found mantis shrimp- want to keep it alive

[wes_8_u]

Hi guys, i have just found a mantis shrimp in my tank and caught it.
I don't want it to die, however i have no refuge or sump to keep him in. I will probably have to give him to the LFs but not sure when.

In the meantime, i want to keep in alive, and am not sure what the best way to do this is.

atm i have him in a small container, but don't know how long that will be adequate for.

any help will be great- thanks guys

 

[Thurge]

A small "critter keeper" kept in the tank should suffice until you find a better place for it. If you have a spare 10 gallon tank you could set up a species tank for it as many mantis will live happily for life in a 10 (provided you didn't get one of the larger species of mantis.
Also you will find that there are plenty of Mantis freaks around here who would be willing to pay for shipping + a little something for your pocket, for your mantis. I would be but I can't afford the pair of shoes my baby girl would extract from me as payment for setting up another fish tank.

 

[yiliyang]

get an in tank refugium for $40. It is an acrylic box with holes on all sides and a small rio pump to keep the water flowing through. That and a couple pieces of rubble will keep him happy. I think they are prettier than most of my fishes.

Good luck.

 

[TMPoften]

If you could get a picture of him I may be interested in buying him from you.

 

[wes_8_u]

i would love to give it to you guys, unfortunately i am in australia so may be a little difficult. i'll look into getting a critter keeper for the time being until i find something more permanent.

But Is there anything that i shouldn't put in my main tank (eg. any sorts of plastics or other materials) that may affect the water quality or contaminate it etc. I just love my tank and don't want to detriment it in any way- i am parinoid about it and don't want to put in anything as i am paranoid about the health of my fish

I also don't want to kill the mantis. before i saw him, i thought he was a nuisance and couldn't wait to get rid of him. But after seeing him, i kinda like him and want to make sure his ok

I know this may also be a stupid question. But as he is in a ice cream container atm, and may be for a day or two until i manage to get time to sort things out is there anything i can do to increase his chance of survival at least temporarily. I'm a bit concerned, about temp etc.

thankyou and sorry if any of these questions seem a little strange

 

[dragonforce]

just get a tupperwear container and make a ton of holes in it and put the mantis in there and place it in your sump or float in on the top. Good luck