20L Mantis Build Thread

[ohm786]

This is my first Mantis Shrimp, and perhaps my first ever attempt at a true species specific tank. I have some Fish in this tank, but I do not plan to keep them in the aquarium for long. They will be transferred to a coral display tank going forward.

I'm EXTREMELY excited about this build. I've trolled the forums, looking at others build and saw how they approached their Mantis tank. My budget was very limited for this build. I was able to recycle previous equipment from my much larger reef aquarium. I hope the over abundance of filteration will not adversely affect my mantis.

I was very lucky to find a local reefer looking to downsize and quickly snatched up his 2-3" Peacock Mantis Shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus). He has gorgeous harlequin colors. He's a curious guy, and can be seen peaking out of his den or hiding during the day time.

I built 1" PVC tunnels for his use, and I've observed him making use of them. He also likes to hide under the Tonga rock branches I have setup over my sand bed as well.

I'm a little concerned though; I just realised that he's missing one of his hammers. I hope his next molt will be less stressful and he grows back his second hammer.

Display Tank Hardware

■ 20 Gallon Long Glass Aquarium
■ Lighting: (Undecided)
■ Flow: Koralia Nano

Sump Hardware

■ 20 Gallon Long Baffled Sump
■ Return Pump: Mag 3
■ Filtration: Avast Marine Reactor (SeaChem SeaGel), Avast Marine Kraken Biopellet Reactor (ATB Biopellets), Avast Marine CS-2 Captain's Reserve External Recirculating Skimmer

DT Set Up

■ ~15 lbs BRS Tonga Live Rock
■ ~30 lbs Carib Sea SeaFlor Special Grade Reef Sand

Live Stock

■ Pair of Oscellaris Clowns
■ Six Line Wrasse
■ Yellow Sea Slug
■ Chocolate Chip Starfish
■ Peacock Mantis Shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus)

 

[ohm786]

 

[ohm786]

This is my first attempt to feed him. I was able to get some frozen scallops at a local fish store. I hope that's alright to use in feeding a young mantis. He seemed to enjoy it enough. He grabbed the scallop off of my skewer and is hiding under the tonga rock hugging his newly caught price. I've turned off the living area lights so he can enjoy his meal in peace.

 

[ohm786]

My strategy is to feed my mantis ever 2-3 days (depending on his level of activity) and maintain an extremely high water quality in order to make sure he has a stable molt. I really hope he's able to grow back his hammer on the next molt.

 

[Fartin'Gary]

You should put a lid on that. They will jump out.

 

[ohm786]

You should put a lid on that. They will jump out.

Absolutely. I need to pickup a glass lid ASAP. Thanks for the reminder.

 

[ohm786]

I'm not sure if I'm that happy with th PVC tunnels that I built, or the live rock that I went with. With all of the filteration I plan to make this into a Dendro/NPS coral species tank in the future. Just the Mantis and corals.

Any tips on how to approach this? Anything I can change?

 

[Fitz19d]

To me tunnels seem fine though maybe too small when full sized? Just resell the tonga locally and find some other live or dry rock for sale. (Even trade it.)

 

[Fartin'Gary]

Keep in mind that the branching live rocks have more surface area for bacteria if that is a concern of yours.

 

[Reeferz412]

Absolutely. I need to pickup a glass lid ASAP. Thanks for the reminder.

Why not a mesh lid? BRS sells some. Glass lids can cause issues.

 

[Fartin'Gary]

They can block gas exchange and trap heat if you don't set them up right. I have glass and I took the plastic off of it so there is open space in front and behind. If you have an open top sump then it wont matter. One thing I like about it though is that it greatly reduces evaporation and with a 20 gal tank you need all the help you can get. I would keep my eye out for an inexpensive 40 gallon breeder or larger and put the peacock in that when it starts to mature. I got mine at Petco when they had their 1 dollar per gallon sale.

 

[Islandoftiki]

I'd be surprised if gas exchange was an issue with that monster skimmer.

 

[CarlosPulga]

I'm getting a tank next month, my plan is to get a peacock mantis. I'm completely new to this though. =]

The extra tank, all the cables and other stuff at the bottom look really intimidating. I will probably have the tank for a while before getting the shrimp. Since I'm new I expecting some trouble to get everything setup to the right conditions.

I really enjoy everything you guys post, thanks for sharing.

 

[frostyjay1]

that is a cool little cave you made for him. how long til it outgrows it though. and that i one huge skimmer for such a small tank. lol i love it

 

[ohm786]

I redid the aquascape and removed the PVC pipes. He's much more happier now.

He quickly found a nice little crack to start digging out his cave.

I wanted to see how my mantis was doing and to see if he would take a bit of grub. I fed him just yesterday so I wasn't sure if he would be willing to eat, but it was a good opportunity to see him be active and react visually.

 

[ohm786]

I'll be getting a glass cover over the tank come tomorrow. Hopefully I can avoid any "jumpers" until then.

 

[ohm786]

that is a cool little cave you made for him. how long til it outgrows it though. and that i one huge skimmer for such a small tank. lol i love it

The Beast! Rated at 250G at heavy bio load. I'm going to be adding dendro's and other NPS corals. This will require heavy feeding so I'll need the skimmer to help keep my water quality nice and clean.

 

[Jodah]

Ahh! At first I was all "why so much equipment?" but then I was like "Oh I see what you did there"

lol. Nice little setup. following.

 

[StephLionfish]

Very nice, beautiful little mantis and sweet setup. I'm a big fan of nps corals.. excited to see how your tank turns out.
I agree with frostyjay, though, IMO he'll need a larger tank once he gets some size.
I noticed that house cleaner spray next to the tank.. Be careful with what you spray around the tank, as stomatopods are very sensitive to chemicals.