Mantis Shrimp Pricing \ General Advice

[J2FcM]

Hola,

short intro... I've only done FW in the past. Eventually I want a nice reef tank. First I want a small mantis shrimp tank... Anyways, stumbled across this bad boy at the LFS:

From what I understand he is a spearer--> can he still smash glass?
He is also the largest growing up 40cm.

He is also priced at 150$. There are 3 at the store from about 8-10 inches I would say... maybe that guy ^^^ is bigger.

Why so expensive? Would a smaller one (that must grow) be cheaper?

What are other nice varieties. I am seriously contimplating going out and getting this guy and starting my first saltwater tank.
I understand these guys kill pretty fish. Are there ANY fish that can live with them? So far I've read about damsels, which either learn the hardway, never learn, or are just lucky their whole lives, and I've read about a lionfish paired with the shrimp.

 

[Ms. K]

OMG...AWESOME!!!!!!!!! You don't see mantis like that everyday. A spearer hunts soft-bodied prey exclusively. No fish will be safe with a spearer unless you get one that is very docile and you keep it extremely well fed. ALso, consider the fact that you'll need a deep sand bed for a spearer, and one that large may actually need a deeper bed than you can provide. Check out Dr. Roy's list for information about that species.

 

[Ms. K]

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthro...costraca/royslist/species.php?name=l_maculata

Dr. Roy says it needs a sand bed at least 1.5 times as deep as the animal is long.

I definitely would not try this as your first mantis or as your first saltwater tank. I would recommend a small smasher, since you mentioned wanting a small mantis tank. It will be much cheaper and easier to care for.

 

[J2FcM]

Yeah, I just looked at all the species, I guess most stay in the low inches, some making into the 7+ inches, so this is a big boy for sure.

but its 150! Maybe an acryilic hex tank? Or just provide fake caves\PVC pipe tunnels?

 

[Ms. K]

I'd just get a N. wennerae from Tampa Bay Saltwater. You can have them shipped to you for around $50, and it'll stay small. I understand that they are also very interactive and will be cheaper to feed, since they are smashers and will eat snails and crabs.

 

[justinl]

no spearer is capable of smashing glass. Only large individuals of large species can do that. that means large peacocks or G. chiragra.

You're looking at an L. maculata the largest mantis known. They get large. they need a deep sand bed and would probably do best in an aquarium by themselves. I don't think any fish would survive well with one of these. Once they make their burrow in the sand they don't leave it much at all.

at 150$ id pass regardless of size. What other mantids do they offer? pics would help.

damsels stand the best chance of all fish. fish stand the best chance if put with a smasher, not a spearer like L/ maculata there. Firefish may do well but need a cover on the tank. I would love to have a mantis lion combo in a tank but there is no way I would do it for both their sakes.

general SW info: you know you can't just go buy something right? impulse buys are a big NONO. You need to have a tank that is already cycled before you put anything in it. You also have to have the right habitat for what goes in. You also need to research before you buy ANYTHING. i don't care how pretty it is. Some lfs will hold on to your animal for a while but i don't think they'll hold it for the entire time your tank cycles.

 

[justinl]

like Ms. K said, N wennerae are much easier to care for and are much more available than any other mantis.

I think you would be MUCH more satisfied with the N. wennerae's level of activity than the somewhat lethargic L. maculata. L. macs would be fun during feeding time but that's about it.

 

[J2FcM]

Well, I got the research part down, I've been reading about them non-stop.

For cycling a new tank, I always just take substrates\rocks\decor from established tanks or LFS's and use it to help start up, and of course lots of water changes in a pinch.

And yes, I want a mantis shrimp tank, ie. pretty much JUST the shrimp. I search for other targets of opportunity that may stand a chance. The lionfish combo sounds risky especailly with that mofo.

At the store, they ONLY have those zebra mantis.

Do ALL mantis hide in their burrow a lot? I'm not really looking for a lot of activity, but I see videos and pictures of the shrimp "praying" out of its burrow... Would most species do that, or are they really just "gone from site" until its food time.

Also, what tank size - to - shrimp size is recommended? For that monster above, I assume a 10 just wouldn't do it.

*edit* excused any questions already answered above... the posts came in as a I replied

 

[J2FcM]

Is this the recommended shrimp?

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthro...costraca/royslist/species.php?name=n_wennerae

Also, what about:

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthro...traca/royslist/species.php?name=g_ternatensis

 

[Ms. K]

I LOVE ternatensis, but they are relatively difficult to find. The wennerae are the easiest to find, IMO.

 

[justinl]

yup.

G. ternatensis is a good choice but gets a bit bigger and is a bit more picky about water conditions. They are also much harder to find.

G. smithii is also a stellar choice. I have one. they are a bit hard to find though.

not all stick to their burrow a lot. refer back to Dr. Roys ID page. very reliable info. minimum tank size per species is there too.

btw, you haven't told us what you'll be putting the mantis in. what tank and what's in it? sand? rock?

 

[J2FcM]

Well, the size would be based on the shrimp. I was basically going kind of "startup" a cave in the dead center of a sand tank... or whatever will bring out the shrimp in questions colors.

But, I would envision, a 10-20g tank, white\beach sand, with some rocks along the edges and around the cave in the center of the tank. Im open to suggestions too, I'll keep checkin all the pics I can find on the forum

 

[Gonodactylus]

This is indeed Lysiosquillina maculata - probably a male. It is not a particularly large animal, probably around 25 cm. While there are reports of this species getting to 39 cm, the largest I have ever caught is around 35 cm. At that size, the defensive strike with a closed dactyl is powerful and I would not bet against taking out a glass wall in a 20 gal. Why would it be in a 20 gal? That is a good way to house them. Fill it two thirds full with sand and attach it as a satellite to a larger system.

There is absolutely no worries about the animal growing to large size. Most mature L. m in captivity grow very slowly and it would be remarkable if it made it even to 30 cm - in 10 years or so. Most will have molting problems long before that.

As for the price, $150 is way too much. Most L. m that I've seen over the past few years were in the $50-80 range, and that was for very large animals.

Roy

 

[DylanE]

Ive seen a handfull of those locally, about that size, never more than 75