keeperofthefish
New member
This past weekend I visited the invertebrate house at the Smithsonian Zoo and just happened upon the O. scyllarus at feeding time. Needless to say, I was amazed by this incredibly unique, apparently very intelligent creature. Having spent the past few days reading about this amazing species, I am even more intrigued--especially to know that folks are keeping these very successfully in home aquariums. Dr. Roy Caldwell's work with the stomatopods is fantastic! The recognition and memory findings really blew me away.
The mantis shrimp at the zoo here in Washington, D.C. was in a 55 gallon acrylic tank, divided with another sheet of plexiglass into about a 20 gallon and a 35 gallon. The 35 gallon was home to various species of cleaner shrimp, and on the other side was this incredibly colored mantis! His hiding cave was set up so that he was in a corner visible to passersby.
I am an avid freshwater enthusiast and have largely stayed away from saltwater because I've been trying to figure out what I would most like to keep, and thus what kind of setup I should invest in. Of course, my planted tank fixation also continually sidetracks me! But who cares about plants and freshwater fish and inverts compared to these amazing creatures!
That said, I think my first saltwater setup will be home to a mantis shrimp. From a general survey of what people are using to store these creatures, I see a wide variation. Generally, it seems to me that about a 20 gallon tank is appropriate, and to be on the safe side, that should be acrylic. In addition, you need pretty heavy filtration. A setup that immediately came to mind was a 12 gallon or 24 gallon JBL nanocube. Any thoughts on that? As I am new to filtration, exact recommendations on filtration, protein skimmer, live rock, sand, etc. would be welcome. Also, what should I use to cycle the tank? Anything I put in there, unless it is borrowed, will be eaten by the mantis shrimp.
The mantis shrimp at the zoo here in Washington, D.C. was in a 55 gallon acrylic tank, divided with another sheet of plexiglass into about a 20 gallon and a 35 gallon. The 35 gallon was home to various species of cleaner shrimp, and on the other side was this incredibly colored mantis! His hiding cave was set up so that he was in a corner visible to passersby.
I am an avid freshwater enthusiast and have largely stayed away from saltwater because I've been trying to figure out what I would most like to keep, and thus what kind of setup I should invest in. Of course, my planted tank fixation also continually sidetracks me! But who cares about plants and freshwater fish and inverts compared to these amazing creatures!
That said, I think my first saltwater setup will be home to a mantis shrimp. From a general survey of what people are using to store these creatures, I see a wide variation. Generally, it seems to me that about a 20 gallon tank is appropriate, and to be on the safe side, that should be acrylic. In addition, you need pretty heavy filtration. A setup that immediately came to mind was a 12 gallon or 24 gallon JBL nanocube. Any thoughts on that? As I am new to filtration, exact recommendations on filtration, protein skimmer, live rock, sand, etc. would be welcome. Also, what should I use to cycle the tank? Anything I put in there, unless it is borrowed, will be eaten by the mantis shrimp.
