes> 2) Is OK
with lights 24/7? <Should be> 3) Will the LR and other
inhabitants suffer from the lights? <Some, yes> 4) In the absence
of food what is best to give him? <Most anything meaty... the
occasional (weekly, biweekly) live crustacean would be best.> Thanks
as usual, Dave <Welcome. Bob Fenner>
Questions about nanoreef for Stomatopod Hello,
all. I'm setting up a nanoreef for a smaller mantis shrimp such as
Neogonodactylus wennerae (not about to go for a peacock -- I like my
fingers too much). Anyways, what I've got so far are: 11 gal Via
Aqua tank/lights, 20 lb live sand, 15 lb live rock, AquaClear 20
filter. Just set this tank up so it'll be a few weeks before
it's ready for guests. A few questions: (1) I know I need a skimmer
on this small of a tank, in addition to frequent water changes. LFS
suggested a Prizm, which I set up, tried in vain to tune and/or quiet,
and it's now going on EBay (Grr.. hack spit). After looking at FAQs
belatedly I'm getting a Remora (quieter, better skimming). Is this
too much skimming for this tank? <Oversized, but fine> I might
put some hardy corals in here and perhaps a fish or two or three,
depending on what the mantis "accepts". Is there such a thing
as "overskimming"? <Yes, but not practically here> If
it's "too much" should I just put it on a timer for a few
hours a day? (2) Is there any "cleanup crew" that a small
mantis might leave alone? <No> Small hermits and snails will be
just so much mantis food. I've heard that turbo snails might work,
if they're big enough. Thanks! Dan <Time, experience will tell.
Bob Fenner>
More than one mantis per tank? 5/6/05 Hello.
Is it safe to house 2 small mantis shrimp in a 10 gal tank? I had 2
mantis shrimp housed together in a 10 gal tank with plenty of separate
holes and caves for both. The larger we had about 4-5 months and the
smaller about 1-2 months. Both ate well, especially the larger one
(frozen shrimp, raw and cooked). <As voracious predators, these
critters really benefit from a variety of meaty foods, with as much as
possible being whole and with a shell. Small live fiddler crabs and
crayfish are great treats and give these very intelligent mantis some
much needed mental and physical stimulation! Frozen shrimp with the
head (or at least shell) still on are better than peeled. Mysis are
very nutritious staples. Cooked foods are never recommended for marine
animals.> They had heat, little live rock and gravel, a power head
and regular feeding and water changes. Sadly, the larger one died
mysteriously. He/she was fairly interactive for a mantis. Last time I
saw him he ate well and then he disappeared and I found him dead a few
days later. I thought he was molting but I guess not. I really enjoyed
him a lot and miss him. The small one is coming out of it's holes
more now. Is it possible the smaller one killed the large one?? Thanks,
Maria <It is possible that the smaller one killed the larger, but
the battle scars would probably be very evident. It is more likely that
age or poor nutrition played a bigger role. As for adding another... it
is possible, but risky. Many of the territorial true shrimps (Mantis
are in their own family<<Actually Order. RMF>>) will
tolerate members of the opposite sex, but some will only do so during
courtship and mating. Although they are not true shrimps, I would guess
that mantis are similarly unpredictable. My best suggestion if you add
a second mantis is to be prepared to quickly separate them in case of
trouble. Also, if you do successfully make a pair and they mate, please
let us know! Best Regards. AdamC.>
Quarantine tanks and Stomatopods Hi everybody,
A small piece of advice please regarding QTanks and Mantis Shrimps
please. I presently have a 180G simple reef system without QT, yes I
know I know, that\u2019s the reason for this. Cut a long story short, I
managed to catch a Mantis a few weeks back and asked Bob about placing
him into my sump which he said I could. All fine. However, this
creature is amazing and beautiful and has actually got me watching his
activities just as much as the main system. In fact I quite enjoyed
feeding the little guy (3") on hands and knees peering through the
glass of the sump, so much so I decided to convert a 10G freshwater
