Advise on smasher feeding

ninjafish

ninjafish

New member
Hello all,

My g. smithii is doing great in the tank and has been eating krill well but does not even seem to notice the trochus snails. I am concerned about it losing its dactyls from dissuse.
I haven't fed krill in two days, hoping that it would encourage "Ike" to open up a snail or two. Does anyone have any advise?
The snails have the same diameter as a nickle and the mantis is 2" long - are the snails too big?
When I first put Ike in the tank, I added four small hermits (tiny tiny LFS sized) and they all seemed to dissapear within a couple days. Do you think it is because they were smaller? Or does he just prefer hermits over snails? (These hermits were only the size of one dactyl!!, I can't find any medium-sized hermits)
Any guidance would be great!!!

Thanks,
- Chad
 
From all I've read they seem to be pretty picky eaters, just check out the adventures of tim thread and it's clear a mantis has favourites.

Maybe you could try it with different snails etc? Find one it likes..
 
My peacock can be a *****! I had been feeding him a couple of these little fiddler crabs, and He LOVES them! So last night, he looked hungry, so I "hand" (on the end of a 2' stick) him some krill, HE was NOT having that, and got ****ed! He kept throwing it back in my face, then finally after I would stop trying to force it upon him, he retreated back in his burrow and pouted on his back porch... he will eat it, if he gets hungry enough...
 
Eventually he may surprise you and take out the trochus. They may be a little intimidating due to their size at the moment.

Tim (my G. smithii) definitely prefers nassarius, ceriths and crabs of all shape and sizes. He also makes quick snaks of stomatella and the strombus look-a-likes (collumbids?). It takes great hunger (and a good deal of confidence build-up perhaps) for him to take out astrea and large trochus.

This is a good thing for tank maintenance though. Tim ends up putting a lot of flesh into the sand and hidey-holes for later on bigger prey and algae maintenance can become tedious without cleaners. Smaller prey leaves less to rot in the tank and the longer snails are given for cleaning the better, in my book. ;)

Tim still suffers through meals of shrimp pellets and the occassional frozen krill piece between 'roommates.' During these times I often find him 'practicing' on broken shell fragments and rockwork to keep his dactyls in shape.

Good luck!
 
Thanks everyone! I picked up three more small hermits and have the word out that I will take any unwanted hitchhiker crabs in my area. Hopefully that will keep this guy busy for a while!

- Chad
 
Well it is official, Ike just prefers hermits to snails...
He took down the three tiny hermits I put in the tank lie they were popcorn. I couldn't even get my video camera out fast enough... quickest eight bucks I ever spent :p .
I got a pretty good shot of the mantis busting open a shell and the hermit jumpig out and making a run for safety. At that point, the mantis lunged off camera and grabbed him up. I am mad that I didn't get the atual grab but it will still make a good video.
Talk to you soon,

- Chad
 
A member on one of the sites suggested that I put food inside an empty snail so that the mantis has to use its dactyls to get it. Well, I tried it today with a piece of krill and sure enough it works! Just wanted to pass that along.
Cheers,

- Chad
 
ninjafish said:
A member on one of the sites suggested that I put food inside an empty snail so that the mantis has to use its dactyls to get it. Well, I tried it today with a piece of krill and sure enough it works! Just wanted to pass that along.
Cheers,

- Chad
Click to expand...

That's a great idea, I'm going to try a small live steamer clam this week and see if mine will break it open.
 
Will I got a small live steamer clam and used my hemostat to give it to my Peacock Mantis (haven't named it yet) he reached out and grabbed it and took it behind his rock, I immediately heard clicking sounds as he tried to open it.
About 15 mins. later he came to the front of the tank holding the clam and stared at me, then he approached the front of the tank a little further and then dropped the clam and back off a little and sat up and just kept staring at me. No damage was done to the clam so I figured he was having problems cracking it so I took the hemostat and got the clam out split it open with a knife and gave it back to my mantis, like a happy puppy he grabbed it and took it back behind the rocks to relish he's new dinner.
Guess the steamer clam shells a little harder than a snail or crab shell.
 
He knows as soon as the hemostat goes in it means food! I'll go to the seafood section of the grocery store and by bits of things from fish, crab and scallops and slice it up for him. He's pretty spoiled.
 
I just bought the 50 reef snails kit for $17 shipped, I got them today, and they are much cooler than I expected. They are not the traditional snails because the have funnels and are quite active and quick (for a snail), they began strolling around and burying themselves within 2 minutes of being introduced into the tank. The tank was in night mode w/ moolnlights, so I didn't see any immediate interest by Boris, but I imagine that he will be pretty excited once he realize he has a 40 deep escargot buffet at his finger tips (or raptor tips)!

http://cgi.ebay.com/50-Reef-Aquariu...708952101QQcategoryZ66788QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
 
rwhhunt said:
I just bought the 50 reef snails kit for $17 shipped, I got them today, and they are much cooler than I expected. They are not the traditional snails because the have funnels and are quite active and quick (for a snail), they began strolling around and burying themselves within 2 minutes of being introduced into the tank. The tank was in night mode w/ moolnlights, so I didn't see any immediate interest by Boris, but I imagine that he will be pretty excited once he realize he has a 40 deep escargot buffet at his finger tips (or raptor tips)!

http://cgi.ebay.com/50-Reef-Aquariu...708952101QQcategoryZ66788QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Click to expand...

Only if we could fine a deal like that for crabs :)
 
you can buy crabs on ebay, but they are expensive and the shipping is $30 as opposed to $10 with the snails!
 
My problem is that people wont ship to Canada - either because of the longer transit time or because of customs issues.

- Chad
 
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