I caught a mantis while in the keys and i need a identification, but i dont have a camera right now. i know it is a spearer and at the moment i am acclimating it into my 20g. i had already asked my LFS to getme one and they said it would be there tomorrow. so tomorrow i will put another small mantis in the tank. do u think it will work out even if the other mantis isnt a spearer? thanks.
Mantis Caught :D
- Thread starter Dan87
- Start date
He is approx. 2" long and is just roaming aroud my tank right now. he now just seems to sit in open place behind a rock. he hasnt made a burrow yet and i have about a 2" sandbed. What should i feed him? should i attach a dead minnow to the end of like a toothpick and try to get him to eat? or should i put in a small mollie or two and see if he eats those?
mantisshrimp
Member
Looks like Psuedosquilla ciliata to me,feed it krill,shrimps,squid pieces,damsel fish,freshwater ghost shrimp,freshwater guppies acclimated to salt.
Gonodactylus
Premium Member
It is a P. ciliata. While they burrow in the field, in the aquarium they usually cannot build a clean, u-shaped burrow because the sand is too loose. They usually dig in a substrate that has some mud, gravel and other supporting material. They will spend lots of time digging under rocks, etc. They are usually happy with a pvc tube.
Be careful adding small gonodactylids to a tank containing a P. ciliata. They love little gonodactylus. In the field we often see them returning to their burrows with them.
Roy
Be careful adding small gonodactylids to a tank containing a P. ciliata. They love little gonodactylus. In the field we often see them returning to their burrows with them.
Roy
well i placed 2 pieces of pvc into the tank, one with a "U" shape and an open bottom, and one with ust a plain tube. so far he doesnt even look like he noticed them. Anyways, if tomorrow i go to the LFS and they show me a smasher will he eat the one i currently have even if they r the same size?
Gonodactylus
Premium Member
Doesn't sound good. This often happens when they are stuck molting.
Roy
Roy
I'm very new to mantis shrimp. A friend of mine had one in their aquerium and needed to get rid of it, so I spent some money and got him all the equipment. Anyway...
My mantis is behaving the same way, he has been since I got him. Lately he seems to have livened up a little, but I hope it's nothing too serious. Wouldn't want to have spent all that money for a dieing shrimp
Well I guess I could always get another, or something different.
Anyway, I hope theres an answer to this problem
[edit] Just read the latest post .. oh [/edit]
My mantis is behaving the same way, he has been since I got him. Lately he seems to have livened up a little, but I hope it's nothing too serious. Wouldn't want to have spent all that money for a dieing shrimp
Well I guess I could always get another, or something different.Anyway, I hope theres an answer to this problem
[edit] Just read the latest post .. oh
[/edit]
Gonodactylus
Premium Member
Generally stomatopods on the way out leave their burrows or cavities. They almost always lie on their side or back (depending on the species, and often the raptorial appendages are extended. If an animal stays like this for more than a few minutes or is unable to right itself when disturbed, the game is probably over.
Also, if the animals is acting stressed, do not try to feed it. Mantis shrimp can go for weeks without food and unless they vigorously take food, don't stress them further by offering food. Occasionally, an animal approaching a molt will attack live food or take and then reject an item. If they do this, remove the item. Just like we say "no thank you" or push back from the table, a stomatopd rejects food my pushing it away using its 3-5 maxillipeds (mouth parts). Honor the request to "get that food out of my face".
Roy
Also, if the animals is acting stressed, do not try to feed it. Mantis shrimp can go for weeks without food and unless they vigorously take food, don't stress them further by offering food. Occasionally, an animal approaching a molt will attack live food or take and then reject an item. If they do this, remove the item. Just like we say "no thank you" or push back from the table, a stomatopd rejects food my pushing it away using its 3-5 maxillipeds (mouth parts). Honor the request to "get that food out of my face".
Roy
It's kind of amazing he actually died and you weren't trying to kill him, considering Mantis SHrimp are some of the hardest things to kill (trust me- people have tried many times).
I wouldn't worry about it to much. If you got him from the ocean, he probably just had trouble acclimating to the new system- not your fault. Just be careful when you get your next one- but I wouldn't worry. You can do it! Don't feel bad
I wouldn't worry about it to much. If you got him from the ocean, he probably just had trouble acclimating to the new system- not your fault. Just be careful when you get your next one- but I wouldn't worry. You can do it! Don't feel bad
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