into a Micro reef. I did this and got a 'Chinese' hang on
skimmer (Not too good), internal canister and external power filter to
try and emulate the best conditions I could. Put a few pounds of live
rock in, a YT damsel and cleaner shrimp for other activity or live food
in the case of the shrimp (4 weeks and still there however) and read up
as much as I could on mini's. However, due to time, the not so good
Chinese available equipment and my own knowledge more than anything; I
am struggling to keep the correct parameters and maintenance regimes to
keep this small system viable. Therefore I had a thought as I
would love to keep this guy, and the second mantis from the main system
I noticed recently but not been able to trap yet, could I place this
10G alongside the main 180G, pump up from the sump of the main into the
10G, overflow back to the sump thereby using all of the same equipment
and water quality from the main system? In an emergency then I
could also return the internal/external canisters onto the 10G with
seeded inserts from the sump I would do, turn off the supply pump to
the 10G, remove the live rocks with inserted mantis's back to the
main sump, and use the 10G as a hospital? If not a hospital due to
still not being able to treat with copper due to future overflows back
to main, then at least a QT tank? As a final question about this, is it
possible to keep (2) Mantis together in a 10G? Thanks as always from
afar distant China. Dave >>>Greetings Dave! Quite honestly,
that little system should be the easiest thing in the world to take
care of. The lowest maintenance system I've ever had was a 7 gallon
nano-reef sitting on my desk at work. You don't NEED a skimmer on a
tank this size, ESPECIALLY for a Stomatopod! ("mantis
shrimp") For one thing, the tank being so small, water changes are
a snap which negates the need for a skimmer. Secondly, stomatopods are
TOUGH little hombres! They are the roaches of the reef world (as far as
hardiness goes) and you have to be quite negligent to kill one quite
honestly. All you need for that little tank is a shallow layer of sand,
some live rock, a heater, and a powerhead to give it some circulation.
That's it! Whatever light you have available will work. Just change
out 2 or 3 gallons of water every two weeks, keep it topped-off, and
you're set. I certainly wouldn't go through all the trouble of
plumbing it to the main system as you described. Small tanks are a
snap, and I'd be glad to lend you further advice on the matter
should have an more specific questions. Cheers
Jim<<<
Stomatopod question Hi Bob, Mike again (you should start
handing out nicknames for all of us Mike's, easier to keep track of
us that way) <Hmm, maybe> This may well be a question you've
never had before. I thought that as practice for my eventual larger set
up I'd keep a Stomatopod, given they're reputation as
"cockroaches" of the sea I thought a smaller setup would work
well. I've read the WWM postings on them and the Lurker's
guide, plus whatever else I've come across in my wanderings. I was
wondering if I could get the official Robert Fenner Stamp O'
Approval on this for a species setup for keeping one of these buggers:
An Eclipse system 12 for the tank and mechanical/biological filtration,
a Pro-Heat Titanium Heater (no danger of broken glass there) <Good
idea> A power head for additional current (300 gph?) <Okay> 20
lbs of substrate (I'm shooting for enough for it comfortably dig a
burrow) <Make it "mixed grade" with some larger (pinkie
finger, your new nick name btw) size pieces> 20 lbs of live rock 10
lbs of live sand I was thinking of ordering from Tampa Bay Saltwater
and doing a pure Florida biotope setup, getting one of their 10 gallon
packages. I'm aware that the included cleanup crew will probably be
mantis food, <Yes> but one can always hope. I know bigger is
better, but I'm looking for a small scale system to practice with,
and I figure the work involved in keeping a smaller system going would
be good training to create good habits for keeping my larger system. As
crazy as this sounds I was also wondering about breeding them. Just how
big of a tank would be required to keep multiple individuals, esp.
