Preparing for my first mantis

[Rollis]

Hello all, I have a few quick questions which can hopefully be answered by you more experienced mantis keepers. Thanks in advance for any responses.

I currently have a 30 gallon tank, which I intend to use for either a Peacock Mantis or a G. Smithii. The water has been cycling for a while, has been tested, etc. Right now I don't have any rock added, but will be doing that later this upcoming week.

Will a mantis tolerate any other animals in it's tank? Such as a starfish, urchin, anemone, etc. I mainly ask because I'd like to have some sort of sand-sifting thing going on, to prevent a buildup of waste and other undesirables in the sand bed, but the potential for some other creatures is somewhat interesting to me as well. However, the main focus of the tank will always be the mantis.

Secondly, will a mantis destroy corals/sponges/macro algae at all, or will he ignore them with the exception of possible re-aquascaping incidents?

I haven't been able to find any information on this specifically, but what additional supplements/additives/etc do you find are necessary for successfully keeping a healthy mantis? What kind of lighting is necessary?

Also is there a specific heater anyone can recommend, that isn't likely to be pummeled and destroyed by an angry mantis? I've seen quite a few in the pet stores, but none really looked especially durable.

Sorry to ask so many things, but I just want to make sure everything is perfect for my new friend well before I get him.

 

[stepho]

1) other tankmates really depends on the personality of the animal. Some will leave everything alone and others will kill everything in sight.

2) Peacocks and smithiis should both leave corals, sponges and algae alone other than possibly rearranging them. With a peacock low lighting is best though to help avoid shell disease, so coral and algae selections should do well with low lighting as well.

3) I don't do any dosing in my mantis tanks. I just do regular water changes to replace trace elements, and keep water quality in check.

4) Smithii's will do fine with any light. Peacocks should have low lighting.

5) there are several titanium shatter-proof heaters on the market. http://www.marinedepot.com/ViaAqua_Titanium_Heater_Titanium_Heaters-ViaAqua-VA1155-FIHTTH-vi.html is one.

 

[Rollis]

So my tank is still a work in progress, but here's what I've done so far:

I added 20 lbs of 'foundation rock' to the tank, including a few pieces of random rubble scattered about the sand bed. I got the thermometer, and the temperature is stable. I added 15lbs of live rock on top of the foundation rock, ensuring it was stable. I also created a few caves, hopefully for the mantis to make use of. I am now just waiting for my rock to finish curing (the tank has nothing living in it, so I decided to cure it in the tank).

Do you think more rock is necessary, or should the total of 35lbs be enough? I also picked up a bottle of 'reef accelerator' by Instant Ocean...it's supposed to promote the growth of purple algae and corals, so I figured it couldn't hurt to add a tiny bit now and then to get things started.

Anything else I should worry about/work on/focus on in the meantime, or is it just a waiting game at this point?

 

[oct2274]

I noticed you mentioned you got a thermometer. Make sure that you do not have a glass one or another type it can break. Also make sure if you have a heater it is not a glass one.

 

[justinl]

35lbs is enough but more never hurts (it's just more habitat and better biological filtration).

My personal favorite heater is the marineland stealth. It's made of shatterproof thermal plastic. Titanium works great as well too.

edit: consider adding more rubble. When I had my G. smithii, it didn't use much rubble because it had a flask shaped cavity in a rock as a home (a typical G. smithii burrow IIRC). My O. scyllarus however, uses a stunning amount of rubble in its burrow. 5lbs is a very conservative estimate.

 

[Rollis]

This is how the tank currently looks. I made a few caves here and there inside the rock formation, to try and give the mantis a head start. Though, chances are he won't use either of them. There's a bit of rubble, but I would like to add more. The rock is a combination of Fiji and Tokona (I think it's called) with white foundation rock.

And yes, I am using the Marineland Stealth thermal plastic shatter proof heater...I couldn't find a titanium one any any of the LFS.

Any suggestions/comments, are, of course, welcome.

