new to peacocks

[bigfruits]

hello
i have a 20 gal with aquaclear filter. i am going to put a mantis in next week and i was wondering what i could feed them. do i need a skimmer? which are more interesting to watch when they feed, smashers or spearers?
thanks for any advice-

 

[Shia]

They will eat anything they can get to. Once in a while I would recommened some live snails, but really anything is good. I personally only have seen spear and thought they were amazing.

 

[Gamera]

As long as water quality is maintained, you shouldn't have a problem with your mantis. While the majority I've seen are quite tough, bad water quality can kill any marine organism.

Addition of a skimmer could certainly help water quality, but as long as you watch you system carefully you shouldn't need it.

I personally am running a 20 gallon tank with just a DSB and a powerhead and the mantis I have (along with his three fishie playmates) hasn't had problems. In fact, since I got it a few months ago, it's doubled in size and is becoming more and more aggressive and exerts a great deal of dominance over the entire tank. I typically feed mine a combination of live snails, hermit crabs, clams, freeze-dried krill and the occasional fish.

Whenever mine is hungry, it eats and it eats whatever is handy or it currently has developed a taste for. I usually 'banish' unwanted hitchhikers from my main tank to the mantis tank at which point, it's death row for them. Currently the last of three camels is in the tank, and it's developed a healthy fear of the central area of my tank.

Coincidentally, it's extremely fascinating watching the g. mutatus stalk and kill a camel shrimp nearly equal its size.