Lysiosquillina maculata? <Several square feet of bottom per
individual> I know they're compatible as pairs, but I'm not
sure about most of the others. Well, I'm done rambling now, and as
always, thanks! btw, I'll be ordering the Conscientious Marine
Aquarist and A Fishwatcher's Guide to The Saltwater Aquarium Fishes
of the World, Amazon upped the price on them by about $3.50 but now
there's "free shipping" <Sounds reasonable> if you
order 2 or more items. In the words of Paul Simon, "who do they
think you foolin?". Anyway, it still beats the LFS's prices
out here, the best I deal I could find was $55 for the softback on CMA.
<Wowzah, I'm going to sell my copy! Be chatting. Bob Fenner>
Thanks as always, Mike
Mantis questions Good night, I hope all is well. I checked
your website about info on mantis shrimp, for after purchasing some
live rock recently, I found one. thank God he was in a rock cave when I
saw him. I immediately took the rock out, and after a test of patience
I got him out. Right now I have him in a small cup which has access to
the tank water, and is oxygenated and filtered. However, I feel badly
for the mantis, because he seems so confined in the cup. I was
wondering to what extent is he detrimental to my tank. <Mmm, depends
on the species of Mantis... what else you have, intend to keep in your
system.> I was wondering if I could release him back into the tank
for now, without fear of losing anything. Currently my stats are a 10g,
9 lbs live rock, extremely live rock, with tunicates, Featherdusters up
the wazoo, numerous worms, baby crabs, 2 hermit crabs, Caulerpa (doubt
he'll bother that), a colony of small flower looking corals
(forgive my ignorance, they came in on my rock, and I'm not sure
what they are) , a small rock anemone, and barnacles. no fish. (if I
get any it will be a fire goby, which I imagine then I'll have to
remove the shrimp because he'll eat such a small fish) and I plan
to get other inverts i.e.. stars, cukes?, and if any shrimp then
Lysmata, maybe some other sessile inverts. but those plans are later.
so can I safely release the mantis back into the tank until later?
<If you don't mind possibly having to "fish" it out
later> I don't want to kill him, give him to the LFS, because
they'll kill him, and I don't have a tank for just a shrimp
that's only a few inches long. Any help would be greatly
appreciated. thank you, and sorry for the long post. Sincerely
Erik <No worries. Do consider having the Mantis as your
primary "centerpiece" of this small system. It will likely
eat any/all fish life introduced, but leave algae, most attached
invertebrates alone. I am sending your note to a "Stomatopod
fanatic" friend for his further input. Bob Fenner>
Re: mantis questions Hi Robbie, Consider yourself among the
lucky, fishing the mantis out that fast. They are very interesting
animals (I suggest you go to http://www.blueboard.com to learn a lot
more about them) and very hard to catch in most cases. Mantis's
come in 2 flavors: smashers and spearers. Spearers eat fish, smashers
eat shelled animals, but both can and will eat the others preferred
food. You can tell which is which by the shape of the claw, most that
come in on live rock are smashers though. If you're willing to live
with the loss of snails and hermit clean up crews, they make
interesting pets. They won't hurt your corals, as an aside, it
sounds like you Zoanthid polyps on your rock. I'm doing a 10g
dedicated mantis tank myself. Dr. Roy Caldwell (THE mantis expert,
he's studied them for well over 25 years) keeps them in containers
in his lab, no filtration just dedicated water changes. If you do
decide to keep it, please don't keep any fish in with it, it will
eventually eat them. If you do decide to give it up, Reef Central
(http://www.reefcentral.com) has a mantis shrimp board. Someone would
gladly take the mantis off your hands, just be sure and get your
shipping money up front, one individual shipped without payment, and is
still waiting to get his money back. Heck, I'd offer to take it
myself but I've already got 2 lined up and don't want to be
greedy ; ) Mike (aka PF) (btw Bob, I'm deeply flattered that you
forwarded this to me, you weren't kidding about that long ago
threat were you? "hang around long enough and you'll be
answering questions..." : ) ) <Thank you much for your input
here Mike. Bob Fenner>