How often do you feed a mantis?
- Thread starter hobbzz
- Start date
Yes, my smasher (N. wennerae) loves the hermits as well, unfortunately that gets to be an expensive meal plan unless you can convince your friends to get rid of their "inappropriate" hermits. I have been feeding mine mysis and frozen formula 1 for about 3 months now and he seems quite happy with the arrangement. Still bashes empty shells around for amusement. He has molted 2 times since I started this feeding regimen and the last time he molted he change color from a dull brown to a vibrant green. Pretty neat.
I feed him every day now, same time that I feed the fish their afternoon meal (the tanks are in my laboratory). Two or three small pieces of whichever I'm feeding seems to satisfy him. I direct feed him with long tweezers and he grabs it right off of them. Sometimes gives the tweezers a real smash for good measure.
Others may weigh in on more appropriate diets for mantis, but my experience has been that these guys are very adaptable, just keep it meaty.
I feed him every day now, same time that I feed the fish their afternoon meal (the tanks are in my laboratory). Two or three small pieces of whichever I'm feeding seems to satisfy him. I direct feed him with long tweezers and he grabs it right off of them. Sometimes gives the tweezers a real smash for good measure.
Others may weigh in on more appropriate diets for mantis, but my experience has been that these guys are very adaptable, just keep it meaty.
I feed my O.S a peice of frozen king shrimp (Prawns) 3-4 times a week. He loves it. Plus you can get a 2IB bag from the store for 8.00
One prawn is good for about 3/4 week.
Almost 6 - 8 months of food for 8.00.
BTW there is no way snails are cheaper. Even black small snails are going to run ya 35-75cents a peice. Larger snails cost way more.
I just get 10 small black snails and drop them in there. They are a good source of food when I miss a feeding. Norbert will only eat them if he is hungry...
LOL
SH
One prawn is good for about 3/4 week.
Almost 6 - 8 months of food for 8.00.
BTW there is no way snails are cheaper. Even black small snails are going to run ya 35-75cents a peice. Larger snails cost way more.
I just get 10 small black snails and drop them in there. They are a good source of food when I miss a feeding. Norbert will only eat them if he is hungry...
LOL
SH
Python73
New member
sirhelm said:
Let me clarify... cheaper than hermits. Meatwise, I'd guess that it would take 2-3 small blue legs to equal one nassarius snail. And you can get nassarius in bulk cheap.
I'm not saying snail meat is cheap in general, just the cheapest readily available live marine animal to feed your mantis. Frankly, I'd rather feed mine hairy rock crabs, but I don't live on the coast.
S !
Gonodactylus
Premium Member
Many stomatopods are picky about what they will eat and they will often hold out for the easiest item. A stomatopod being fed frozen shrimp will often not take snails for a couple of weeks until it gets really hungry and makes the switch. Then you may have trouble getting it back to shrimp. Other individuals may take whatever is offered.
Diet also depends on stage in the molt cycle. An animal that has recently molted won't be able to break snails or hermits. Later, it may prefer them.
I am a firm believer in variety for our animals. We feed snails (local Tegula), frozen shrimp, freeze-dried krill (with a liquid supplement), and even live adult brine shrimp and Hawaiian red shrimp (it gives them something to do to chase them down.)
What is important if you have a smasher like an O. scyllarus is to include some hard prey like snails or hermits so that the animal has to work to open them. Exercise seems to help avoid raptorial appendage loss during a molt.
As for frequency, most animals will eat every day, but they can go for a couple of weeks without food. As long as the animal is taking and eating what you provide, four or five feedings a week seems about right. However, I should note that we have video of animals in the field that shows that they feed two or three times a day if they can only catch something small. If they drag back a large crab or snail, that will usually do them for the day.
Roy
Diet also depends on stage in the molt cycle. An animal that has recently molted won't be able to break snails or hermits. Later, it may prefer them.
I am a firm believer in variety for our animals. We feed snails (local Tegula), frozen shrimp, freeze-dried krill (with a liquid supplement), and even live adult brine shrimp and Hawaiian red shrimp (it gives them something to do to chase them down.)
