Mantis Dummy

[dela]

I'd like to set up a 10g mantis tank at the office. Eventually..

Don't know much about mantis shrimps other than what I've read here and there.

As far as I know, there are bashers & spearers. So I assume one would eat fish while the other would eat crabs and such.

I imagine you can keep more than one if they are a mated pair & you have enough space. Or if they don't form pairs, that you have enough room for both.. and probably not mix males. Any of that right?

Life span? A few years depending on species & care?

Will they breed in captivity? Can you raise the babies? I saw a post on egg masses but that could be as far as the process gets.

What would be an appropriate species for a dedicated 10g tank? And who sells them? Any species to steer clear from?

Also, will a basher get along with fish? And Vice Versa a spearer with crustaceans?

I know I need to read up.. Is there a mantis keeping basics page anywhere? A "please read first" anywhere?

Thanks for any info.

 

[dela]

OK, here is some info I'm stealing from various places that kind of caught my attention...

Smashing type Mantis tend to live more out in the open.

one to a tank is the rule.

some material along the lower inside edges of the tank to prevent their possible breakage (there are reports of glass tanks being destroyed by stomatopods of just a few inches length). They need substrates of a few to several inches deep (depending on the species) and appreciate some larger rubble (which they'll likely contribute to with the remains of their meals), and plenty of rock hiding places.

even the largest and most colorful individuals should not have a price exceeding $20-25, although special orders push this up significantly.

smashers (usually Gonodactylus).

The very colorful Odontodactylus scyllarus is usually called Clown mantis shrimp, Peacock mantis shrimp, or Harlequin mantis shrimp.

 

[dela]

OK, so after all that.. + more reading, the one question I still have is...

If I want a brightly colored smasher, what species would I want?

 

[James0_85]

Odontodactylus scyllarus aka Peacock mantis shrimp

 

[dela]

So even though Gonodactylus are usually smashers, the colorful smashers are actually Odontodactylus scyllarus?

Thanks!