Mantis Shrimp with Fish

[MoonSkin]

Was curious if there were any smasher type mantis shrimp that might get along well with a couple of dwarf angels and other fish around 4 inches? I'm not concerned with it eating my hermits, I hate those things and regret them >:(

[zogg513]

Hi, as many will tell you, the mantis shrimp and fish are really just hit/miss.

I've lost 2 chromis's to my G. Ternatensis which is a smasher. My old smithii never harmed fish at all. It just depends on the personality of the mantis.

Although, I will warn you. Some people say, "put in a cheap fish to test" but I've lost 2 chromis's and no damsels. I worry that one day if you do get a more expensive fish, the mantis might just overlook the cheap fish for a time and go for the one that made your wallet a lot lighter.

[Fartin'Gary]

I have had a yellow tail damsel that my peacock practically lets in the front door. I had two green chromis but she got one but the other has been fine. It must be the color that she is attracted to.

[nmotz]

That is kinda funny how the individual personality of the mantis affects whether or not they will kill everything in your tank or not. I'm going to want to get a bigger tank someday so I can add a few fish and I've thought about getting a small school of green chromis.

I think my mantis has decided to let my blue leg dwarf hermits live. He beat 2 of them up pretty good but eventually gave up and threw them out of his burrow. They are really small and I guess he doesn't think they're worth it.

I wonder if it helps to have bigger fish? Chromis and other fish that size are fast but wouldn't be powerful enough to get away from even a small mantis.

[Kharn]

Fish & Stomatopods "It lasts until it doesn't" - some people have kept fish for long periods with there stomatopod, only to one day find the fish missing/dead, to put fish in that can "survive" a.k.a large fish and fish that can defend themselves would likely make the stomatopod more cautious and less interactive always having to keep an eye out for these larger inhabitants.

Such an intelligent and interactive animal needs a tank to itself just like an octopus.

Stomatopods don't let things 'live' there the ultimate form of opportunism, for months/years perhaps (I have experienced months, 6) they can wait, just waiting for that moment when you seem completely certain that the stomatopod and his "buddy" are now complete friends, in short they cannot be trusted (stomatopods).

I had a blenny a large one with my smaller spearer Morgoth (still a large stomatopod) for months over 8 months, originally the fish was a 'test' fish that went in with the CuC, it survived so became food but, for months and months nothing came of it, eventually I was comfortable in the fact that either the spearer was content with it and being 'friends' or that the blenny was just to large to be taken down, because of all this I started to get attached to the blenny it was the only fish I could hand feed Nori and one evening after having the blenny for nearly a full year, I went to feed it like normal, holding the Nori in my hands but nothing was happening, looked down into the tank from the front, a sand storm and the burrow of the spearer was partially destroyed along with Morgoth not at the entrance, all 3 were signs that he just took the fish.

If your going to keep a fish with a stomatopod you don't want something expensive

[MoonSkin]

Well, I planned on maybe getting one of the smaller Florida species like Oerstedii or Mannarae, both only 2-3 inches. Maybe even Havanensis. Perhaps this will help?

[Fartin'Gary]

That is kinda funny how the individual personality of the mantis affects whether or not they will kill everything in your tank or not. I'm going to want to get a bigger tank someday so I can add a few fish and I've thought about getting a small school of green chromis.

I think my mantis has decided to let my blue leg dwarf hermits live. He beat 2 of them up pretty good but eventually gave up and threw them out of his burrow. They are really small and I guess he doesn't think they're worth it.

I wonder if it helps to have bigger fish? Chromis and other fish that size are fast but wouldn't be powerful enough to get away from even a small mantis.

Mine did the same with the blue legs. They all have busted up shells. My conclusion on this is that they are too much effort to get out of the shell for too little pay off in food. Since mine gets prepared food twice a week and the occasional live food there is no reason for her to exert all that effort for a tiny little crab. She has killed almost all the snails though. The crabs are good. They clean up the detritus.

[JokerGirl]

I had a clown that lived with my 8" peacock for two years. It would swim down and actually sleep in the shrimp's burrow with her. Still amazed that she ever allowed it, but it happened until the day she died.

[nmotz]

Mine did the same with the blue legs. They all have busted up shells. My conclusion on this is that they are too much effort to get out of the shell for too little pay off in food. Since mine gets prepared food twice a week and the occasional live food there is no reason for her to exert all that effort for a tiny little crab. She has killed almost all the snails though. The crabs are good. They clean up the detritus.

Yeah mine really likes snails too. They usually last no more than a day even if I hide them really well. I hear popping sounds and go in there to find him beating up my newest turbo snail.

I also have a larger hermit (~2 inches or so) that he tolerates. He whacks him pretty good if he gets too close to his burrow, but won't put in the effort to break open his shell and eat him.

