Mantis life expectancy?

[Mayberry]

Anyone know the life span in a tank?

[Sounds Fishy]

I had one in the 1980's,and he lived 6 years. I think they are capable of living much longer.

[EI Gringo]

Depends on species

[EI Gringo]

Depends on species. Giant spearers can live for years and years in suitable conditions, as can large smashers but the smaller generally the shorter the life span.

[nmotz]

I've heard rumors of Peacocks living for up to 8 years in pristine reef tanks. I think for most people (myself included) it would be quite an accomplishment for any mantis, let alone a Peacock to live for 3-5 years in a tank. That's an average of course, because aquarium husbandry skills vary widely.

For example, my first Peacock lived for just a few months because I wasn't experienced in the hobby, nor did I have the proper equipment (RO/DI, ATO, proper flow/filtration, etc).

My thoughts are that a well-run tank, even one with a simple HOB filter and plenty of LR should make a decent environment for a Gonodactylid for several years barring any accidents.

For a Peacock, I think that in most cases you would need at minimum a skimmer, lots of macroalgae to soak up nutrients, high flow to prevent detritus build-up, consistent husbandry (water changes, sand bed cleaning, etc), AND of course, a certain degree of luck to keep one for several years. I'm at the 7 month point with my Peacock and he's grown from around 2.5" to around 3.5" and still appears active and healthy at the moment (knock on wood!) I take very good care of the tank though, not everyone is willing (or able) to do that.

[gozermantis]

My first peacock lived 3 years and died due to a power outage while I was away.. Could have lived a lot longer. She was my all time favorite.

[nmotz]

Was she full grown at the 3 year point? How big was she when you bought her?

[gozermantis]

Originally Posted by nmotz

Was she full grown at the 3 year point? How big was she when you bought her?

She was about 4.5 inches when I got her and was about 5 inches when she died.

[nmotz]

Oh wow, so she did still have plenty of time left to live then....They can get to almost 7" when full grown. I hate how unpredictable things can ruin this hobby at any moment. Power outages are the worst. I went through one that last for 4-5hrs not too long ago and it was scary. I was pretty relieved when the power came back on.

[gozermantis]

Originally Posted by nmotz

Oh wow, so she did still have plenty of time left to live then....They can get to almost 7" when full grown. I hate how unpredictable things can ruin this hobby at any moment. Power outages are the worst. I went through one that last for 4-5hrs not too long ago and it was scary. I was pretty relieved when the power came back on.

Mine was out for 2 days I was told..

[jojokeo]

[QUOTE=nmotz;24286901]I think for most people (myself included) it would be quite an accomplishment for any mantis, let alone a Peacock to live for 3-5 years in a tank. That's an average of course, because aquarium husbandry skills vary widely.QUOTE]


I guess I happen to be either very unlucky or very lucky depending on your point of view? But I've had a hitchhiking mantis ever since I got my Marshall Island live rock appx 19 years ago. That bastard is still alive to this day after numerous failed attempts to catch him. Believe this also that I've never once actually seen it. I've tried literally hundreds of times over the years at all times of day or night, using surprise flash light bursts, using different colored lenses, etc. I've even removed every piece of rock, coral, and sandbed a few times and systematically placing in fresh water buckets, leaving it in free air for hours, etc. in order to cause it to vacate - NOTHING has worked.

If I actually ever come to the day it finally dies or somehow I get it alive? Flushing will be too quick and easy - I will tie it up, **** on it, get my soldering iron out and slowly burn it while taking the end of an electrical wire and simultaneously shock it with 117vac...once dead it will be put into a formaldehyde jar and made a trophy set near my reef to mock for the next 20 years. There will be great celebration if this ever comes to pass

[nmotz]

Jojokeo, wow 19 years? That really is something. But you're certain it's a mantis? Might be a pistol shrimp, they are usually more reclusive. But for anything, mantis shrimp or otherwise to survive 19 years in a tank is really amazing.

I'm sorry you feel so angry about the mantis. I'm assuming it has been killing your clean up crew or fish or something? Mantis shrimp are murderous little beasts. Then again, so are fish and literally all other reef creatures. In fact, reef environments are among the most violent of any ecosystem on earth in my opinion. Mantis shrimp are only a very small part of the larger carnival of violence that goes on everyday on coral reefs all around the world. I hope that offers some perspective on why we all think that mantis shrimp are so cool. I do hope you catch your mantis, but please don't torture it. It's only doing what it knows to do: kill, eat, and survive. Have a great day!

