Best mantis shrimps

[Stomatopods]

Crustaceanhi! I love the G. Chiragra but I don't think it is interactive enough can y'all tell me some interactive but tough species that can kill everything a chiragra can not including peacock. Thanks!!!

 

[Stomatopods]

Sorry about the entrance I accidentally tapped in crustaceans

 

[Kharn]

It's easy to pick and choose from the hundreds of species known.

It is NOT so easy acquiring specific species that one wants and your better served just acquiring what you can easily acquire rather then wait and wait.

Half of my large spearer system never got filled in the 5yrs it was running simply because I was waiting and waiting.

Having said that all stomatopods are very individualistic, 1 species and sex might act very differently to another of the exact same species and sex...

 

[tanked_life]

This guy is my favorite cousin to the peacock
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthro...ostraca/royslist/species.php?name=o_japonicus

this guy is te biggest and baddest
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthro...costraca/royslist/species.php?name=l_maculata

 

[nmotz]

I think the Odontodactylids are probably the most interactive. Of these, only two are relatively easy to get: the O. Scyllarus and the O. Havanensis. But neither of these is as hardy as a smaller Gonodactylid, and the O. Havanensis doesn't have anywhere near the striking power of a G. Chiragra.

I had a G. Smithii that had a pretty powerful punch. He broke open a turbo snail one time that was bigger than he was. They are a hardy and colorful species, but mine was not very interactive.

Generally speaking, the larger the mantis, the harder the strike. But Kharn is right about the fact that of the many mantis shrimp species, only a few are readily available. You'll want to stick to these.

That doesn't mean I don't dream of one day owning an O. Japonicus. I think every mantis shrimp enthusiast would want to have one of those. They are rare, and very, very expensive. I was talking with an online dealer the other day via email and he said that the last one he sold went for nearly $400. I'd still pay it. :hammer:

 

[Stomatopods]

Yeah thanks for the info I'll stick with the G. Chiragra cause of its strength and now I kinda like the idea of it not being interactive just one question will it still come and to eat and come out at dawn

 

[Stomatopods]

Sorry I meant come out to eat and come out at dawn

 

[Calappidae]

Most gonodactylids are diurnal and will close up their burrows or cavities at night with rubble.

Whether or not this is true for Chiragra, somebody else who's had them would need to confirm.


My personal favorite species would be Neogonodactylus Wennerae, They are very hardy, very active (at least all mine have been) and they are somewhat passive in that most of the ones I got never seemed to bother anything larger than themselves.. including emerald crabs which coexisted peacefully. Their availability is very good since they are a common hitchhiker, meaning people will willingly just give them away. They roam a lot around the tank, but can be kept in systems as small as 5 gallon. They don't require anything specialized (O. scyllarus's burrow, L. mac's sand) and just overall the perfect beginner hobbyist friendly species. Some color morphs don't have the prettiest coloration but they're not ugly or anything.

Now I'm not saying they're my favorite species of all stomatopods, I have a number of them (including one of my favorites being a species I hate speaking of) but N. wennerae is the best species to have in my book for the average hobbyist just learning.

O. scyllarus comes second for interactivity and availability, but males are rare, so there's kinda that support for leaving males in the ocean to prevent the increasely smaller numbers, and collectors don't know how to sex them. Their frailness to shell rot in home aquariums is a pretty big nuisance as well, making them one of the least forgiving species and more of an expert only species IMO... let's not get started with the burrow either.

 

[Stomatopods]

Thanks!

 

[liverock]

I may be biased ...but my favorite also.....lol.....

Richard TBS
www.tbsaltwater.com :spin3::spin3::spin3:

Most gonodactylids are diurnal and will close up their burrows or cavities at night with rubble.

Whether or not this is true for Chiragra, somebody else who's had them would need to confirm.


My personal favorite species would be Neogonodactylus Wennerae, They are very hardy, very active (at least all mine have been) and they are somewhat passive in that most of the ones I got never seemed to bother anything larger than themselves.. including emerald crabs which coexisted peacefully. Their availability is very good since they are a common hitchhiker, meaning people will willingly just give them away. They roam a lot around the tank, but can be kept in systems as small as 5 gallon. They don't require anything specialized (O. scyllarus's burrow, L. mac's sand) and just overall the perfect beginner hobbyist friendly species. Some color morphs don't have the prettiest coloration but they're not ugly or anything.

Now I'm not saying they're my favorite species of all stomatopods, I have a number of them (including one of my favorites being a species I hate speaking of) but N. wennerae is the best species to have in my book for the average hobbyist just learning.

O. scyllarus comes second for interactivity and availability, but males are rare, so there's kinda that support for leaving males in the ocean to prevent the increasely smaller numbers, and collectors don't know how to sex them. Their frailness to shell rot in home aquariums is a pretty big nuisance as well, making them one of the least forgiving species and more of an expert only species IMO... let's not get started with the burrow either.

 

[Kharn]

Either of the Neogonodactyloids or Gonodactyloids would be the perfect first animal.

Just seems to me that depending on location can depend on how common they are...

Like in the Americas the Neogonodactyloids are very common whilst the Gonodactyloids are less common.

In the south seas like Australia the Neogonodactyloids are none existent but the Gonodactyloids are exceptionally common.

I rank Gonodactylaceus Graphurus as the best small smasher species personally.

- quite colorful.
- exceptionally resilient.
- huge personalities.

The gonodactyloids tend to be larger then their "neo" cousins.

 

[Stomatopods]

Yeah

 

[EI Gringo]

I get the same as the Australians here in the UK. I can't often get USA shipments of stomatopods so the vast majority of my options come from Indonesia hence smithii, chiragra, ternatensis and Glabrous are 3 of my specimens

 

[Sir JRAD]

Peakcock!

