New to mantis

[PiXieCath]

Hi everyone!

I'm new to mantis but I've SW tank for 5 years. I work in a saltwater specialized shop and since I've order a wonderful peacock mantis, I fall in love whit this little beast. (I named her Charlotte!lol)

I now plan to bring it at home and I want to know if the set-up I've planed is OK for her. (hihi! really don't know if it is a ''He'' or ''She'' but in french (my first language), mantis is a female word...so, I've decided she's a female...BTW, is there a way to know the sexe of a mantis?) I've read a lot, but I want to be sure I gave to her a proper home and don't have to upgrade later...

She is presently about 4'', but I know she can be up to 7''. I've planed a 30gal (30x12X18), with an acrylic sheet of 30X12 on the bottum of the tank. Probably I'll just put a 2 x T5HO light (one daylight and one actinic) since I know mantis doesn't really love bright light... I'll had around 2'' of sand, LR from my current reef and U shape PVC tubing.

I don't plan to add a skimmer since I'll probably made weekly water changes. Maybe I'll had a media reactor with RowaPhos and carbon if it could help for the water quality...

Is everything OK? Do you have some extra recommendations?

 

[gozermantis]

30 sounds nice for her. to check underneath the last walking pare of legs there will be what looks like two sticks coming down for male and flat with a small slit for a female. maybe go 3 inches of sand my peacock digs A LOT! i also have a bunch of smaller stones that she grabs and uses all the time or and larger piece of of coral rubble. burrow sounds nice. i have had mine now for 7 months with just a 30 hangover on the back in a 20 long and do a water change every week and she just had her first molt with me and she had no problems. welcome to the hobby trust me tho you are going to want more. im getting my 3rd this weekend.

 

[PiXieCath]

Haha! I exactly know what you mean about ''want more'', since february, I've mooved from a really good job (and at 300km of my hometown) to work in my best friend reef shop!lol Since this moment, it look like Christmas for me everyday day!lol

Thanks for the advices, I'll go with a 3'' sandbed...

Another question...is there reef janitor who can resist to a mantis shrimp, like conch, cuke or sand siffting star to keep my sandbed clean? And is mantis need a minimum water flow (or at least, can I had some water pump to avoid sediment accumulation?)

 

[Koshmar]

I have a sand sifting star in my tank that my chiragra can't hurt. This doesn't mean you should go out and get one though, they aren't that good for keeping the sand clean. I just have one because it's hilarious and neat to watch. You have to get the right species too or you risk starvation. Mine accepts meaty foods but others can simply die off from what I've heard. I just vac the sand.

 

[PiXieCath]

Yup, I agree for the sand sifting star, they are pretty cool but don't really clean the sand enough to make a difference...

I assumed that conch or any other snails can't be added to the tank, but what about a cucumber? I've got a black sea cuke in my reef for several years and it make a wonderful job...Is there a risk with the mantis?

And last question (for the moment!lol), how do you keep LR free of algae if we can't had some snails to the tank?

 

[micstarz]

Yes. Cukes can be toxic...I wouldn't risk having my mantis attack one. Maybe keep it in an in tank refugium?

 

[PiXieCath]

Ok, so I suppose I have to assume the fact that I really can't had any CUC members in her tank!lol

Also, I've the opportunity to have a tempered glass tank for few more $$$. Look like a good idea or doesn't really matter?

Here's pics of the cutty!;-)

 

[gozermantis]

gorgeous scyllarus. nice find.

 

[Koshmar]

Beautiful. You can keep a clean up crew with your peacock, they will just get picked off over time. Nassarius snails will get a lot done before being picked up, you just have to add lots at once that way the mantis won't be able to kill all of them at once. Keep it well fed and it might not pick them off as much. I remember someone having success with certh snails.

 

[micstarz]

That last picture is GORGEOUS!!!

Congratulations on your new find.

Tempered glass would be better, yes.

