mantis environment

[danskim]

Well, here is my sitation: I am currently in the process of acquiring all the necessary equipment and locating the places to obtain livestock as well. Currently, I am planning on ordering LR and LS from TBSaltwater.com, but I have a question. Because I am planning on housing a peacock mantis shrimp (O. Scyllarus), would there be a problem introducing it into an environment from the Florida/Gulf even though it originates from the Indonesian area?

 

[billpaul]

you should get a few mantids (mantises?) on your tbs rock, but other than that, the peacock should do fine

 

[wahshk]

Mantis shrimps are very hardy in a way you can never kill them with changing their environment. Thay will survive anything anywhere.

 

[Gonodactylus]

Wahshk,

I assume you have a deep seated hatred for stomatopods. While some species commercially available are fairly tolerant of temperature and salinity, most are not. While you have some latitude housing a Neogonodactylus wennerae or Gonodactylus chiragra, Odontodactylus scyllarus, the most popular commercially available species is not very adaptable and requires some care in its maintenance.

Roy

 

[danskim]

Ok, so Dr. Roy. Would the fact that I am going to be housing an O. Scyllarus in an environment consisting of live rock and other organisms that come along witht the rock be detrimental to the mantis?

 

[danskim]

i'm sad =( i think my 29g may be too small for my mantis...

 

[Gonodactylus]

A 29 gal tank well run in will work for an O. scyllarus up to around 4 inches. Bigger than that and I would recommend something a bit bigger although lots of people get away with a 5 inch O.s in 20-30 gal systems.

 

[danskim]

Dr Roy, so you don't think it would crack the glass, huh? I hope to find one that is around 2"

 

[Gonodactylus]

Highly unlikely and certainly not under 3 inches.

 

[danskim]

Ok. that is what i thought, but thanks for the reassurance. I just read a post about a guy who had one.. albiet very large (7") who seemed to make a habit of hitting the side of his acrylic tank.

 

[Gonodactylus]

I've lost a few glass tanks to large O. scyllarus, never to an animal under about 125 mm. Actually I've had more trouble with large G. chiragra that try to dig in a corner and end up chippin the edge of the glass and creating a leak.

 

[danskim]

wow that's interesting. thanks for the info dr roy. i've also been reading about other readers' mantis' diets. do you think it would be an OK idea to try to "grow" or at least keep alive some snails and crabs in a refugium like tank linked to the mantis tank? i believe i remember you recommending variety in their diets...

 

[Gonodactylus]

Yes, we always try to keep a few tanks going with snails, crabs, etc and use them as supplemental food.

Roy