2.5 Gallon Minibow OK For Mantis

[amcarrig]

Hi folks. I'm considering keeping a small (1.5") mantis shrimp (smasher) in my AGA minibow. Can anyone tell me if the acrylic in the tank is strong enough to sustain a smash from the mantis? Is anyone else using this kind of tank to keep these animals? Thanks in advance!

 

[K9]

Many people keep them in tanks this small. The key to not having your tank smashed is not to give the mantis a reason to hit the sides. In other words, no teasing, tapping, or dangling bits of shrimp in front of the tank :lol:.

 

[amcarrig]

Shoot....and that's exactly what I was gonna do too!

Thanks K9, once the minibow is mature enough, I'll be adding me a mantis!

 

[K9]

Sounds good. I'm thinking of adding one to my tank too after I move.

 

[JoeMag]

I kept my LR hitchhiker smasher in a 2.5 minibow for a year with no problems. I recently moved him to my fuge as I got tired of maintaining a separate tank for him. He's grown from 1" to 1 3/4" in that time eating frozen food and blender mush.

 

[Hwarang]

Actually I tap the glass very lightly with my fingernail when it's feeding time. She pokes her googly eyes out, sniffs the water and then comes out atop her home rock, waiting for the tweezers and food. Classic Pavlovian conditioning. HF!

 

[Lostmind]

nice job hwarang!

My little smasher hides in its hole all day long, completely covered up!

When I add food, it takes 5mins or more before the mantis comes out to investigate. By then, the nass snails are all over it. ( I added the baby nass snails thinking my mantis might like live food, but it leaves them alone).

I figure one day, the mantis will get hungry enough tosteal the food away from those scary nass snails....

 

[Hwarang]

Lostmind, what kind of mantis is yours? Mine is N. wennerae, and I was about to throw some nassy snails in there to see if she thinks they are food or cleanup crew.

 

[njmar1]

Oh they'll make good food. My N. wennerae wasted all the gastropods in my tank, although it leaves my clownfish and damsel alone.

 

[netjackson]

My G smithii lives in a 15 gallon, ate all my of my clean up crew, but left my Gold Strip Maroon and Damsel alone. In fact, he is sometimes chased by my Damsel.......WIMP. Then again he breaks snail shells with ease.

 

[Hwarang]

cooOOOoool.

i'm stopping by the LFS on the way home.

 

[Fuegofish777]

hello...i want o get a clown mantis or one that was labelled a "green mantis" at a LFS around here. i was thinking about using a nanocube.it s a 12 gal is that big enough?

 

[milhouse74]

If you read the first 3 posts here, that should answer your question. Should be more then big enough!

Enjoy!

David