Elephant Ear With Mantis Shrimp?

ADHybrid

New member
I have a 4 inch Pseudosquilla ciliata and I was planning on making my mantis tank a softy reef (I only have xenia right now) and wanted to add shrooms also. We have a Elephant Ear in our store that no one wants. Do you think it would be ok for me to stick it in this tank or will it make my beloved mantis a beloved snack?
 
Stomatopods generally handle cnidarians well. There thick exoskeleton provides quite a bit of protection. They are really only vulnerable around the gills and sensory organs. I have seen stomatopods killed by anemones, but if the Pseudosquilla survives the first mad swimming panic around the tank, it will probably be o.k.

Roy
 
Many stomatopods when first dropped into a tank swim about wildly crashing into the glass. They eventually fall to the bottom exhausted and do no move for several minutes. It is during this initial panic that they often crash into things that they shouldn't. Carefully acclimating the animal to the tank in a clear plastic bag and gradually decanting it can sometimes avoid the problem, but not always.

Roy
 
Ahh, I see. Ya, Mine was aclimated almost all day (not on purpose, I had not finished setting up the rockwork when I first recieved him) so he seemed ok. My friend brought him in a 5 inch pvc "cave" that he had made so I simply lowered the pvc and let him wander out on his own. Never really had a wild dash with him. I was gonna add the elephant ear tomorrow but I'm leaving for the east coast for a month and dont want to come home to find out that my mantis was consumed. Guess it can wait a month.
 
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