Preparing Mantis Tank..Need Advice

Tangalong

Tangalong

New member
I finally have gotten my 35 Gallon Hex transferred over to a 75 new tank and all its inhabitants. I want to make the 35 into a really nice home for a Peacock Mantis. I would like a female Peacock as I have read they live longer and have fewer health problems. I hope I am right.

There is a DSB in the tank, but I will throw it away and put new in, as on one side residue left from that raspberry looking cyano and I don't want to make the mantis sick. How deep should I make the sand? I have several nice chunks of LR in there now and have plenty of rubble..also a lot of PVC.... I purchased some acryllic to line the bottom with also.

For lighting, I have a plain flourescent or also an actinic one..which would be best?

For filter...there is a H.O.T. Magnum that can run floss /carbon in...and a protein skimmer...Heater is Stealth 250.. An option I have is to use my old Emperor 280 that I fill with LR rubble and use for the bio-medium...it worked great for the fish..'

I have extremely slow dial-up, so won't start a thread and I don't have a digital camera to take and post pics with yet...I really enjoy looking at your mantis photos and tanks..you are all an inspiration for me. I have been reading this forum for 4 months now and am very excited about getting a Mantis. They seem like such intelligent creatures. I am home all the time so I can moniter the Mantis.

If you have more tips that I can use they would be greatly appreciated. Also, I have not made up my mind where I should purchase her from. Our LFS (Jacks) ordered one and she died the next day. They get their fish from Qualilty. Would Tampa Bay be my most reliable bet? And should I wait until this extreme cold is over? I am a long way from the road, and Federal Express and I do not get along...they evidently don't like the country..

Looking forward to your help and advice. How lucky to have a forum just for Mantis people !!!!!

Curly
 
I would line the bottom of the tank with acrylic. When they start building their den it may not care if it is glass or rock it is banging on.

By tampa bay do you mean tampabaysaltwater.com? If so they do not have peacock mantis shrimps. They have N. Wennerae known by the common name Caribbean Rock Mantis. They get up to a little over 3". They aren't as interactive as peacock mantis nor as large. A 35 gal would be over kill for one. I keep one in a 10 gal.

Good luck!

Mantis are very hardy animals. I have read that they seem to have one weakness though VOCs or volatile organic compounds. Did they wax the floor near the mantis at the LFS? Apparently even that can kill them.
 
curly-

welcome to the hobby! i am new to it myself, so cannot answer all your questions. however, i am pretty sure that halides are not good for a peacock. they are prone, from what i hear, to shell disease, so less powerful lights are better.

the stealth is a good choice for heaters, because it is not glass and therefore not breakable by the mantis. i like the idea of running the emperor 280 with LR rubble too. that is exactly what justinl, a poster here, suggested to me.

i think 35g hex is big enough, though a bigger footprint would be better. still, i think 35g is enough.

as for where to get a mantis, i'd have your lfs get one. that way you can make sure it is healthy before you buy. tampa bay saltwater does not have peacocks, just n. wennerae. stomatopod.com has peacocks every now and then, but has been out for the past several months. livequaria.com has them every now and then. one thing you could do is sign up for email alerts.

hope this helps...
 
Stomatopod.com just got a ton of peacocks in. I would check there, I got my N. wennerae from them and the way the shipped mine was amazing. Not even UPS could kill that mantis from how they packed everything.
How thick is the glass on your tank? Peacocks get large so I would definately do the acrylic sheet on the bottom like you did. In terms of lighting I would recommend the plain florescent just to be safe on the issue of shell disease. Unless you want to grow corals there is no real need to put high powered lighting on your peacock tank. Sounds like you've done your research! Good luck on your tank. Look forward to the news.
 
I'm starting to get that "new purchase excitement" !!! The longer I wait the more fun it's going to be...I put up the 75 just for my Hippo Tang that I have had since he was the size of a nickel...thank heavens for the internet or he would still be in the 35...Fie on LFS's for not telling people. I had one in it for 8 years!!

Thank you so much for your prompt replies...makes me feel secure knowing you are all there if a problem arises.

