I am totally new to Mantis Shimp, I got questions.

[lando87]

I am totally new to Mantis Shimp or to any other marine species for that matter. And trying to keep a budget.

1) Do I have to spend hundreds of dollars on a wet/dry filter? Or can I use other filters for a mantis shrimp? Since mantis shrimps are hardy.

2) Do I need a skimmer?

3) Do I need a powerhead?

4) Do I have to go through a whole cycling process for my new tank?


I will have more questions. thanks.

 

[saltwater4life1]

Well i'm still kinda new to mantis shrimps but here,

1) Do I have to spend hundreds of dollars on a wet/dry filter? Or can I use other filters for a mantis shrimp? Since mantis shrimps are hardy.
Nope i wouldn't even use a wet dry filter on any tank i would go with a small AC filter and put some LR and macro in it

2) Do I need a skimmer?
No unless maybe a peacock or you have one laying around

3) Do I need a powerhead?

Yeah

4) Do I have to go through a whole cycling process for my new tank?
Yup, Unless maybe you use cured LR and LS then you might have a short cycle but every tank goes though a cycle

Hope that helps.
Best of luck!
Nick

 

[Str8baller]

I just set up a mantis tank, and the thread i started might be of help to you. http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1135501

good luck

 

[justinl]

yeah what SW4life said. except mechanical filtration isnt really that cut and dry. some people dont use any at all and just rely on the rock. some spend hundreds on the best of the best. imo, the best mechanical filtration you can get is the combo of a skimmer and a canister filter. you'll have to fill the canister with live rock rubble though. skimmers are by no means mandatory, but i believe they are quite helpful.

 

[mattyice]

im going to agree with justinl, here are my personal choices

1) I would use an oversized canister filter...in my peacock 33G cube i use a Fluval 305 canister filter with a bag of purigen and a bag of chemi-pure

2)I personally have a skimmer on the tank, oversized once again just to make the tank cleaner and longer between water changes, i use a CSS65

3) There is no reason to have a powerhead unless you have corals in the tank that require some flow, besides that i dont understand the need for one

4)Yes you need to go through the cycling process in every tank, just because some stomatopods are hardy doesnt mean they all are, there are some that are sensitive to changing water conditions

 

[justinl]

i think it is very good to have a powerhead or two (not a lot of flow, but some) because it moves the water around. this does two things. circulates water at the surface to promote gas exchange (vital imo, especially if you dont have a skimmer), and cleans off the sandbed (depending on how strong flow is).

if you have enough flow from other equipment, sure skip the power head, but if you dont... well i just see water movement as a vital component in a successful tank.

matty, im very surprised to hear you dont use powerheads... you got the skimmer for gas exchange, but what about flow?

 

[mattyice]

thats one reason why i use an oversized canister filter, also i can adjust how far the outlet of the filter is in the water

im also redesigning the filter system using an ocean clear canister filter and a mag 3 or 5 pump with an outlet towards the top and another right above the sand this will help me get alot more circulation in the tank and i can put chaeto and more bags of purigen and carbon in the filter

 

[lando87]

Thanks for the help guys.

5) Would you prefer a large LR for the mantis to make a cavity or just have several more inches of LS? Crushed LR?

6) If I use a canister filter there are 3 media slots:
Mechanical:
Chemical:
Biological:
What do I put in each of those slots? Matt mentioned a bag of purigen and a bag of chemi-pure but what category do they fall under? And do I have to put them on a certain order, from top to bottom?

7) Would you recommend tank cleaners such as Trochus Snails, Super Tongan Nassarius Snails, Cerith Snails, and Scarlet Reef Hermit Crabs to be added in the same tank with a mantis?

 

[justinl]

general mantis habitat consists of 2-3inches of sand (oolitic (sugar sized)... not crushed coral), large pieces of LR (go for the porous stuff), and a handful of LR rubble for the mantis to perfect its burrow.

the stuff matty is talkin about is "chemical" filtration. put that in the chemiacal slot of course. in the bio filtration slot you'll find bio balls. remove them and replace with LR rubble (golf ball size).

you have to figure out what kind of mantis you get before we can advise on other inverts. some smaller species can barely handle an astrea, bigger species can easily takeout a turbo snail... it all depends on the shell thickness. dont bother with scarlets... go for the cheaper bluelegs because they're only CUC until they become food. nass = food. if you want cleaners who will survive, go for large turbo snails. dont get large hermits as they can harm the mantis.

 

[mattyice]

if you do wish to have a peacock and will be around the tank often, try and buy as much live rock rubble as you can (about 10-15 lbs) and put about 3" of sand in the tank, and you can watch as the peacock builds its own enclosure the way it likes it, thats pretty much what i did with mine and my peacock couldnt be happier