Mantis Shrimp Dilema

[udiego]

Hello,

I have a Raoulserenea komaii in a small tank I may have to dismantle very soon. My question is: Would it be safe to release the mantis in my main 90 gal reef setup? I have a Maroon clown, 2 tangs, 1 cherub angel, and 1 leopard wrasse + 2 coral banded shrimps. Seems to me that the fish are too large for the mantis to capture and the coral banded.... well I don't know maybe they can stand their ground against it being that it's a spearer. I like the little guy and don't want to get rid of him. What do you think?

Thanks in advance.

 

[windlasher]

Hello,

I have a Raoulserenea komaii in a small tank I may have to dismantle very soon. My question is: Would it be safe to release the mantis in my main 90 gal reef setup? I have a Maroon clown, 2 tangs, 1 cherub angel, and 1 leopard wrasse + 2 coral banded shrimps. Seems to me that the fish are too large for the mantis to capture and the coral banded.... well I don't know maybe they can stand their ground against it being that it's a spearer. I like the little guy and don't want to get rid of him. What do you think?

Thanks in advance.

Well according to "some" folks on here, mantis shrimp won't do any harm and never damage corals or fish but hey - I wouldn't risk it. Put him in the sump.

 

[udiego]

The sump is not an option. Between the pump and the skimmer there's not much space and that's where I dump the top off fresh water so I don't think the mantis would like it very much. What do the experts say?

 

[udiego]

Anyone else?

 

[Kharn]

Raoulserenea komaii is a very prized species (personal view).

So I would do everything in my power to isolate it in a display species only tank, I'd never want to risk it against wrasses or CBS, remember a molting mantis is a vulnerable mantis.

While back someone on here lost their giant zebra spearer L.mac to some tinny hermit crabs because they got into the spearers burrow whilst molting and the defenseless giant just got eaten alive partially.

 

[nmotz]

Well according to "some" folks on here, mantis shrimp won't do any harm and never damage corals or fish but hey - I wouldn't risk it. Put him in the sump.

Not too many long-term mantis shrimp owners would suggest keeping fish with a mantis. There are some exceptions but it's usually newbies that want to keep everything they can with a mantis. After a while (ie after the mantis kills everything in the tank) most people realize that mantis shrimp are generally better on their own. Or they find that the mantis is less active because they are intimidated by all the fish. But to be fair, there are long term success stories of fish co-habituating with mantis shrimp, even Peacocks.

Regarding coral, it is true IME that mantis shrimp, especially Peacocks, will rearrange a tank according to their preferences. This can occasionally include coral. I noticed that my Peacock never really bothered my live coral, but when I lost a large birdsnest coral she hacked up the bleached out branches and stacked them in front of her burrow prior to a molt. Like anything we put in our tanks, mantis shrimp don't always cooperate by respecting the other tank inhabitants or corals. But coral destruction is still a relatively rare event.

To the OP, I recommend you get a separate tank. It's tough to get that species anywhere so if I were you I'd take good care of it. Let's see a video!

 

[udiego]

Thank you for all the replies. Let's start by saying that I would never put a smasher inside my reef tank. I know very well the damage they can do. I also have to say that I do own a small peacock who has shared his tank with a yellow tail damsel for over a year now and hasn't ever try to hurt it (any crabs or clams thrown in there suffer a completely different fate lol). I would also not place a spearer that would grow large enough to actually capture and eat the fish. The situation is completely different. The mantis in question is a lot smaller and to be fair before I obtained the peacock it also shared the tank with the same damsel and no harm was done. He seemed more interested in the feeder shrimp I fed him. I am not a "noob" I just don't have any experience with them in a main display tank. Anyways I guess my main concern is not with the fish or the coral but his interaction with the other crustaceans in the tank (Coral Banded shrimps). I know he would be vulnerable during molt but so would be the others who also molt. Having a separate tank for him is not an option. Oh and for being rare I see this species quite often here in south Florida.

 

[nmotz]

Thank you for all the replies. Let's start by saying that I would never put a smasher inside my reef tank. I know very well the damage they can do. I also have to say that I do own a small peacock who has shared his tank with a yellow tail damsel for over a year now and hasn't ever try to hurt it (any crabs or clams thrown in there suffer a completely different fate lol). I would also not place a spearer that would grow large enough to actually capture and eat the fish. The situation is completely different. The mantis in question is a lot smaller and to be fair before I obtained the peacock it also shared the tank with the same damsel and no harm was done. He seemed more interested in the feeder shrimp I fed him. I am not a "noob" I just don't have any experience with them in a main display tank. Anyways I guess my main concern is not with the fish or the coral but his interaction with the other crustaceans in the tank (Coral Banded shrimps). I know he would be vulnerable during molt but so would be the others who also molt. Having a separate tank for him is not an option. Oh and for being rare I see this species quite often here in south Florida.

Are you sure it's a Raoulserenea? It might be a Pseudosquilla Ciliata. Those are all over the place. Whatever it is I think he'd eventually take a swipe at the Coral Banded Shrimp. Where did you get your Peacock? I'm just asking because they seem to be hard to find right now, especially the smaller ones.

 

[udiego]

The peacock I purchased at All Pets Emporium in Davie. The Raoulserenea komaii I found at Exotic Aquariums in Bird Road. All local stores. I don't think they sell online. I am 300% sure it is a Raoulserenea komaii. It looks like an exact copy of the one posted here:

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthro...lacostraca/royslist/species.php?name=r_komaii

This is my 3rd one. I had one that lasted 3 years and another that didn't survive a bad molt. This one has been with me for a year and I got it cheap. I think it was like $10. Negotiated the price after I proved to the store that it was not a peacock lol. I have to say that Dr. Caldwell's list came in handy.

 

[nmotz]

The peacock I purchased at All Pets Emporium in Davie. The Raoulserenea komaii I found at Exotic Aquariums in Bird Road. All local stores. I don't think they sell online. I am 300% sure it is a Raoulserenea komaii. It looks like an exact copy of the one posted here:

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthro...lacostraca/royslist/species.php?name=r_komaii

This is my 3rd one. I had one that lasted 3 years and another that didn't survive a bad molt. This one has been with me for a year and I got it cheap. I think it was like $10. Negotiated the price after I proved to the store that it was not a peacock lol. I have to say that Dr. Caldwell's list came in handy.

Wow, great deal on a cool mantis, sounds like you have some good stores nearby. That's always a plus. Finding a Peacock at an LFS is somewhat rare but you can usually get awesome deals for them compared to shopping online.

 

[udiego]

True, you just have to deal with them thinking every mantis is a peacock and trying to sell it to you at peacock price. Other than that the average price I've paid for my mantis is $20.