 

[Kharn]

Peakcock!

Not for a beginner...

Even though I had access to peacocks right as I got into these animals, out of respect for the animals well being I did not get one for a good year+ just to make sure I knew *** I was doing with the easier to care ones first.

Their like bicycles though, once you understand the general grasp of their needs it becomes rather rudimentary so then you can challenge yourself.

 

[Calappidae]

Peacocks are extremely frail, they're beautiful and nice in personality, but in all honesty.. how many people do you know that had one the full potential lifespan and never received shellrot? Sure some, but not enough to justify them as good animals to keep in the hobby.

I don't mind people having them, but the more I think about it, they are extremely fragile animals in the hobby, I think they're the toughest thing I've had for the lengths of having a perfect burrow, maintaining water quality more serious then my SPS system (and still seeing SR on my males), and generally, luck with them surviving every molt.

 

[nmotz]

Peacocks are extremely frail, they're beautiful and nice in personality, but in all honesty.. how many people do you know that had one the full potential lifespan and never received shellrot? Sure some, but not enough to justify them as good animals to keep in the hobby.

I don't mind people having them, but the more I think about it, they are extremely fragile animals in the hobby, I think they're the toughest thing I've had for the lengths of having a perfect burrow, maintaining water quality more serious then my SPS system (and still seeing SR on my males), and generally, luck with them surviving every molt.

You have to remember though that they do get shell rot in the wild too so it's not as if that is solely a consequence of poor water quality in the home aquarium. There are people on this forum that have kept Peacocks for several years, even in very simple systems. There's a thread on here about a Peacock named Betty that is a few years old and still alive as far as I know. It can be done. Plus, many of the Peacocks we get are already pretty old and at max size or very close to it so the fact that they "don't live long" is probably at least somewhat exaggerated.

 

[Calappidae]

Getting shell rot in the wild even with ideal water quality is another point I was addressing, the luck.

maintaining water quality more serious then my SPS system (and still seeing SR on my males)

This is meant to show that sometimes even if you do perfect their requirements, there is that "chance" out of your control that something can go wrong. Sure, that describes pretty much everything in the hobby, things happen without warning, but O. scyllarus pushes this a little further with it's own additional issues. If they're hard to keep alive in the wild because of their ability to be shell rot magnets, how does that make them as suitable in home aquaria?

A lot of people do keep O. scyllarus successfully, Kharn, Islandoftiki, Roy, etc, but you have to consider these people are all very well educated and know what they're doing like the back of their hand, but that's only a few people.. RC is big, but not that big in comparison to the world. Sure, this boils down to the general lack of education LFS have with stomatopods, but O. scyllarus isn't as forgiving as say.. a G. chiragra which somebody can bring home and it takes care of itself burrow wise and doesn't have as much shell rot risk.

They're a nice stomatopod to have and wonderful pets when things do work out, just their difficulty is a bit much in comparison to the majority of things in this hobby. I don't mean to exaggerate their impossibility to have, just the general tough time they do give owners in order for them to have success. When it works, it works, when it doesn't, it doesn't.

I would consider them an "expert only" species if we're charting them on difficulty. Possible, but you really do need to know what you're getting into and prepare for it ahead of time.

 

[Kharn]

You have to remember though that they do get shell rot in the wild too so it's not as if that is solely a consequence of poor water quality in the home aquarium. There are people on this forum that have kept Peacocks for several years, even in very simple systems. There's a thread on here about a Peacock named Betty that is a few years old and still alive as far as I know. It can be done. Plus, many of the Peacocks we get are already pretty old and at max size or very close to it so the fact that they "don't live long" is probably at least somewhat exaggerated.

The wild doesn't necessarily equate to optimal water/living conditions...

Around where I was in Australia was exceptionally poor water quality & lack of any real environment (reef structure) due to so much man made activity going on and whilst O.scyllarus could be found in these areas they did have noticeable "issues"...

The O.scyllarus that I have found here where I am now almost look like totally different animals due to the healthy water and environment they live within, I have never seen such vibrantly colorful and "Shell Rot Less" specimens before in the wild.

As for our aquariums, we can and do completely and utterly dictate EVERYTHING within our aquarium because we have the power to, so the whole shell rot issue is COMPLETELY in our control or vice versa, our fault.

 

[nmotz]

A lot of people do keep O. scyllarus successfully, Kharn, Islandoftiki, Roy, etc, but you have to consider these people are all very well educated and know what they're doing like the back of their hand, but that's only a few people.. RC is big, but not that big in comparison to the world. Sure, this boils down to the general lack of education LFS have with stomatopods, but O. scyllarus isn't as forgiving as say.. a G. chiragra which somebody can bring home and it takes care of itself burrow wise and doesn't have as much shell rot risk.

They're a nice stomatopod to have and wonderful pets when things do work out, just their difficulty is a bit much in comparison to the majority of things in this hobby. I don't mean to exaggerate their impossibility to have, just the general tough time they do give owners in order for them to have success. When it works, it works, when it doesn't, it doesn't.

I suppose there are quite a few livestock that fall into this category. Difficult to keep, but everybody's favorite. I think the solution is better identification of the level of care needed for these creatures, not necessarily that they be restricted from the aquarium. It's certainly not in my control what other people do, but I think that it's important for those of us who are knowledgable in the hobby to help it develop in the proper way by educating others. Because let's face it: collectors are never going to stop showing up with exotic and sensitive livestock for the home aquarium industry. Even if the hobby becomes illegal it will still be a lucrative business. So it's up to us to make the best of it that we can. That's why I like this forum so much. We can at least make a small difference by learning how to better care for these creatures and impart that knowledge to others.