Has it been demonstrated that certain species of mantis shrimp favor a specific kind of prey? I just wonder because it seems that mine (G. Chiragra) favors small shrimps and snails. I haven't tried out live clams yet, but I want to check that out too.

[Fartin'Gary]

I have not used live clams but I have some fresh frozen ones I soak in selcon then drop in there. Right when it hit the water she smells it and comes searching. She loves to bash open clams.

[nmotz]

Really? So you just let them thaw out and then let her bash them open even though they aren't live? I guess they just have those at the grocery store?

[Fartin'Gary]

Really? So you just let them thaw out and then let her bash them open even though they aren't live? I guess they just have those at the grocery store?

Or fresh seafood market. Just make sure if you get the store bought kind that there are no preservatives in there.

But yea, she loves them. Just drop it in there and she smells it right away. She tosses the remnants out of her burrow when she is done and the little blue legs eat the scraps.

[Fartin'Gary]

Well funny this thread showed up when it did. My yellow tail damsel is missing now after over a year. My wife said she heard a soft thud sound and now it's gone. I looked around on the floor and even put food in there and no damsel. I did just move some of the live rock around to see if the mantis would be interested in it. I guess that was where teh damsel used to hide. Oh well R.I.P. chicken butt.


False alarm. It's back I don't think that fish can die. It's been through two cycles and a mantis.

[nmotz]

Or fresh seafood market. Just make sure if you get the store bought kind that there are no preservatives in there.

But yea, she loves them. Just drop it in there and she smells it right away. She tosses the remnants out of her burrow when she is done and the little blue legs eat the scraps.

Cool, good advice, I'll go Monday to pick up some clams from the seafood market.

That's hilarious about that damsel. Tough little bugger isn't he?

[nirvanaandtool]

My old Chiragra took out 2 of 3 chromis - it took the smaller ones as they slept along the sandbed one each night in two consecutive nights. But left the bigger one alone who slept in the rockwork right above his burrow.
My Viridis took out one chromis but didn't consume it - just ventured too close to his burrow and got whacked because of it.

[nmotz]

How did you like your Chiragra? Did it just get old and die? I just got mine a few weeks ago but he's already full grown.

[JmartWI]

You might be able to get away with housing fish with stomatopods, but like everyone has said, your results may vary. I've been keeping a blue damsel with my smithii for about 4 or 5 months now, and they seem to leave each other alone. However, my mantis became shier after I introduced the damsel. Even though they may cohabitate, you might see changes in behavior.

[Fartin'Gary]

I think fish that habitate towards the top of the tank would be the best choice.

[nirvanaandtool]

How did you like your Chiragra? Did it just get old and die? I just got mine a few weeks ago but he's already full grown.

Mine was decently active for a Chiragra- always was up front in the front entrance to his burrow trying to see what I was doing. Mine was full grown too - had him about 6 months before he passed but he was in the fish store a previous 6 months before I rescued him from the critter container.
I liked him - he was more active than the Viridis and was a skilled and smart hunter. Watching him hunt ghost shrimp and fiddler crabs was pretty amazing. Just wished I had him longer.

I think my next mantis will be a Wenerrae or Smithii though - just need to set up a new tank. My old mantis tank got turned into a home for my Wartskin angler.

[JJOHN82]

I have housed my peacock with a clown and a porcupine puffer for over a year now. Everything was great until a couple weeks ago my wife went to feed the tank and decided to feed the mantis first when she did that the puffer flew down out of no where and tried to snatched the food just as the mantis was about to grab it. The mantis got very passed and jumped on the puffer while it was blown up like balloon and hit it about 8 times leaving a huge hole in the side of the puffer. Oddly the puffer seemed ok with it at first and just went back to eating the food at the top of the tank. Unfortunately she only lived for about 12 hours. Needless to say that is just in there nature. I would house my mantis with anything that isn't aggressive like a large trigger.

[Fartin'Gary]

I wouldn't put a trigger in with it. One or the other will end up dead. I may be wrong but can't puffers nuke a whole tank with poison when they die? Not flaming here but that sounds a bit on the irresponsible side.

[nmotz]

Yeah mine is usually pretty active too. I also like watching him hunt ghost shrimp. I just think I need a better burrow for him because he seems restless, always trying to get through the glass on the side of the tank that he can see the reflection of the LR. Where did yours make his burrow? Was he a digger at all, or did he live in the LR or PVC pipes? Mine will move the substrate around, but he doesn't dig into it at all.

[TundraGuy]

nom nom nom.......................

[JJOHN82]

I checked into that aspect of the puffer and from what I was told they can destroy a tank if left in a tank dead for more than a few hours. Needless to say I pay enough attention to the tanks to where I don't think that would have happened so I did it and the poor guy got the crap beat out of him.