my new mantis tank

[bhb1034]

great forum.looking on here talked me into starting a mantis tank. im using one of the mantis's i got in my live rock from tampa. i have ten gallon acrylic with a flur hood. i put in a mixture of live argonite and silca sand. my stupid biowheel stopped working so i was forced to put on a huge fluval 404. i think this might be too much current so i may have to improvise. what do you guys think? im trying to point the nozzle where it doesnt blow around the sand. do you think this much current will cause my mantis to be reclusive? im also going to put in some live rock, im not sure how much. right now ive caught what i think is a small peacock and a larger (2 1/2in) red mantis. but i think im only going to put in the peacock. ill try and post some pics. is there any advice you guys can give or pictures of set ups? thanks

 

[Gonodactylus]

I honestly don't think you can have too much current for an O. scyllarus unless the jets are blowing the sand all over the place. I've been diving in areas of Indonesia where the currents were ripping at a two or three knots and watched large O. scyllarus out foraging (and probably laughing as I was blown by frantically trying to stop for a closer look. Admittedly, they are down on the substrate where the current is a bit less, but I run my large tanks (80 gal) with a Fluval 404 and two AquaClear 802s, one at each end. I direct the flow horizontally near the surface producing a boiling effect. This doesn't effect the animals on the bottom at all although when they occasionally swim t the surface to be fed they get blown around a bit. Actually, they seem to learn to avoid the nozzles.

On the other hand, my experience with Fluvals is that if you need to crank back on the flow, you can without too much risk of damage to the pump. Also, sometimes I will do away with the spray bar and simply let the water exit the tubing. This reduces the strong jets, but still provides plenty of oxygenation.

Roy

 

[lilswanwillow]

in my ten gallon i have a powerhead with a gph rating at 170 (but its probably at 130, i keep sponge over it so that my pets don't accidentally get sucked in)
i don't think the animals mind at all... think of how much water is passed by them on a reef....
what, about a million gph?

 

[bhb1034]

well ive been thinking, and im not so sure that my mantis is a peacock. its probably only about 1 1/2in or 2in long. its mostly dark but has a small about of green and blue. is there any where i could identify a mantis this small? most of the pictures ive seen are of larger ones.

 

[Gonodactylus]

Rereading your post, you probably have a couple of Neogonodactylus wennerae from the Gulf of Mexico. Larger females (up to 2.5 inches) often are reddish. Males are green/blue mottled. I've posted a few photographs of G. wennerae on this site.

Roy

 

[bhb1034]

so does this mean that the ones i most likely have are fully grown at 2 inches? i was hoping they were juveniles and would eventually turn into larger specimens.

 

[Alex]

My first mantis was in my 32 cube tank with a rio 3100 about (700/1000 gph) as the water flow. She was a 4 inch O. scyllarus and every night she would be free swimming in the current for hours. Never seemed to bother her.

Alex

 

[Gonodactylus]

At two inches, they are certainly reproductive and are probably 3-4 years old. I would say that they probably have another 2 years to live and perhaps another half inch to grow.

Roy