What is important if you have a smasher like an O. scyllarus is to include some hard prey like snails or hermits so that the animal has to work to open them. Exercise seems to help avoid raptorial appendage loss during a molt.
As for frequency, most animals will eat every day, but they can go for a couple of weeks without food. As long as the animal is taking and eating what you provide, four or five feedings a week seems about right. However, I should note that we have video of animals in the field that shows that they feed two or three times a day if they can only catch something small. If they drag back a large crab or snail, that will usually do them for the day.
Roy
Just to reply to the question about the frozen foods, I don't give him the whole cube, just a small piece of the defrosted cube when I feed the reef tank.
Tried snails, he has never shown any interest in them at all. A shame really, as the Florida live rock I got came with a steady supply of vicious little whelks.
Gonodactylus appears to be right on the money with his advice as always. Variety of foods and the occasional exercise via bashing shells, that's the way to go. Come to think of it, that sounds like a good diet plan! Maybe I'll start a new diet movement a la Atkins: The Mantis Diet!
(Of course then a bunch of idiots would misunderstand and start raiding the oceans to eat Mantis's)
Cheers,
Mike
Tried snails, he has never shown any interest in them at all. A shame really, as the Florida live rock I got came with a steady supply of vicious little whelks.
Gonodactylus appears to be right on the money with his advice as always. Variety of foods and the occasional exercise via bashing shells, that's the way to go. Come to think of it, that sounds like a good diet plan! Maybe I'll start a new diet movement a la Atkins: The Mantis Diet!
(Of course then a bunch of idiots would misunderstand and start raiding the oceans to eat Mantis's)
Cheers,
Mike
KorbinDallas
New member
I just gave my new mantis a cerith snail. I looked in the bucket (yes bucket), and he has the snail shell propped up vertically in a hole in front of his den like its some sort of trophy. Reminds me of the movie "Predator". He has also eaten bits of squid. Tonight he gets a homicidal blue leg hermit.
I have fed my mantis some shrimp take from the Gulf of Mex live. he eats about 1 every 2 days. They are just slightly smaller than he is so he'll kill and leave the tail and head which he puts out on the "curb" for the trashman (me) to collect. It's cool to watch him hunt these down in open water. He usually needs a couple of whacks to kill them.
Breezer348
New member
How often should I feed my mantis shrimp?
How often should I feed my mantis shrimp?
Hello everyone, I just got a beautiful mantis shrimp. She is 5 inches long and is enjoying her new home. I fed her a small crab today and it she feasted. I've got some mixed messages about feeding her and I need some advice. The aquatic shop mentioned every three days, and I could feed her small crabs to even small fish. Is that accurate? Thank you for the advice!
How often should I feed my mantis shrimp?
Hello everyone, I just got a beautiful mantis shrimp. She is 5 inches long and is enjoying her new home. I fed her a small crab today and it she feasted. I've got some mixed messages about feeding her and I need some advice. The aquatic shop mentioned every three days, and I could feed her small crabs to even small fish. Is that accurate? Thank you for the advice!
Mr. Manty
New member
Sounds like a peacock mantis if it is that large and "beautiful".
Do not feed fish, they eat gastropods and crustaceans.
Every three days is fine, I feed my peacock on that interval just to keep nitrates down and encourage activity. They will be more active and visible to you as they hunt for food. If you want your mantis to be active, feed sparsely and feed live foods. Do not offer the food directly, let the mantis hunt it.
If you do not feed live foods, offer shrimp, clams, mussels etc.. soaked in Selcon. They WILL become accustomed to you feeding them at their burrows entrance and will rarely leave the safety of their home. So instead, stick feed the mantis but hold the food away from the burrow to encourage him to come out.
Molting
Molting
Molting
you mentioned that your mantis molted and became very vibrant. I just got a baby O.S. as claimed by the shop where I bought him. However, he is very dull. What does this mean. Please help
