Black sand?

[GoingPostal]

So my b/f desperately wants a mantis in the 12 gallon Aquapod we have, it has black sand for the bottom, about 1 1/5-2 inches of it. Is there any mantis suitable for this tank long-term? It's been setup over a year now as a nano-reef. My main concerns are the sand being possibly too sharp or fine for a burrow, I've read of people using pvc pipe though. Looking for some opinions. Thanks.

[Pea-brain]

Is it tahitian moon sand? I so it is fine. One of my personal favorites would be a P. ciliata. They are spearers that are very interactive. Add another 1"-1 1/2" to the sand bed and you could have one. They allow you to keep a cleanup crew and can burrow under rocks or in a PVC (PVC is slightly better because they spend less times keeping their homes from collapsing around them and it causes less abrasion, but no real significant benefits other wise) Also, they tend to change colors to match their environment, meaning you will likely end up with a dark black/deep dark purple morph after a few molts.

Other good choices are n. wennerae and G. smithii. Check Roy's list and see what you like. Most gonodactylids are fine for a 10 gallon. N. wen and smithii are both moderately active, but usually (not always) not quite as active as P. ciliata

Dan

[GoingPostal]

Cool, thanks for the detailed advice!