mantis in 5.5

[sean-820]

what type of mantis could i keep in a 5.5? (thats colourful, wont need an upgrade, mean and possibly active?

also i am thinking about uing an ac 20 filter but how difficult would it be to do a 2.5 sump? (no OF but just drilled with the in and outputs?) how much would a 2.5 g sump cost? would it be worth it?

if i used mini coralife ligthing (2 9 watt bulbs -+-1 10000k and the other 6500 k atlantic blue i think) would i be able to grow anything comaptable with the mantis other then algae?

what is the general care i should know for M's?

i recently started another nano and i have had freshwater for years so i already know how to test and have a good kit.

 

[reiko1078]

man u should just spend 10 bucks and get a ten gal and use your 5.5 as a sump. or if you really wanted to you could use a small rubermade container as a sump. i keep a green mantis in a ten gal.

 

[justinl]

you could keep an N. wennerae or G. smithii or other similarly sized mantids in a 5.5. just know what to avoid. your best bet is N. wennerae.

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthropoda/crustacea/malacostraca/eumalacostraca/royslist/

 

[sean-820]

i would like to keep one i na 5.5 since i have already a 10g nano, 30fw and a 125fw

would this setup work:?

stealth heater
5.5g
glass cover
mini aqualight (18watt (what could i keep?)
10 lbs of marine sand
5-10 lbs of lr
ac20 filled with bio media
thermometer


how can i identify a N. wennerae in a lfs since they will most likly not know a mantis from a tomato?

what kinda of food should i stock up on?(dont care if i do ive feedings but dont want to spend 5$ every day for live but every week or so is ok

 

[Pea-brain]

Sounds good. Good choice on the stealth heater, BTW. Mantises are notorious for killing themselves by attacking the little light on glass heaters.....For food pick 3 frozen marine foods-ex: Shrimp from the grocery store (untreated, all natural), squid, silversides, Feed every other day or once every 3 days. Soak the frozen food in selcon to enrich it once a week. Feed hard shelled food (hermits, snails) 2 times a month.

You can identiy it yourself. If you ask for a mantis from Florida you'd most likely get an N. wennera. Also common hitchers on Florida rock. Or buy on online from Tampabaysaltwater.com for $50 including shipping.

Dan

 

[Pea-brain]

Oh, and with a an 18 watt light for corals you could keep-Green star polyps, low light palythoas (button polyps), low light zoanthids, xenia, kenya trees......Thats all I can think of at the moment.....

And to get N. wennerae look for a red or green mantis about 3" or under with white meral spots or (I belive) short, rounded spines on the telson (tail). Can someone back me up on that last part?

Dan

 

[sean-820]

most places around me only have fiji rock so would i mayby have so special order one when they get fish in from florida?

 

[sean-820]

tanks for your help