Stepho - I don't know if they waxed the floor or not...I didn't get to see the Mantis..I think he thought I would buy her but I wanted to have everything ready and the tank stable, etc. Got the bottom of the tank covered...bought the acryllic 2 months ago at Lowes...love that store.

lionbacker - I have read a lot about them getting shell disease..is it a type of fungus do you think? I have actually thought of using one of the new spiral household lights that are 50/50...I use one on my refugium and the other tank...simulates sun...wouldn't that help prevent fungus better than flourescent? The flourescent one I have is very low too. I also wish the footprint on the 35 was bigger...It's tall and has been horrible for me (shorty) to keep up with for 8 years...milk crates come in handy for standing on. :);;;


Kashmar - I joined the Stomopod.com forum...no one is ever on there though. Thanks for the info...I will check them on their inventory. I won't be having corals...maybe never...when you live in the country water is high and you don't waste it...cost too much..but I've never had problems with it..also won't get those high priced Halide's...couldn't afford my electric bill..I haven't worked in 8 years so have to watch my "hobbies"....my wolfhounds are high enough !!!!! Texas is my old stomping grounds...longest place was Wichita Falls...Dad was Naval Recruiter there. I miss the tumbelweeds sometimes..

Thank you all so much for answering me...it means a lot. We are supposed to get an ice storm tonight so will have to hold off on emptying the tank a couple of days...I need to get some new sand anyway....3 inches about right? And should I put the extra pieces of acryllic I have around the sides of the tank?

So happy to be a member of our "Esteemed Forum"...

-------------

Curly
 
curly, you are doing everything i used to do - read all the posts for months before finally writing a post, checking stomatopod.com daily but finally realizing no one checks it, etc... i have one more website to suggest you become a member of.

check out www.mantisshrimps.co.uk

a lot of posters here (like koshmar and justinl and pea-brain) are active over there. there are also lots of informative links there.

as for the shell disease question, that is way too complex for me. maybe someone else here can answer that for you?
 
I have them on my fav's list...although..I have gotten some strange e-mails since...not actually spam...but from the UK..I have an e-mail friend that has a huge wolfhound web-site in Guernsey and they also live in the UK, but I never receive wierd e-mails from that site...

I will check more often with them...takes so long with dial-up.. You
re right...I kept checking Stomapod.com and felt dumb after I realized the dates on the posts..Oh well...I'm over 50...I'm allowed..HA!!!

----------------

Curly
 
I have them on my fav's list...although..I have gotten some strange e-mails since...not actually spam...but from the UK..I have an e-mail friend that has a huge wolfhound web-site in Guernsey and they also live in the UK, but I never receive wierd e-mails from that site...

I will check more often with them...takes so long with dial-up.. You
re right...I kept checking Stomapod.com and felt dumb after I realized the dates on the posts..Oh well...I'm over 50...I'm allowed..HA!!!

----------------

Curly
 
How thick are the side panels of the tank? I'm not sure how that would work out with the acrylic on the sides. I've never heard of it being done before. My tank was built for a peacock but I ended up with a chiragra. The company that made it got specific instructions that it was for a mantis shrimp and with all the horror stories out there they ended up putting in 1/2 inch panels. My lfs said that I would have a hard time breaking the tank with a hammer. :lol: Just make sure that you have thick panels, most important is the bottom.
What are the dimensions of your tank?
What are you going to house with it?
Three inch sand bed might be a little much but it won't hurt, it will just be a pain to clean. I have a two inch sand bed in mine and my mantis' are perfectly content. I believe course/ thickish gravel would be better, mixed in with a bit of fine sand. My mantis' kick up a lot of sand and it just clouds the water. They do utilize fine sand in sealing their burrows though. Seems it is used as a type of mortar along with their mucus probably. They love rubble so the more the better. Good luck coping with the intense buyer suspense. I think most people here have been through the same thing.
 
I;m stuck out in the hills in the middle of a winter storm...6-7 inches snow...2 inches ice and 6 more of snow on top...darn...wanted to work on the tank. It is a 9 year old 35 gallon Hex....really thick glass compared to some of the cheapos made today.

