How freaked out should I be?

[Melusina]

I have a 90 gallon tank that's been set up for about 6 months with Florida rock and what I'm fairly certain is an N. wennerae. The tank currently contains some soft corals, fish, and a CUC of snails, hermits, mithrax and porcelain crabs, serpent stars, and the doggone gorilla crabs that I can't catch. I've truly seen no evidence of the mantis bothering any of the other tank inhabitants and it is extremely shy (was hoping that it would take care of the gorillas). As a matter of fact, when it sees me actually looking at him/her as opposed to something else in the tank, it quickly withdraws into its' burrow. I've rarely seen the entire animal.

So here's the question: I'm getting ready to move the rock to a new 225 gallon tank, and it seems as if there will ever be a time to remove the mantis, this is it. I guess my question is whether or not I should be concerned with having it in a reef tank or not. I would appreciate any and all thoughts and input. Thanks!

[lionbacker54]

i'd leave it be. n. wennerae stays very small, and at worst you just have to replace the members of your CUC from time to time. you probably won't even see it in a 225 gallon.

[aromantis]

Just think of it as another member of your CUC. Remember, every animal has its ecological niche. In this case, the mantis will fill the: get rid of harmful inverts niche. Good luck!

[Melusina]

Thanks! My biggest concern is that it might kill either small fish (chromis, etc) or my cleaner shrimp. As I said, so far, she (my gender assignment, not sure if it's correct) hasn't seemed to bother anyone or anything, but I can definitely see that she's growing. She's really a unique and busy little animal, but very, very shy.

[aromantis]

It's doubtful that it would kill your chromis, although it's not impossible. However, the shrimp is a different story. The mantis will gladly devour him. Although, in such a large system, they might never run into eachother. Try putting the mantis' rock on the bottom back corner of the tank. The shrimp will probably stay on the upper rock work, under a ledge. With a little luck, they might never meet. Once again, good luck!

[Thurge]

The more well fed the mantis is the better a citizen it will be. One of the reef shops near me has three in one tank (all hitchikers) and they get regular feedings. Short of the occasional snail that wanders too close to their burrows, they don't bother anything.


I even found a Haptosquilla in a zoanthid rock at another LFS and purposely added him to my reef tank. After three trips down the overflow I have no idea where he is, but no fish lost.

[Wildinside]

Believe it or not I have my peacock in a 55gal reef and he bothers no fish. However, he will beat up all snails, hermits, and crabs. If a fish is sick and no longer swims properly he picks up on it quickly and makes short work of them. Healthy fish he just leaves alone.

[Melusina]

I try to keep my fish very well fed, and hopefully, the mantis gets some of it. I've tried holding food on a stick for her and she's just too shy to respond.

I've got tons of crabs and snails in the tank and she's never bothered those - that I can tell. She just seems to be pretty busy working on her rock.

[lionbacker54]

mine just accepted a small piece of raw cocktail shrimp the other day. i feed mysis shrimp to my clownfish, and did see him grab a couple of those beforehand though. i bet your wennerae is pretty good and finding food for itself.