Help This Mantis Shrimp Noobie!

[FishNutzBoi]

I went to the LFS today. The owner is my dad's friend. While i was looking at his fish tanks, i saw a green mantis, which was a hihitcher on his LR order. He gave the shrimp to me for free! Shocked So... I need help... I don't know 1 bit about mantis care other than it's SW and it's prety hardy XD

I put him in my 10G "Prison Tank", where i keep badly behaved hermits Twisted Evil. I moved all the hermits to a small container, don't worry hehe. Anyway, right now,the tank has:

1 Maxijet 600 - 160GPH flow
150W Heater
2.5 inches of sand
A few pieces/rubbles of LR that i took from my main tank

I tested the water and the parameters were off the chart.... I don't know how the hermits were living in there

PH - 8
NH3 - 1.0
NO2 - 1.3
NO3 - 100+
SG - 1.024

The shrimp doesn't show any sign of distress, which is kind of odd... He's exploring the tank and already starting on his burrow.

So! Can anyone give me some information about how to take care of this little devil?

Thanks In Advance

 

[Thurge]

I would add a HOB filter like an Aqua Clear or Melinnium, buth of which have a design large enough to add Live Rock rubble instead of the filter pad. FWIW I prefer the melinnium.
You also may want to use a poly filter pad for a little while to absorbe the excess ammonia and Nitrite. Bio Spira (marine version) will also help kick your cycle into high gear and eliminate the Ammonia and nitrite in a couple days.

If you have a sturdy critter keeper you may want to temporarly move the mantis to that, in your main tank until the water parameters settle down some. They are very hardy but not indistructable.


Oh and we want pictuers.