new 10gallon tank with mantis

[romsoccer12]

just got the tank setup so i have a couple questions.
what filter should i get? would a bioweel work? im gonna have a small mantis 2 damsels and some big turbs.
whenever i do water changes, should i just dump the water from my old 29gallon tank to my new 10gallon?
if i add cured sand and liverock and water from my tank, will there be a cycle? ill get pictures up when i get everything in

 

[rendogg]

If you're taking water and live sand from your existing system, have cured live rock, and good flow, the transition should be relatively seamless. I have done that with 400 gallons worth of sps without any problems. You don't have to use all old water either, 50% is more than enough.

 

[ura]

do you have any pic of the tank

 

[romsoccer12]

ill tank some when i get water, liverock and sand in

 

[jaybfresh]

Seems like when the mantis grows, the damsels will become dinner... but maybe that's the idea

 

[Agu]

What species of mantis are you getting? I had a n. wennerae that maxed out at under 3" and it took out my big turbo snails eventually. Depending on the species your fish may also be at risk. Check out the mantis forum here on RC. There's a link to species ID and adult size on that forum.

As pointed out cured rock/sand should have very little cycle.

I prefer aquaclears, 50 or 70. Plenty of flow and big enough for a small heater where the mantis can't smash it. You don't want a heater where the mantis can get at it .

 

[Agu]

Also you may want to consider a sheet of acrylic/plexi under the substrate if your mantis is a digger. When tunneling they can be persistant.

 

[romsoccer12]

im gonna get a big sand bed. i dont really have a spot to put my heater though, just in the tank, what should i do? im deciding on a g.smithi or an n.wennerae. I have a giant turbo that i dont think will be a problem. i wont mind if the mantis gets the damsels. only 5 bucks and they would be a nice meal

 

[romsoccer12]

would a aquenon power filter 10 work? it came with the tank

 

[romsoccer12]

^^??

 

[jb61264]

Here's what I did to a 10 gallon for my mantis tank

Just siliconed an acrylic partition in place...had a hole drilled in the partition for a powerhead and also had a small rectanglular piece cut out on the opposite side of the partition for water to flow back into the makeshift sump area.

 

[romsoccer12]

will they really smash it? even if i put it horizontal like pretty high up?

 

[jedimpt]

i kept a mantis and a couple of damsels whom were pests in my other tank together successfully. As long as he's fed well, he won't hunt too much. Its pretty cool to watch him hunt though.