Office Tank Possibility

MechEng99

MechEng99

aka Reef'd Up
Hello!

I've been keeping an SPS dominant tank for a year and a half now, and would like to keep some sort of tank at work. I've been looking into a mantis tank.

I think I'm probably limited to 10g before my coworkers get annoyed. Are there any species that will be happy in a 10g? (I've already looked through the wonderful ID website...I just want to make sure it will be happy, not just survive.)

I've noticed that they seem to not like a lot of light. Could corals be kept with him (I already assume no SPS.) Is anyone keeping a fish with one in a similarly sized tank? What is used for a clean-up crew? Anything?

I'm sorry if I'm repeating questions...but it's more efficient to just post than sort through post after post. If I find out I can keep a mantis in a 10g...then the real research will start. :)

Thanks everyone!
 
I am running a small bowfront tank that is maybe 3 to 4 gallons. As far as the mantis not sure what it is but it is small now if it grows will get a bigger tank. As for the cuc just have some small snails and hermits in there oh do have one big astrea that is to big to go after. They are also in there for food to so when they get eaten just replace them. As for tank mates I asm not wanting any as the mantis hardley makes a mess and fish on the other hand will make a mess. And last yes most mantis do not like alot of light but most softies will survive just fine. I have an assortment of zoos in my mantis tank along with a few other softies. Also planted a few pcs of macro in the sand. Good luck and let us know what you end up doing.
 
my only question for you is : does your company leave the a/c on in the office all weekend??? if not your probably going to need a chiller. i've read many stories of people with office tanks coming into work on monday and everything is nuked and stinky from lack of cooling
 
It can be a real problem when you can't control the environment. Fortunately, smoke is no longer a problem in most work places, but cleaning solutions, etc. can be. I once lost most of the animals in my lab because the custodian decided to strip and wax the floor. The fumes did in almost every stomatopod.

Roy
 
I work somewhere weird...we don't have cleaning people...and the temperature remains stable due to the equipment. I've been monitoring the temp for a while now at work, and it's fine. Thanks for bringing this up. My fiance just changed jobs. He had had a 3g in his old office for 1 1/2 years...but the new office turned off the A/C over the weekend, and the tank cooked.
 
It really depends on what mantis you decide to get then. Stick to one of the small intertidal species since these are more tolerant of swinging parameters and can easily tolerate any lighting you throw at them (so SPS is definitely a possibility). I suggest G. smithii, or N. wennerae, but there are others as well. make sure you get a properly ID'd specimen though!
 
My wife works for DELL, so you can imagine the amount of computers in the building, they keep the AC on 24-7. She has kept a Smithii in a 6g Tru-Vu for 2 1/2 yrs with no problems. But, she is about to be upgraded to a 14g Biocube.
 
Lovely! I was thinking of a Smithii in approximately a 6g...so I'm glad to hear this! Thanks for the help!
 
oh and one warning before you throw coral of any kind in there. mantids love to redecorate tanks so you will want to secure all frags to a piece of rock or something larger than the mantid's body size.
 
pretty much whatever you want really. the only damage my O. scyllarus (a big guy) ever did was to take a small chunk out of a green montipora too close to his burrow. My. G. smithii has never done any harm.

A 10g isn't a very large tank for an SPS environment though, so make sure you keep up with water changes. mantids are messy eaters. plus they munch on CUC so you have totake that into consideration as well. It most certainly can be done, but you have to be dilligent.
 
This is not a very big tank for an adult G. smithii. Adding corals and appropriate lighting adds some risk in that while G. smithii can take the light, many of these cube systems heat up significantly when lighting for corals is added. The elevated temperature can lead to faster decomposition, etc.

Roy
 
Yea, I got a cheap 3 gallon Pico and I am going to see what happens at work too. I don't think heat will be an issue from now on, but i'm worried about auto top offs over long weekends and if the heat gets too low.
 
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