[liverock]

[QUOTE=jojokeo;24299939]

Originally Posted by nmotz

I think for most people (myself included) it would be quite an accomplishment for any mantis, let alone a Peacock to live for 3-5 years in a tank. That's an average of course, because aquarium husbandry skills vary widely.QUOTE]


I guess I happen to be either very unlucky or very lucky depending on your point of view? But I've had a hitchhiking mantis ever since I got my Marshall Island live rock appx 19 years ago. That bastard is still alive to this day after numerous failed attempts to catch him. Believe this also that I've never once actually seen it. I've tried literally hundreds of times over the years at all times of day or night, using surprise flash light bursts, using different colored lenses, etc. I've even removed every piece of rock, coral, and sandbed a few times and systematically placing in fresh water buckets, leaving it in free air for hours, etc. in order to cause it to vacate - NOTHING has worked.

If I actually ever come to the day it finally dies or somehow I get it alive? Flushing will be too quick and easy - I will tie it up, **** on it, get my soldering iron out and slowly burn it while taking the end of an electrical wire and simultaneously shock it with 117vac...once dead it will be put into a formaldehyde jar and made a trophy set near my reef to mock for the next 20 years. There will be great celebration if this ever comes to pass

You don't have a mantis...or you would have seen it...you have a pistol shrimp...they can be 1/4 inch and make the same pop as a mantis...

[liverock]

Agu....ex mod here got a mantis from me...was over 10 years old last time I heard from him...

[jojokeo]

Sorry to dissapoint your supposed knowledge 'liverock' but you are assuming wrongly! I think I know what I have since being in this hobby while using the same tank since 1977??? What do you think? Do you know better than me? BTW, since when do pistol shrimp make repeated snapping sounds continously for minutes at a time??? Since when do pistol shrimp hunt water column swimming fish??? (to name but just a few examples)

[gozermantis]

Originally Posted by jojokeo

Sorry to dissapoint your supposed knowledge liverock but you are wrong! I think I know what I have since being in this hobby using the same tank since 1977??? What do you think? BTW, since when do pistol shrimp make repeated snapping sounds continously for minutes at a time??? Since when do pistol shrimp hunt water column swimming fish??? (to name but just a few)

supposed knowledge.. he sells live rock for a living... and if you had a mantis you most likely would have seen it by now like he said. And chill with the attitude, its not needed here.. and also smasher mantis are not commonly known for hunting fish.. it is possible but that is more likely possible with spearing mantis and they dont make any noise at all..

[EI Gringo]

Jojokeo, chill out or get out mate, seriously. Any mantis that has lived supposedly for 19 years would be a big one so as the others have said, if you haven't seen it then no it isn't a mantis it's a pistol or multiple pistols. It's more likely that water column swimming fish just randomly died and were devoured by the other inhabitants than a phantom mantis. Nobody here is saying they are better than you but you're on the expert mantis forum, our combined knowledge will tell you everything you could possibly want to know about them. In my experience the only common hitchhiking mantis that can prolifically kill fish and live anywhere near that long would possibly be a gonodactylaceus ternatensis and like I said, they get whoppingly big and a 4-5 inch ternatensis in your tank would take no prisoners, you'd be losing livestock phenomenally quickly.

[nmotz]

Originally Posted by liverock

Agu....ex mod here got a mantis from me...was over 10 years old last time I heard from him...

Man that's something. I'm assuming that was an N. Wennerae or N. Oerstedii maybe? Some species are pretty resilient I suppose. I guess I'm thinking that for most people who have Peacocks, it is rare to see one last beyond the 3-5 yr point. Honestly, it's rare to see a tank last beyond the 3-5 yr point without some kind of disaster killing everything (power outage, accidental dosage of something lethal, etc) I read more and more threads where people talk about losing it all because of some freak occurrence. Scary!

[liverock]

Yup was a Wennerae.....I remember the day he came in the shop and got it...long...long time ago..in a different galaxy....lol...

[Sounds Fishy]

The one I had just inexplicably died.He had lived in a 65 gallon with a yellow tang,Lionfish,and Niger Trigger.Back in those days,(mid 1980's)feeder goldfish were the only live food available,so maybe over a long period of time,6 years,it was unhealthy.I had purchased it for $3.00...the LFS sold it to me reasonably because it was eating their stock.Seemed to be a very resilient invert. considering my lack of expertise in those days.I didn't have any filtration equipment ,like is available today,but I did have a small skimmer and power filter.The fish lived for a few years afterward.

[nmotz]

Sounds Fishy, yeah you have to figure that hitchhiking species like small N. Wennerae's are pretty durable. Dr. Caldwell used to talk about that. He said that when organizations "farm LR" they collect huge piles of it and often let it sit on the beach for several hours before it's crated in water and prepared for shipping. Many mantis shrimp survive that experience somehow, pretty crazy.