what i need to know about mantis shrimp

[infalible-one]

i am a little new to the invert world, and was wondering exactly what i need to know to take care of a small mantis. i have a 10 g w/ filter and heater. it has adequit (sp?) lighting and i am going to get 5 pounds of live sand, 3 pounds of live rock, 5 pounds of dead rock, and 10 pounds of fine sand.

now i need info on mantis i can keep in this set up and any other specifics about them.. i already have roy's web site in my favorites, but i want some other opinions.

any advice will be taken seriously

[gemini aquarius(t)]

look for smithii and weanerrie(sp?) for that size of a tank

[cmulawka]

Welcome To Reef Central
to much to list I use to have a peacock in a little tank i loved it

[Pea-brain]

Ok, like gemini said, smithii or wennerae. LIghts aren't terribly important, and strong lights can be detrimental. If your new to inverts, I will warn you AVOID ALL HEAVY METALS LIKE COPPER! lol. now I suggest researching at blueboard.com/mantis . That sight is full of great info. An N. wennerae can be easily gotten at tampabaysaltwater.com for 50$ including shipping. You probably won't be able to keep a clean up crew, as they will be eaten.(you might have success with thick shelled snails that wennerae can't break) I good diet of live and frozen foods (such as frozen shrimp, squid, krill, silversides etc.) will keep it fed. good luck!

[justinl]

Don't keep a peacock in a small tank like 10gal. They need at least 25gal.

light: like pea-brain said light is not a big consideration but I would keep it on the low side (note that you won't be able to have heavily light dependent corals with this setup). Just be sure that the mantis is able to make a nice dark burrow with what you provide... ie. some shells and little LR rubble would be nice.

You might want to soak the food in a supplement once or twice a week. Feed once every two days or less to keep the water quality up.

[infalible-one]

i was thinking of a smasher rather than a spearer because they seem to be more common than spearers. Ive gotten it down to a Gonodactylaceus falcatus, Gonodactylaceus ternatensis, Gonodactylellus viridis, Gonodactylus chiragra, Gonodactylus platysoma, Gonodactylus smithii, Haptosquilla glyptocercus, Haptosquilla stoliura, and Neogonodactylus wennerae. ya it's a long list, but these look good. I would really like to get a Haptosquilla hamifera though. if anybody has any info on where i can buy any of these species i would really appreciate it.

[DanInSD]

G. ternatensis will likely get too big for a 10 gal. I'd remove from the list. If it's a glass tank, I'd give second thoughts to keeping a G. chiraga.

I don't know quite how you came up with your list, but it covers a huge range of size and temperment -- make sure you check both on Roy's List. It is difficult to imagine someone putting, for instance, a tiny H. glyptocerus on the same list as a hulking brute like G. chiraga (not to mention the friendly golden-retriever mantis, G. smithii). Why not G. glabrous / G. graphurus, for instance?

In my experience, trying to track down a particular species is very difficult, with two (maybe three) notable exceptions -- N. wennerae and O. scyllarus (and possibly yellow-morph P. ciliata).

For a first mantis, it's tough to go wrong with N. wennerae, given their size, temperment, tolerance to varying water parameters and lighting, and availability.

Enjoy,
Dan

[DanInSD]

Oh, by the way, "infalible-one", you do realize that it's spelled "infallible", right?

[DanInSD]

Forgot to add -- N. wennerae are readily available from Tampa Bay Saltwater (I believe it's tbsaltwater.com) -- $50 delivered. Better yet, just get their live rock package -- the odds are reasonable (although by no means guaranteed!) that you'll get a hitchhiker mantis (that's how common they are).

[Pea-brain]

Dan, I know this guy. Trust me, he is probably goin to say "I'm infallibe, therefore if I spell infalible "infalible" I am right"

[infalible-one]

he's right
:D

[Ms. K]

I agree that it's quite difficult to request a specific mantis. Most of the time, LFS personnel don't know enough about mantis to ID what they have. Even if you order from an internet store, they may not have a positive ID on the specimen they send, so it is more or less a grab bag. Reach in, pull out a mantis, hope you still have all your fingers.

Peacocks are pretty common because of their popularity. N. wennerae are common because they come with practically ever TBS rock order received. I had a G. ternatensis, but the guy I purchsed it from didn't know what species it was. Some wonderful people on this forum ID'd it for me, because I was very inexperienced at that point. He was AWESOME!!! I hihgly recommend that species, but not for a 10 gallon. I wouldn't put a ternatensis in anything less than a 20 gallon and would recommend even slightly larger than that. Good luck! :)

[justinl]

I think that at 10 gal your options are limited to smaller mantises that couldn't break glass anyways. Go take a careful look at Dr. Roy's ID page (sticky) and don't pick the pretty ones, pick out the ones with small tank requirements (like N. wennerae or G. smithii) that you're capable of caring for. temperament shouldn't be a problem for small mantises.

[Thurge]

As others have stated when it comes to mantis there really is no "I want a ______ " unless you order an N.wennera from TBS or get one that is already ID'ed on the board. Even when ordering a Peacock its not uncommon to get something else. Because of there "pest" status nobody spends any time IDing them like they do fish.

For a first mantis I too would recommend the N.wennera as they are pretty interactive, not terrably aggressive (I would hand feed mine), stay small enough to live in a 10, and will tollerate a couple damsels for roomates.

[IDESONE]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9306362#post9306362 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Thurge
there really is no "I want a ______ " u

Yeah....I work at an LFS and had my boss order me a Peacock. I asked him are you sure its gonna be a Peacock, and he said yes I'm possitive. LOL Yeah Right, I ended up getting an orange P.Ciliata. But either way I was happy because I got a nice Mantis. Still trying to get a Peacock though.

[infalible-one]

OK i get it, N. wennerae are best for beginers. does anybody know of a place where i could perchase a mantis( any kind i don't CARE) other than liveaquaria and TBS.

P.S. hitchhikers don't count..... unless it's a common thing at the place.

[Ms. K]

They sometimes have them in stock at www.saltwaterfish.com. I don't think you can be sure of what you're going to get though. There is a guy on Ebay, a diver, that captures mantis from time to time, and his IDs are usually accurate from what I can tell. He has good prices, too. You just have to add $25 for shipping.

[infalible-one]

i'm almost positive i'm gonna get a ternatensis. ROY SAYS A 40l (10gl) IS ENOUGH TO HOLD ONE AND WHAT ROY SAYS IS THE SPEAKINGS OF THE NON-EXISTANT GOD!!!!:p

[Ms. K]

I hope you're able to find one. They are VERY cool. I loved mine.

[infalible-one]

the guy who posted "bad hitch hiker caught" is giving one away(with shipping) and i'm at the top of the list for takers.