I figure I'll probably use my old Emperor 280 with LR rubble in it as it has a really powerful pump and I have the long extender if I need it to keep the lower part filtered. The heater is long also...I'll be sure to turn the red light away from the inside:)

I'll get some courser sand to mix with the oolite...Do the Peacocks burrow in the LR or build their own...or do they like the PVC? I have read where some use their mucus to bind the sand.

The only real concern I have is acclimating one...do I treat her just like another fish? I know nets are not for them...too much danger of getting them tangled up. I also realize I cannot get "smashed"..HA!!! I bruise too easily as it is...How could I explain I got hit by a shrimp?

I tried to contact Stomopod.com but no one was home.....

The piece of acryllic I have is 1/4 inch...really strong...The tank will go in a corner also, so it won't get a lot of light from the back.

I just can't do much with all this ice all over...it's really slippery outside...poor dogs are even having trouble walking..they step through 6 inchs of snow and encounter ice then they sink through 6 more inches of snow...I put wax on their big paws today...Oops...kind of off subject...life in the hills.

I'll post on this thread when I'm ready to order. It shouldn't take much to cycle the tank since I have the LR and the Bio wheel from the Emperor...I have kept it going in my 75 just for this purpose. I want to make sure I have proper foods on hand also. Where do you get silversides? Do you get them dried or frozen? The LFS around here don't have a very big selection of anything. I will put 3 Damsels I have in the tank...still have 2 to catch...I doubt the Mantis could catch them. Also have 4 hermits that keep eating stuff off of my LR to put in and will buy more...what type do I buy?

Come on sunshine..

-----------------------

Curly
 
Don't put acrylic on the sides of the tank. I did it and it was annoy as hell. It just makes it extra hard to get a good picture through and its impossible to clean between the panels. I removed mine.
 
Neither of my mantis' even touch hermits, very odd. I think the best live food you could buy would be snails. Astrea snails are really good IMO because it takes a lot of work to bash them in so it will keep your mantis' raps healthy, plus it's good exercise. Nassarius are very meaty but your peacock can just pull them out of the shell, that's what my chiragra does anyway. Silversides are usually sold in a small tub and are kept cealed in a freezer. You might want to buy some selcon as well. It's a food suppliment with a little dropper cap as a top. If your lfs does not have any of those items, I would just go online and order from a store.
In terms of making a burrow, your peacock will make one out of liverock if it doesn't have a pvc tube. You don't need pvc tubes but some people like to make their mantis' burrow to where they will always see them. Personally I just let mine blast holes through the lr, they can be very creative. My chiragra makes a wall to the entrance at night using the broken remains of her conquered prey. I think she's a Spartan. :lol:
Watch out for the heater though. If your mantis wants to "kill it", you'll have a dead peacock on your hands. You could find a titainium heater at your lfs I'm sure, or just put the heater in a sump.
When acclimating, use the drip method and keep the temp stable with your tank. Most people say acclimate for one hour but I've acclimated mine for thirty minutes with no problems. I would do one hour or more just to be safe though if I were you. They can be netted but mantis' usually get tangled in the net leading to stress/damage. Just use a cup or plastic container to make the transfer and make sure to keep them in the water during transition.
I know how you feel about the weather, I've been couped up all day in my house. :(
Hang in there and try to read as much material on these guys as you can before your purchase.
 
Really getting excited....can't do anything until I can clean the tank though...have to put the LR in a tub w/heater/pump to keep it's bio thing going and don't want to take too long.

KO on the acryllic sides..won't do that.

Have to try to find a LFS in Cincinnati I guess..no Silversides around Hillbilly Country:lol: No offense to anyone...husband is one. On-line order for frozen is 20.00..YIKES.

I have lots of PVC...but it's only 2 inches in diameter...I have it under my LR in my 75.

Hopefully, I will get a small one to start...think I'd freak if I got one 5 inches long to start with!! I will probably have to order her on-line...LFS hasn't even been able to get me any Neon Cleaner Gobies or Cleaner Shrimp for my 75 for my Tang. They order from Quality. They said it must be the time of year.. Could be...I just want a live healthy Mantis. I love to read your stories about all their antics...keeps me laughing.

