Mantis for 5.5g

[Aussie_hippie_2]

G'day there. I've absolutly fallen in love with Mantis shrimps, and having read as much as one humanly can whilst still having a life, I do still have a few questions. What kind of Mantis shrimp should I be looking for, if it's going to go in a 5.5g tank? Are there even any?

Cheers. More questions to come I'm sure...

 

[Giga]

There are a few that can be kept in a 5.5G tank heres a list

Chorisquilla hystrix-Rare
Chorisquilla tweediei-Rare
Gonodactylellus affinis-Rare
Gonodactylellus viridis-Very good and relatively ez to find
Gonodactylus childi-Rare
Haptosquilla glyptocercus-Can be rare
Haptosquilla hamifera-Very rare-almost impossible to find
Neogonodactylus bredini-Very good harder to find
Neogonodactylus wennerae-Your best bet and are very very ez to find
Odontodactylus scyllarus-ez to find but at your own risk-these are know to crack tanks and jump out of tanks, and can grow large

This is just my opinion as I could be wrong, But I have a N. wennerae in a 2.5 gallon and she's very happy and healthy

 

[dismalorb]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10734774#post10734774 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Giga
There are a few that can be kept in a 5.5G tank heres a list

Odontodactylus scyllarus-ez to find but at your own risk-these are know to crack tanks and jump out of tanks, and can grow large

Uhm, no. PLEASE do not attempt to put a Peacock (O. scyllarus) in a 5.5g tank. With a Peacock, you need more like 5-10 gallons per inch.

Stick with the N. wennerae or O. havenensis for a 5.5....

 

[DanInSD]

Not O. havenesis either. They need more room than that and are extremely sensitive to water parameters.

Your best bang/buck is going to come from a Gonodactylus (except for chiragra), Gonodactylaceus (except for ternatensis), Gonodactylellus (especially viridis), or Neogonodactylus species. The Haptosquilla species will do fine but just sit in their holes most of the time.

Dan

 

[Pea-brain]

Just to make it easier on you, straight to the point-N. wennerae is a common species that is pretty active and you can get them year round from tampabaysaltwater.com for 50$ including shipping.

Dan

 

[Guygettnby]

i would suggest you stick to a N. wennerae also.. pretty simple to keep and are available almost everywere for fairly cheap.

 

[Alesia]

N. oerstedii is another nice mantis, if you happen to run across one. Basically the same requirements as N. wennerae, and they pop up on Ebay periodically. I got mine from a LFS as a hitchhiker, and she's a great little mantis for my 5g, quite hardy and interactive (a little too interactive sometimes, she smacked my finger a few weeks ago.) I'm moving her up to my 22g once I move, however -- she's active enough with patrolling her tank that I think she'll appreciate the extra space.

So even when you get a mantis that "fits" in a 5.5g, you may find you want to give them more room based on their activity level. Just a good excuse for a tank upgrade, really!

 

[yankeereefer]

I've had wennerae in a 5.5g (it died from a failed molt) and still have a smithii in a 5.5g

 

[Aussie_hippie_2]

Wow, I'm floored by how much knowledge you all have on this! Thanks for the help, I guess I'll be better off trying to order one from the internet then hoping for one at the LFS huh? And Alesia, god, please don't get me started on beggining a new sw tank! I love it so much more then my FW allready, but I'm a student, so hint at lack of money. lol.


Cheers

 

[icy1155]

Well normally if you order a "lime green" mantis at the LFS you get wennerae so you might want to see what they can do for you... or just ask around at your local reef club for someone who has one in their rock

 

[Pea-brain]

I'd go for TBS or maybe if someone caught a hitch hiker from florida rock, but I wouldn't promise to take a mantis from other rock until i can get an ID on it, cause I would A: want one compatible with my tank and B: Not want a G. chiragra dedicated tank again (boring.....)

Dan

 

[justinl]

N. wennerae is the most common and your best bet... if you lived in North america. i dont know what kind of mantids would be most common in the Australian trade.

if you find one at the lfs, take a pic and post it here. we could probably ID it for you.