I just love the abdomen colors! I'm hell of jealous.

 

[Tangalong]

Very, very pretty GIRL !!!!!

 

[PiXieCath]

Tanks all for the kind words!

Finally, seems like Charlotte wasn't a ''She'' but a ''He''! Following gozermantis hint(tanks!), I've look underneath is last pair of legs this morning and clearly saw 2 little sticks coming down...so, Charlotte is now a Felix or a Tommy!lol

I gave he a shell this morning for lunch. Wow! I've worked with the CLACK! CLACK! sound of is smash for 15 minutes. What an amaizing and interactive beast, I'm so exited to bring he back at home.

Does mantis recognized the person who take care of them? When I'm in front of is tank, he always came to look at me but never do this with other people...normal?

 

[micstarz]

I think they will recognise you after a while. Especially peacock mantises. Your one looks especially inquisitive and intelligent!

So are you using the normal tank or the tempered glass?

 

[PiXieCath]

I'll go with the tempered glass tank. For the moment, the mantis is already at the store because the Miracle tank guy is on vacation. As soon as he'll be back, he'll process my order. Anyway, since I work at full time in this store and I'm responsible of the inverts section, I've the opportunity to see and interact with my peacock a lot!

I'll also had an acrylic extra bottom to the tank. My boss (who is already my great friend), work also with acrylic (because in addition to the store, he also have a reef acrylic produce line like reactor, skimmer, sump, etc) So, as soon as the tank will be available, he will do this for me.

So, I think the tank will be bullet proof to host my new little baby!

 

[PiXieCath]

Lunch time!

How often by week do we have to feed a mantis of 3''? And what are u give her?

 

[micstarz]

By the way, did it crack that open by itself??

I think you can feed anything from 3 times a week to 6 times a week (once daily and skip a day) or even once a day if you feed smaller items...that clam could probably last a while...

I feed my G. viridis:
Hermit crabs without snail shells
Tiny tiny crabs
FD blackworm cubes
live blackworms
nerite snails
smashed cerith snails
fish meat

G. glabrous:
Hermits crabs
Medium crabs, de-clawed
Any snails in the tank
Ghost shrimp (BEWARE - low nutrition)
Fish pieces

Variety is the key. Feed fresh foods as often as possible, and don't spoil it. I mean, by all means let it know that you are bringing it food but don't do the work for it unless it is too weak to smash the shells itself.

That way you get to watch them do what they are famous for

 

[PiXieCath]

Hihi! No, he don't open this shell by himself, I do it for he...but that was is first lunch...the second lunch I gave to he, I put the shell unopened and he all broke it to feed...

Finally, I've got a great surprise today when I back home...my friend J-F (my friend, my boss at ReefConcept and owner of Marinetech, an acrylic reef product compagny), made me an amazing cast acrylic tank with the bottum and the euro brace in black plastic. I'll have my new tank tomorrow, so the project go faster than I think... Here some pics of my new tank, a really look good and professional job by Marinetech!;-)

And here is the little skimmer I'll put in the tank to assure the water quality.
http://www.reefconcept.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1833

So, the project will start tomorrow! And since I'll take water and LR from my 125gal's reef to start it, Felix the Mantis will be at home probably in few days!

 

[PiXieCath]

Hihi! and thanks micstarz for the advices! As soon as I already took a lot of varity to my fish, I'll do the same for my mantis.;-)

 

[micstarz]

Your welcome!

Seeing that acrylic tank....I AM JEALOUS!

How are you planning to decorate it? How big is the tank?

I am also setting up a new tank...a macroalgae planted aquarium. I hope to find a mantis to go in it

 

[PiXieCath]

Humm...good idea for the macro algae! Since I've enough corals in my 125gal reef (haha!enough is I dont have any place to put one more in the tank!lol), a tank with macroalgea could be nice. And in addition, it's a good natural filtration. I'll go with that, thanks for the idea.