Mantis tank.

C

Christsknight

New member
Hi, i am new here, just signed up 2 mins ago :P
Anyways, i have been looking everywhere for info on these beast and i guess i came to the right place.
I have a 15Gal tank that i wish to set up for a mantis.
I have one in there it is about 1" or not even, he hardly ever comes out of the hole he lives in and it bothers me... the people on here all have very clear shots of the mantis roaming around, mine will never leave its hole. Why is this?
I am planning on getting a bigger one, so i can at least see it.
Also, what can i keep with this? Is a peacock a smasher and a spearer?
 
A peacock is a smasher and it is one of the few, that when larger, could actually break a glass tank. Most people graduate them to acryllic tanks when they get bigger.

Certain mantis are just naturally more outgoing than others. However, you might want to temporarily take all live food out of the tank for a short bit and only feed it small amounts of seafood from a feeding prong at the same time every day. That way, the mantis will associate you with bringing food. Be patient.

Good luck
 
Boris:
IMGP0685.jpg

IMGP0594.jpg

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84509Boris_Closeup-thumb.JPG

~5-6 inch Female Peacock Mantis Shrimp (Odontactylus Scyllarus)
 
Re: Mantis tank.

Christsknight said:
Hi, i am new here, just signed up 2 mins ago :P
Anyways, i have been looking everywhere for info on these beast and i guess i came to the right place.
I have a 15Gal tank that i wish to set up for a mantis.
I have one in there it is about 1" or not even, he hardly ever comes out of the hole he lives in and it bothers me... the people on here all have very clear shots of the mantis roaming around, mine will never leave its hole. Why is this?
I am planning on getting a bigger one, so i can at least see it.
Also, what can i keep with this? Is a peacock a smasher and a spearer?
Click to expand...

For more interesting reading try these websites

http://www.blueboard.com/mantis/pics/ajones_odsc.htm

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-03/jf/feature/index.php

http://www.blueboard.com/mantis/
 
They will come out to look for food when they are hungry. If you have like food (i.e. clams) in the tank they will refuse to come out when you try to feed it as they go after the live food when the lights are off. If there are no live food in the tank they'll get hungry in a few days. Then when you put food into the tank, they jump for it.
 
thanks for the info.
I showed my mate my mantis and he was like "HEy there is a big one of them at the lfs!!! so i rushed there the next morning to find a beautiufl 3-3.5" smasher :D not sure of its ID, i need to photo it for you guys when i get a cam. It has eaten 3 shrimp already, and totally thrashed my little rock crab, mind you, the crab fought pritty hard, but i think the mantis was playing round till he smacked it and broke every limb on its body :P
I love it! i need a name. He is in a 15al with around 4kg of LR, i want to get more, but i dont want him to hide all the time.
 
Brois was around 4.5 inches when I first got him, he (actually she) has grown less than an inch in 9 months, but as little as that sounds, it is actually substantial and noticable. They grow around 7% per molt i think, Mine has molted three times in my possession. When I first got Boris, she had beat the hell out of the small plastic tank the LFS wholeseller had, and when initially in the 5 gal tank, would strike the acrylic occasionally If i provoked her. BUT, after a while, and especially now that shes in a 26 gallon, she hasn't struck the glass or anything. INFACT, she know me, and knows that I feed her cute little tasty crabs, scallops, and crayfish! Many times, I can have my finger right next to her face (against the glass), and she will disengage her clubs because she no longer views me as any threat.
 
thats awsome.
well 1 night now since i got mine, he hasnt reallt started making a home yet, but he is in a hole he has not ventured out of that hole yet, i cant wait to see him in search for food, if i ever do, i believe the eye sight of these guy r brilliant, so he will prob retreat when he sees me :(.
Is your active? how long untill he bcame comfortable with you? my mantis does not mind me near the tank, he just looks at me. Does yours come out of the hole when you r near. tell me everythere :)
 
i had a 6" peacock for about a year. After a few weeks, it became very outgoing and would come out a cruise around the tank when someone was in the room. It's a huge hit with guests, especially if you feed it. Such a cool pet, I can't wait to get another one some day. Good luck!!!
 
Ive seen boris in action and he's a bad mama jama. If you have the means to go mantis do it. You will not be dissappointed. Sure some are more bashful than othes, but if you manipulate the environment and feeding schedule you will see plenty of your little friend
 
baller71ss said:
i had a 6" peacock for about a year. After a few weeks, it became very outgoing and would come out a cruise around the tank when someone was in the room. It's a huge hit with guests, especially if you feed it. Such a cool pet, I can't wait to get another one some day. Good luck!!!
Click to expand...

What happened to it? :confused:
 
ReefGeek,

It was my very first saltwater tank, before I even heard of reefcentral. When I was visiting grad schools, someone had one, and I was hooked right away. I went to a LFS, bought an 18 gal eclispse setup, some rock, sand, two demsels, and a mantis. Never checked for ammonia, nitrates/nitrites, just cleaned the pad of the bio wheel every week. Everytime I went to the beach, I came back with a handful of hermits and snails for him to munch on. Who knows what the water parameters where, and one day, he was dead :( I actually bought a 40 gal as another mantis tank, but got hooked on the reef idea, and recently upgraded to a 55 gal mixed reef. Someday I'll have that >200 gal in wall with a mantis tank (hopefully)...
 
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