Sorry for the giant image, it wouldn't resize properly.

 

[re_sjo]

I'd probably want some crushed coral in there with the sand to give the mantis something to build with.

 

[Rollis]

Yeah, I saw this stuff called Bio-Active Live Reef Substrate...it was basically shells and crushed coral. I was trying to find some info on it before I just tossed it in there, though. Anyone have any experience with it?

 

[justinl]

If you want to add more sand or crushed coral, then just use the dry stuff that comes bagged. Make sure to rinse as much dust as possible out of it beforehand though. The "live" substrate is just a gimmick. You can't treat it as cured, it won't allow you to skip a tank's cycle, and all the critters you need will hitchhike in on live rock.

 

[Rollis]

Good to know. Though, I haven't seen anything from my live rock so far. It has only been a few days, however.

 

[VacavilleFC3S]

give it time, it'll be about a month before the tank really starts to come alive.

 

[Rollis]

I've decided that, after a bit more research, I want to go with either N. Wennerae or O. Havanesis.

I've heard both like open areas to roam about in, so I am planning to re-scape my rocks (though I'm sure the mantis will do that for me as he sees fit).

Any other advice on either of these species and my current setup?

 

[VacavilleFC3S]

O. havanensis are jumpers, i lost 2 earlier this spring.

 

[justinl]

N. wennerae is a species known to be well suited to captivity and is very undemanding of an aquarist. O. havs are gorgeous and I would love to get my grubby hands on one. That said, they are not the easiest of mantis to care for. They require good water quality and well oxygenated water. I wouldn't say they are "difficult", you should just be aware of their requirements. I suggest allowing your system to age for at least a month before adding an O.hav. Get a fish or a few LPS corals to occupy yourself for a while.

 

[Rollis]

Ah, I see. Well my my rock apparently still isn't fully cured, so it'll be a while before I add anything. My pH is pretty good, but my ammonia and nitrates are way too high for anything to survive in there right now (2.0 ammonia and 5.0 nitrates to be specific).

I did, however, add the crushed coral to the bottom and rearrange the rocks a bit to create more open space with a more dense cluster of rockwork and caves in the center. I'll post a newer picture once the water fully clears.

Would it be possible to keep fish with N. wennerae, or does it depend on the individual personality again? Which fish generally work? Damsels, Clowns, etc?

 

[justinl]

mantis tank cohabitants with the best survival rate are diurnal, stay in the water column, can swim fast, and are naturally a little bit rambunctious. Damsels and wrasses are good. Clowns are usually pretty good too. Gobies are usually suckers. That said, don't put anything in that you would be super crushed about losing.

No idea if O. havanensis are more likely to kill a fish. Probably depends on the individual as well. Keep the mantis well fed to decrease the likelyhood it will off its roommate.

 

[stepho]

I've decided that, after a bit more research, I want to go with either N. Wennerae or O. Havanesis.

I've heard both like open areas to roam about in, so I am planning to re-scape my rocks (though I'm sure the mantis will do that for me as he sees fit).

Any other advice on either of these species and my current setup?

The mantis can not move the large rocks other than digging under and causing a rock slide, so the aquascape will remain mostly how you had it after the mantis is added. If you get a O. havanensis he will move around the smaller rubble pieces though. N. wennerae in my experience only change the inside of the rocks.

O. havanensis are jumpers, i lost 2 earlier this spring.

I lost one to jumping and another for reasons unknown to me earlier this year as well.

N. wennerae is a species known to be well suited to captivity and is very undemanding of an aquarist. O. havs are gorgeous and I would love to get my grubby hands on one. That said, they are not the easiest of mantis to care for. They require good water quality and well oxygenated water. I wouldn't say they are "difficult", you should just be aware of their requirements. I suggest allowing your system to age for at least a month before adding an O.hav. Get a fish or a few LPS corals to occupy yourself for a while.

sealifeinc.net often has O. havanensis in stock.