Mantis Shrimp

[jcook54]

I think I've finally done it. By "it" I mean found the perfect excuse to add another tank to my collection. I saw someone post that they had a 10g Nuvo. Then I saw someone post a video of a mantis shrimp doing mantis shrimp stuff. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? A 10g species only with a smaller sized Caribbean mantis. @timeconsumer has given me some very helpful advice and I wanted to reach out and see how many folks out here have kept mantis shrimp. I had one in an old 55g system that came in as a hitchhiker but I didn't see him much at all and evantually he just disappeared. Have any of you guys kept species only mantis tanks? What's their activity level been like? I'm afraid that I'll get a system all setup, add the shrimp and never, ever see the thing. This wouldn't be the end of the world but right now my plan doesn't involve any corals <--- famous last words.

 

[timeconsumer]

Yes! More mantis people!

My N. wennerae is in a standard 15g Aqueon tank (like a 20 high but shorter). He has a couple damsel roommates that he leaves alone, but they were put in there with the understanding that he might eat them one day. So you could say it is technically a species only aquarium. It is a truly minimalist tank with nothing but a heater (titanium), a powerhead, and a Reef Brite bar I had lying around.

N. wennerae is definitely an active mantis and I think can be happy in a 10g aquarium for its entire life. They love to burrow so give it plenty of sand, rubble, pebbles, and live rock. He's constantly moving around and grabbing little pebbles to take back to his burrow, which is under a chunk of live rock. He also likes to break up the rocks for chunks or to widen his burrow, don't put this tank in a room where you need quiet (although they are diurnal and sleep at night).

They also like to hunt, mine loves to eat snails and I've watched him run up the front glass to snag a nerite snail and take it back to his burrow for lunch. I have yet to discover how he feels about coral as I haven't put any in yet, but some friends of mine with mantises have told me their wenneraes like to move frags around.

 

[jcook54]

Does it eat prepared food? Like chunks of shrimp or clam, something like that? Or do you always have to keep some snails in there for dining purposes.

 

[tdam]

i used to do a peacock mantis in my fish only tank. All the fish were safe. they will swim to the top and grab food. if i were you, i'd just get a big peacock mantis. a small hitchhiker type, you'd never see. JMO

 

[timeconsumer]

Yes I feed my wennerae prepared food. I use LRS Fish Frenzy and he takes it right off my tweezers. I'll take a video of feeding later today and upload it if you'd like to see.

I disagree with the idea you'll never see it assuming you have it in a species tank. In a 100g tank no you wouldn't see it much. I see my wennerae a lot, just not as much as a fish or a cleaner shrimp or something. It's in a tank next to my work desk and I get to watch him a ton. Something like a N. curacaoensis no you won't see much as they spend most of the day in the burrow.

 

[lmm1967]

I'm often thought about having one - I used to feed a couple at a marine institute in Dana Point back in the mid 80s - been fascinated with them since.

 

[ActiveAngel]

I’ve seen them eat prepared food fed with tongs.

Also, two of my friends that kept them placed them in a tank inside a tank... tank-ception. Just so that they wouldn’t crack the glass.

 

[timeconsumer]

On the subject of cracking glass here is what I know. In a tank with normal glass thickness like 1/4" even a big peacock mantis won't break the glass with a single strike. Roy Caldwell said chipping glass did tend to happen sometimes, mostly with a mantis burrowing and striking the bottom pane multiple times trying to dig through it. He also shared a story of a 5" peacock that liked to strike his glass in the same spot multiple times per day, and that peacock broke 2 tanks in one year. He said heater breaks were very common with many species.

As far as a smaller Caribbean species in the 3" range I personally am not worried but I suppose anything is possible. My wennerae got bored one day and sat there striking the same spot of the glass for a solid 20 minutes one day. I didn't see any tiny cracks or anything but I suppose if he kept that up for a year it might cause a problem.

Anyways, here's lunchtime!

 

[ovicior]

I am currently selling a peacock mantis shrimp that is extremely young. It is an unsexed juvenile that is approximately 2.5" long. DM if you wanna know more. Also selling his tank with him.

 

[jcook54]

@timeconsumer - If I had a mantis shrimp and it spent any amount of time banging away on the glass, I might have a heart attack.

@ovicior - I saw you post and was really interested but it's just a little too big for the spot I have in mind and I wouldn't need the stand.

 

[Shawn]

Please tell me the troccuses I gave you aren’t mantis shrimp food!!

 

[jcook54]

No no, they're all good and safe. If I can get them to breed in my system on the level yours are, one or two might get eaten.

 

[ActiveAngel]

Shawn. Haha, Odd request, let’s trade some Red Stripe Trochus snails sometime. Mine have been breeding for nearly a decade... I need to expand the gene pool.

Also, this Mantis Shrimp is really cool. If I were in the future house, I would totally get one. But I am not ready yet.

 

[Shawn]

Shawn. Haha, Odd request, let’s trade some Red Stripe Trochus snails sometime. Mine have been breeding for nearly a decade... I need to expand the gene pool.

Also, this Mantis Shrimp is really cool. If I were in the future house, I would totally get one. But I am not ready yet.

I’d be cool with that.

 

[timeconsumer]

Also I found a smithii in stock yesterday through an online retailer. Very high demand mantis about 3.5" max size. If you're looking to get started that's Caldwell's favorite species.

 

[ActiveAngel]

Also I found a smithii in stock yesterday through an online retailer. Very high demand mantis about 3.5" max size. If you're looking to get started that's Caldwell's favorite species.

Great find! I like that one!