Gluttony?

[dbrooks1440]

I am a mantis newbie and have a feeding question...

I have an ugly, brown smasher that I picked up for free. He is housed in a 20g with 4 ea. assorted damsels.

I travel frequently and, due to the fact that this tank is in my office, the inhabitants tend to get a little on the hungry side. I don't worry much about the damsels, but am somewhat concerned with disappearing for 10 days and not feeding "The Stain"...get it...the stain...he's brown...and about 2 inches long...can I get away with sophomoric humor on this board, or can I only do that on my local board (sdreefs.com)?

Anyhow, I am going to the LFS today to buy about 20 or so hermits (or snails...which would he prefer?) and dump them all in the tank at once...and finally to my question:

Will The Stain merely kill everything that moves, or will he get full and stop until he is, once again, hungry?

Thanks

Dave in San Diego

 

[Uriel]

Firstly, The Stain may need a new name at some point.
If he is in a colorful environment, chances are that he will molt to match/fit-in more. One of mine looked pretty much grey at first, but now sports green,yellow and some purple as well. Give the bugger a chance to put on some fresh duds.

About the food: You can leave them all in there, he will kill what he wants to eat not slaughter the entire flock of snails/hermits.
Even if he did, by some chance, have a bout of homocidal (gastrocidal...hermitocidal?) mania, they cam go for a week + easily without grub. Predators are like that. I don't see any problem with that many snails/hermits, provided your water parameters are OK, and you don't have a big die-off when you are away.

As far as preference, they vary by species and individual.
I have one mantis (G. viridis) that will almost never touch hermits, another (G. platysoma) who rarely eats snails...

Two peacocks (O. scyllarus), one loves anythingmsnails,hermits,thawed food...he's a pigglet.
The second one (more new0 hasn't touched a snail since he's been in there. He relishes fiddler crabs, however, and he ate 3 in one day.

I'd go with hald snails, half hermits.

Hope that helps.

-Ron

 

[dbrooks1440]

Thanks Ron. Speaking of crabs (how's that for a segue...), someone - possibly you - suggested my going to the shore and catching some crabs for him. I am not opposed to doing this, but is this...well...legal? Here in San Diego, we can't blow our nose without a permit.

 

[Uriel]

I get mine from a LFS, but you should just check the lagality of catching them at a particula coastal area. I wouldn't risk a fine,personally. It would be cheaper to get a fishing liscense, as fishermen are usually allowed to collect crabs etc... as bait.
I'm a little too paranoid to collect from the beaches, just for the possibility of some pollution.


-Ron

 

[dbrooks1440]

I have no fear of the pollution issue in San Diego. I use water straight from the end of Scripps Pier on a weekly basis - no problem. Been doing this for 5 years.