How well can mantises fast?
- Thread starter Opcn
- Start date
ReefGeekster
Premium Member
I'd toss in some live crabs for him to munch on when he gets hungry. Even five or six should do the trick.... depends on their size.
ReefGeekster
Premium Member
normally if there are a few in there he won't eat them all at once.
Gonodactylus
Premium Member
I keep saying this, but I don't seem to be making the point. One mantis is not all mantises. There are over 500 species of stomatopod in 21 families. Their biology can be vastly different and it is dangerous to generalize. Some species such as small odontactylids can only go a few days without eating. Others like N. wennerae or G. chiragra can go weeks. In fact, some spearers can go for a few months without food.
If you identify the species, I could probably give you a fairly accurate estimation of feeding requirements, but just knowing that it is 4 inches does not provide enough information.
I will say that in general people way underestimate how often stomatopods must feed. For most species, I would not think twice about not feeding an adult for a week to 10 days.
Roy
If you identify the species, I could probably give you a fairly accurate estimation of feeding requirements, but just knowing that it is 4 inches does not provide enough information.
I will say that in general people way underestimate how often stomatopods must feed. For most species, I would not think twice about not feeding an adult for a week to 10 days.
Roy
Opcn
Member
Gonodactylaceus spp. off of live aquaria. 3"-4" sold as a lime green mantis.
http://liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=2281
http://liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=2281
Gonodactylus
Premium Member
It should be fine without special feeding. A few small hermits won't hurt, but I have seen them kill several large snails or hermits, be unable to eat all the flesh, and cause some water quality issues.
Roy
Roy
Opcn
Member
Okay, I got em just about an hour ago, hes been hiding since I let him out of the bag (Something I expected) but he is only 2 inches long. I also got a huge snail that I dont want to put in my nano tank so I added him, hes a turbo snail thats about 3.5 inches across, can I keep him with the mantis or should I have escargo right now?
ReeferGreg
New member
Any pictures of the guy?
What's his behavior like?
I ask because I'm close to ordering a mantis from liveaquaria but I don't like not knowing what I'm getting....
What's his behavior like?
I ask because I'm close to ordering a mantis from liveaquaria but I don't like not knowing what I'm getting....
Opcn
Member
Didn't get a shot of him, but he was lime green from head to swimmerettes, I didnt see much behavior he tryed to swimm out throught the bag but he didn't snap at me throught it, his eyes aren't much to behold either, just greyish.
Id dig him out of the rocks, but I'm sure he would hurt me.
Id dig him out of the rocks, but I'm sure he would hurt me.
I agree with Dr. Roy (obviously, but still...) regarding variance in diet.
My 2 O. scyllarus have different eating habits, with one eating every day, providing there are snails in there, and the other being a bit more picky (He will not eat snails, but he dusted off 3 fiddler crabs in one sitting, for instance...).
My first G. chiraga seems to spend most of her time holed up in her lair, eating maybe once ever week or two these days...molts and all.
My G. platysoma eats voraciously when out (hermits and offered thawed shrimp), but he spends weeks in a molt , sometimes going three weeks without food.
My G. ternatensis is always hungry, as is my G. viridis.
My 2 newest mantis are still getting their bearings, though the (I think) G. graphurus is a hearty eater, and the (I think) 2nd G. chiraga seems a bit more peckish. Perhaps he is getting ready to molt himself...
-Ron
My 2 O. scyllarus have different eating habits, with one eating every day, providing there are snails in there, and the other being a bit more picky (He will not eat snails, but he dusted off 3 fiddler crabs in one sitting, for instance...).
My first G. chiraga seems to spend most of her time holed up in her lair, eating maybe once ever week or two these days...molts and all.
My G. platysoma eats voraciously when out (hermits and offered thawed shrimp), but he spends weeks in a molt , sometimes going three weeks without food.
My G. ternatensis is always hungry, as is my G. viridis.
My 2 newest mantis are still getting their bearings, though the (I think) G. graphurus is a hearty eater, and the (I think) 2nd G. chiraga seems a bit more peckish. Perhaps he is getting ready to molt himself...
-Ron
ReefGeekster
Premium Member
Uriel said:
How often do you feed your O.S. (the picky one)
I feed Hydra (The picky one) live fiddler or red shore crabs 2-3 times a week, with thawed shrimp or scallop offered the other days. Almost every day, maybe 6 days a week. This isn't necessary,from what I have read, but he is so cute begging, and he follows me up and down, awaiting his treat. He also comes when i tap the glass or if he sees the claw that I use to feed scallop (He loves scallops).If I can't get to the LFS on pick-up day (Usually monday or thursday), then I wait a day to feed him, to give him a keener appetite.
He is hungry and ferocious when those crabs make their appearance.
As far as feeding them goes, I have a bag of mixed scallop/shrimp/squid from Trader Joe's. I'm not sure if they have TJ's where you live, but a 7 dollar bag will last me months, so the $ of the feeders is offset in my mind.
He is hungry and ferocious when those crabs make their appearance.
As far as feeding them goes, I have a bag of mixed scallop/shrimp/squid from Trader Joe's. I'm not sure if they have TJ's where you live, but a 7 dollar bag will last me months, so the $ of the feeders is offset in my mind.
Thurge
New member
MY N. wennera doesn't touch the big turbo snails I have in the tank, but Certh and Astra snails and he thinks its his mission in life to bash them.
There is also a pair of Peppermint shrimp that have been in there for months. Initially they were to take care of some Aptasia and then be food, but Mjollnir doesn't touch them (and I have shoved one in his burrow "just in case").
There is also a pair of Peppermint shrimp that have been in there for months. Initially they were to take care of some Aptasia and then be food, but Mjollnir doesn't touch them (and I have shoved one in his burrow "just in case").
rwhhunt
New member
Boris LOVES Garlic Scallops!! It is the only thing that I feed that she can smell almost instantly when dipped in the tank! She immediately goes into search and destroy mode and will even do a flying attack on the scallop-on-a-stick! Plus she can eat it very fast as well. She likes the scallops considerably more than krill or shrimp. Suprisingly, I think my wennerea, although will eat scallops, prefers krill more... The wennerae seems like it will go much longer without food, although the longest I havent feed the wennerea is a week, while the peacock has only fasted about 5-6 days before she gets some live treats...
ReefGeekster
Premium Member
rwhhunt said:
Well I bought a large piece of wild scallop at the grocery store, was $12.99 a pound though one piece was pretty cheap and sliced a piece of it off and fed it to my O.S. and he took it and now just chucked it out of his burrow so it just sitting there near the LR. So I guess he doesn't like it or not hungry?
