mantis and corals

[slandis3]

My wife has a mantis that im getting reday to move into its new 33long tank. Im not sure what tyoe it is its green with red arms. Ill try to get a pic when i move it.Anyway, when i setup the new tank i would like to put some stuff in with it but im not sure what is safe to do. The tank will be tied into my 300g+ reef system. any suggestions?

 

[Pea-brain]

It is not unusual for a mantis to decide that a coral looks better where it wants it. If you must put in corals, put in cheap ones that don't require much light. Many mantises can be harmed by intense light. Once we identify the species then you can see how deep it commonly lives and it will give you a good idea how strong the lights can be. Also, asumming it is a smasher, it will probably kill any clean up crew in there. Small, fast, cheap fish will do well, unless the mantis decides they are food. Which is why they should be cheap

 

[DanInSD]

Anything you don't mind getting moved around. It can and will happen (so don't put that uber-rare blue-with-orange-polka-dot mushroom in there). Also, don't put a massive anemone with long tentacles in a tank with a one-inch mantis (duh). Some mantis species don't like really strong light (i.e. metal halide). Sticking to common soft corals (I have mushrooms, zoanthids, xenia, star polyps, etc in my mantis tank) is probably pretty darned safe.

 

[Thurge]

Another safe tactic is to use larger colonies as opposed to trying to grow out frags. Something else to think about is that some species of mantis make there home IN coral colonies and this could damage some corals.

 

[rwhhunt]

That has been my dream for years! that is to set up a small reef tank with the mantis as the primary habitant! I finally took the plunge over xmas, and am extremely pleased with the results. AS long as your mantis is proportionally sized to your tank, i think you will be fine. Your only worry is water nutrient spikes, so I added a very deep sandbed, and tons of live rock with a large clean up crew of 15 little black sand burrowing snails that make short order of any algae, detrious or leftover food (and they're CHEAP from ebay!!! I am however thinking about putting in a small royal gramma or something, but havent decided yet...

The Mantis is a O. havanesis, and it interactive and pretty colorful with bright pink telsons.

But it can certianly be done, and is dam cool when done right!

 

[rwhhunt]

I mentioned the pink telsons:

 

[Thurge]

A fish option I have been looking into are Damsels that "algae Farm". I just picked up the second edition to Scott Michael's 'Pocket Guide to Aquarium Fish' and he goes into greater detail about the habits of fish Genus. A couple Genus of Damsel are known to eat primairly algae and are also known to pick on SPS creating more places to grow algae. Obviously this would preclude keeping SPS with them but keeping LPS and Zoa's may be cool and they should help keep filimentous algae to a minimum.

 

[aninjaatemyshoe]

Mine ate one damsel, but then stopped eating them altogether. Must not have liked the taste. My concern is that the damsel that is in there now is making him be more reclusive than he would be otherwise. You'd think mine would eat it as he is a rather decent sized O. Scyllarus, but no go. I think it has a lot to do with the individual personality of the mantis.

 

[ksrinlv]

I have two mantis reefs, one with mushrooms & gorgonians, the other with gsp, lps and more. Agreed the biggest issue is the mantis do move the corals/rocks - sometimes just don't like where I want a coral to be! I also have damsels in both tanks and do think that the mantis with the larger damsel in it doesn't come out as much as it might otherwise thanks to the damsel. The mushroom mantis tank has two very small damsels (long story, did NOT intend to have two fish in there!) that are not big/mean enough to affect the habits of the mantis yet.
By all means - mantis reef is an awesome way to go!!

 

[GraviT]

I haven't had much luck keeping anything other than mushrooms and star polyps in my Gonodactylaceus Ternatensis's tank. She smashes the crud out of anything that moves, including xenia! Not a friendly little bugger!

This species is one that makes their home in branching corals, so SPS would be out as well.

 

[slandis3]

I really need to get a good pic of the one my wife has so i can get a positive id and go from there. I like the mushroom idea, he wife is a shroom freak. That will be a good place to put the ones in my main tank now.