How do you keep your mantis tank clean?

[cone9]

Given that snails and hermits are not an option, how do you keep your tanks clean? More elbow grease?

Do most of you employ a DSB, even in nano tanks?

 

[ADHybrid]

I actually use SNAILS. I just got some turbo snails that were WAY to big for my mantis to shatter and it seems to be workin. Cleaning it yourself is always an options too.

 

[Python73]

Funny you said that ADHybrid, that's exactly what I do. I actually exiled a golfball sized turbo snail to my 6 gallon Eclipse with my mantis. He's a smasher, but only 2" long or so. I feed my mantis almost exclusively nassarius snails, since they are cheap here (79 cents or less).

Anyway, the turbo had the tank spotless (and I mean spotless) in three days. He even ate the macro before I could pull him. Never had a problem with the mantis.

Besides, turbos are only a buck. If it gets eaten, so be it.

S !

 

[JEMichael IV]

I dont have to much algea growth on the acrylic of my tank. My tank is plumbed into my main 100 gallon reef and 60g refugium thats very stable. Have to go over the acrylic once every 2-3 weeks.

 

[Gonodactylus]

We use turbos and hermits as well, although in our O. scyllarus tanks, there isn't a snail large enough that a 15 cm animal can't crack. We try to control growth in those tanks by keeping the phosphate down, removing large growths of algae, and by keeping lighting to a minimum.

I firmly believe that lots of algae, particularly greens and corallines, are good for stomatopods. I usually only worry when we have an outbreak of red slime and green filamentous algae. Our animals maintain much better color in tanks full of algae, they reproduce more frequently, and they live longer.

Roy