Mantis hitchhiker - Feeding question

[tygger]

I got a very small mantis hitchhiker with my liverock. It's not a colorful one like the ones Ive seen posted here. He's basically dark green and is about 1" long.

Even though he doesn't look pretty, I don't like killing things so I put him in the sump in the mean time.

Im not going to feed him live food, so what are my other options?

He's really small. I don't want him to starve so I'm about to run to the supermarket for some raw shrimp. I'll cut small pieces, but Im not sure if he'll eat it and how often to feed him.

If he doesn't eat, what else can i feed him?

Oh yea, if it matters, it looks like he has smashers.

 

[nanoreefs415]

i also have a small mantis and he seems to like raw shrimp and scallop, and i feed him every other day. I must be doing something right because a few days ago he molted for the first time.

 

[tygger]

How big a piece of shrimp do you feed him?

I just put a 1 x 1cm cut piece of shrimp in for him to eat. He came out to check it out, but I didn't see him eat it.

 

[Dastank]

I had a little one also, I fed it mysis shrimp, and he would even take it from tweezers.

 

[nanoreefs415]

i take a piece of rigid airline tubing and stick it in the end of a turkey baster. then i just suck up the thawed shrimp and as soon as i put it into the tank he comes up and grabs it. The pieces i give are maybe only 1/8 in. ive tried feeding larger pieces but he doesnt finish them.

 

[tygger]

I'll try a smaller piece tomorrow. Now that I think about it, he may have taken a bite out of it, but the piece was too big for me to tell if he ate it or not.

 

[Thurge]

Mantis NEED live food ocasionally to keep their clubs in tip top shape. Without it they can weaken. It doesn't need to be all the time but a snail or two when you go to the LFS should sufice.

 

[tygger]

This guy I have is really small and skinny. It looks like he would need a really tiny snail... ones so little that they don't even sell. ???

 

[nanoreefs415]

i put some tiny hermits and snails into the tank, but like tygger's mines really small and he just hits them, but cant break into thier shell.

 

[tygger]

I just bought frozen mysis shrimp. I haven't unthawed one yet... but it looks like it's impossible to grab one or two shrimps.

 

[FlyGTI]

I've just discovered one living in a piece of live rock of mine, but I can't even get him to come out of his hole. I've got a few snails in there that could be fairly easy targets, but so far, I haven't even seen him venture out of the hole, so I'm somewhat concerned about his overall nutrition and health. I REALLY want to keep this one alive!

Any ideas on how to get him to feed?

 

[DensityMan]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7016122#post7016122 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by nanoreefs415
i put some tiny hermits and snails into the tank, but like tygger's mines really small and he just hits them, but cant break into thier shell.

Try getting some Stomatella varia. Tim went wild for those when he was smaller and still devours them when they are given. They have a small, thin shell comparatively speaking.

Otherwise feed (thawed) frozen brine and mysis or live brine to entice them to out or make sure to restock/provide live amphipods.

To this day Tim will dart out to fetch mysis and brine that are within reach of his burrow.

 

[FlyGTI]

A thin candy shell!

Melts in Tim's mouth...not in his smashers!

 

[Zoa]

My all green mantis has Nassarius and a few small turbo snails in the tank. Had a molly too to see if he would eat it. Right now, I am having a hard time getting the ghost shrimp at my lfs, as they are supposedly 'out of season'. So I do not know if he would go for that. He doesn't even try the snails....

The mantis is and will only eat frozen shrimp. I use a skewer stick and wave it in front of his dwelling. How do you get the mantis to diversify without starving the critter?

 

[tygger]

I finally got mine to start eating mysis shrimp. I have to put it close to his hole and he would come out, get it and go back in. Finally!

 

[Zoa]

thats what mine does..he comes out, yanks the shrimp off the skewer stick and retreats back into his cave!

 

[flameangel88]

I had purchased some LR recently from TBSaltwater and last night I saw the Mantis shrimp but he wouldn't come out completely but the diameter if about 1/2-5/8 of an inch and 2 1/2 inches long. I'll have more rocks and the cleaning crew in about 2 weeks, will the mantis bother or eat them? Thanks.

 

[flameangel88]

btw--it has a dark red color and hasn't made any noise yet.