Mantis Tank Setup (sorry... i know its all been asked before)

[AngeloM3]

hey hey....

i currently have a 50gal SW tank with corals and fish. i just got a FREE 20gal acyrilic tank and want to start a mantis tank.

with a mantis tank.... do i need a skimmer? filter? or water changes?

my brother has a mantis tank but doesnt use a skimmer, filter and doesnt do water changes (just tops it off) and i have a feeling this isnt a good thing.

 

[Crawling68]

Mantis have the reputation as being unkillable-not true. Treat them like you would any other sea creature. I do not have skimmers or filters on my tanks, but i change a gallon of water a week out of every one, and mine seem to be fine.

 

[Katana]

Or, you could potentially plumb it to your other tank, and that would take care of water quality for you.

 

[Laura D]

My mantis tank did not have a skimmer, but you do need something to move water like a couple powerheads. I used a hang on filter with some carbon in it. Water changes are pretty easy on a small tank. Be careful you don't feed him more than he can eat, I gave my mantis a big snail once and he didn't eat it all, it did foul the water. oops.

I pretty much treated it like a softy tank, keep the water clean and moving, but it doesn't need to have sps pristine conditions.

 

[rekn]

i think you should wait until your bros uses the rest room and then dunk his head in, i wonder if hed like it.