looking for mantis

[Joel A]

hey guys, im currently looking for a mantis to put on my 6 gallon mini-bow tank that sits on my desk. I just thought that a mantis would be a cool, yet different animal to put on my desk. 8)

I have a couple of questions.... i know that there are many different species of stomatopods, which ones would you recommend for a 6 gallon acrylic tank?

Also, where would i be able to find one? My LFS carries nothing of this sort, and i know it would cost me a fortune asking them to special order it (they already overprice anyways). Does anyone here on the site sell them or ship them?

What should i feed, just normal things, like frozen krill,shrimp,squid,fish?

Thanks in advance,
Jay

 

[justinl]

tampabaysaltwater.com sells N. wennerae fo 10$ (50$ shipped to your door). this would be a perfect candidate for a small tank like yours.

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthro...costraca/royslist/species.php?name=n_wennerae

yeah just feed a variety of frozens (at least two, i feed three) which can include krill, clam, silversides, squid... most any meaty marine flesh. only feed about half of the mantis' own body size per feeding, feed every 2-3 days. it's good practice to soak the frozens in a food supplement like selcon once in a while. you also need to feed thin hard shelled food at LEAST once a month. this can include small hermits, snails or crabs.

 

[Kati]

What I do as far as feding my mantis is I buy like 20 hermits at a time and just throw them in and then feed as normal, so that way he always has food available and he can excersize his smashers