Hitchhiker mantis in a .75g tank.

[frogspawn]

How fast do these guys grow? I just saw one (yes, I'm sure it is a mantis) in my tank. It's a pale red color and is approx. .25" long. Can't tell if it's a smasher or a spearer yet. How long before I need to worry about putting this guy in his own tank? I have a 30 I can set up for it in my office. The mini tank has:

1lb each lr, ls
assorted shrooms
green star polyps
BTA (also a hitchhiker)
1 blue leg hermit
misc stars (also hitchhikers)

Could the BTA and the mantis co-exist? Could I have the mantis in a trigger tank? I was in the process of setting the 30 up and adding a trigger.

 

[Ken2001]

I suppose it would depend on the trigger, and the mantis. I'd say a mantis that small would be fair game for many triggers.

 

[LisaD]

I'm new to mantis shrimp, but the growth rate and adult size is going to depend on the species. Can you get a picture so one of the knowledgeable folks on the forum could help? Some stay small, others get big. You're SURE it's a mantis, at 1/4 inch long?

I don't think a trigger and a mantis would be a good combination, ever. Did you say it's a 0.75 gallon tank? If that's the case, the BTA may not have good enough water quality with the shrimp in the tank. I would take it out and set it up separately in an equivalent or slightly larger (2.5 or 5.5 gallon) tank so you can watch it.

If he is a smasher, your blue leg hermit will probably be gone soon. Have you tried feeding anything? My new peacock mantis chowed on frozen mysis. Then the next day, I saw her forlornly carrying around an empty snail shell and figured she wanted something she could smash. I gave her two fiddler crabs and smash them she did. Now she seems happy.

 

[Uriel]

Firstly. a .75 gallon tank?
I want to start a tiny tank like that for my desk, what are you using for filtration/movement/lighting (I am a newbie, so I am unsure )?

As far as Mantis and Triggers: Other than the super rare instance, all stories that I have heard go like this
a> the smaller mantis gets eaten
b> larger mantis kills triggerfish or maims it (One story described a 'smashed beak, so that the trigger couldn't feed properly)

Then there is the story of 2 O. Scyllarus killig 6 clown triggers in a single night (as substantiated by Dr. Roy himself...).

Not a good match, I'd say.


-Ron

 

[frogspawn]

My tank is the Red Sea Candy Combo (or something like that). It came with a small filter and a 7w light. I have one on my desk at home (this is the one with the mantis) and I have one on my desk at work. LOVE IT!!!

Today is the first time I've seen this guy. I think he may have been a bonus with the star polyps I put in last weekend.

As far as the trigger goes, I wouldn't put it in until the mantis is much larger. I'm already plotting another tank for the BTA (don't tell my husband).

 

[LisaD]

Because of the potential bioload the mantis might create when eating, I would STILL set him up by himself in the 0.75 (or better yet in a 2.5 or 5.5) even as tiny as he is. My guess is that a tiny mantis in a tank will create more bioload in a nano than a shrimp 3X his size that is a a scavenger rather than a predator.

I have a small rose BTA and a tiny clone BTA in a 12 gallon nano cube, for now. They have been doing really well. So a 12 gallon or 24 gallon nano cube could be an option. How big is the bubble tip.

And is it REALLY a hitchiker or did you just make that up for your husband? That sounds like one of my stories. (I bought the tiny clone BTA for $10, but never even pointed it out in my tank. )

Lisa