--------------------

Curly
 
Have you checked stomatopod.com? They have a lot of peacocks now.
I paid a similar price for the silverside tub from my lfs. $20.00 is average I think. They will also eat mysis, krill, enriched brineshrimp, squid, ect...
 
curly,

do you live near a pet supplies plus? or a petco? they sell all sorts of frozen foods which are very convenient since the servings are individually packaged.

i think your set up sounds perfect. LR, deep sand bend, 35 gallon tank, and emperor 280 pump. i think you said you had a stealth heater. that is titanium, isn't it? if so, it is not breakable.

hermits and snails, plus a couple damselfish, and you are all set!

and koshmar is right: stomatopod.com has a ton of mantis shrimp in now. including peacocks. very pricey though...
 
Blasted dial-up is giving me fits tonight!!! Tried to watch the video of Izzy and got to see her slam-dunk the crab once then everything just freezes.. I did see your pics lionbacker even if not closeup...he is pretty.
 
I don't know what happened...I was typing and everything just disappeared..

I found a LFS that carries silversides...10.00 a package..don't know how many are in it but will start stocking up now. They also carry Astreas so will get a couple.

There isn't any Petco or anything around here. The Petsmart's and such don't even carry SW anything except sand. I wish there was a really good place to go.

I think Stomatopod is a little pricey also...I think the one the LFS had that died was around 60.00..about the same as from Live Aquaria. If I ordered from them, can I order other fish with the same order and still only pay the 35.00 shipping fee? I need to get a couple of Neon Gobies and a Cleaner Shrimp for my 75.

A guy from the other forum I belong to was having his order shipped from them and Fedex was stalled somewhere and his fish will have been intransit for 3 days...bummer. Fosters & Smith will reimburse or resend his fish probably...Fedex is not what they used to be...that is my only problem with ordering my Mantis online. I would hate to think they would put her in my mailbox way out on the road in the cold. Will probably be a week or two anyway...depends on how the tank cycles after I get the old sand out and my husband will have to cut the acryllic to fit the bottom before I can put new sand in. Should I bury the PFC pieces? Or just lay them in there? There are some big LR pieces in it....maybe too much...maybe I should stack them on a side so she will have more room to move around. Wish my tank was a long!!!!

===============

Curly
 
Last edited:
The one thing I can say about stomatopod.com is that when they ship, they do an amazing job with packing. I ordered my N. wennerae and was amazed at the quality of cushioning they devoted to the shipment. They also put in a heating pack. They maybe a little pricey but it was worth it for me to get a healthy mantis in great condition from them. That's just my opinion. I'm sure you'll be fine buying one from any reputable source. From most of the pics I've seen of people's tanks that put in pvc, it looks like they embed it into the rockwork. You might want to check with some people that use pvc, as I do not. If you stack the lr make sure that it's secure and that the rock is touching the bottom of the tank. If you just throw the rock onto the sand then there is a chance the mantis will cause a cave in. They are truely little construction workers when it comes time to molting.
I share the same dial-up problems you do, 56K baby! Yeah! If I want to watch you-tube vids I just go to the local library or my campus library.
 
I at first had a 1" sand bed, I now have a 3.5" sandbed and My OS really loves it he almost dug all the way down thru the 3.5" sandbed
 
Think I will put another DSB in...since the tank is tall. Do you think 2 inch PVC is big enough for a Peacock? I will e=mail Stomatopod and ask him if he can hold one...still can't do anything until this weekend...I could if I was saving the sand, but it looks like it has some nasties down low and I don't want to start her off with any bad stuff.

I hate just waiting and not being able to do anything...go away ice..at least we have power...I am grateful for that.

Koshmar...the people in front (before last week when their house burned down) got cable and Insight said they could have high-speed...but they wouldn't do us as we are too far from the road..isn't that a bunch of C...? Wanted us to pay for another pole...2G..HA!!Sometimes being so isolated does have its problems...but at least I don't have to look at all the trash around here.l

I did have a bad cave-in in the 35...my Diamond Goby caused it and died. The Neon Goby eventually died to...must have been injured. That's why I have the egg-crate under the sand and PVC pieces buried beneath the LR in the 75.
------------
Impatient Curly


Wish I had stayed in Texas
 
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