Some general questions...

[3Tripnip]

I've got my new O.S. in a 10 gallon tank now and I had a couple of questions about keeping him/her happy:

1) What temperature should I try and keep the tank at? Currently, I have it at 76 degrees.

2) He/she has been hanging out in the back of the tank since I put it in, has dug a burrow but rarely comes out. Is this normal?

3) I was wondering if I could put a starfish and/or urchin in the tank? Any other invert suggestions?

4) What would be the ideal salinity for the tank? I've got it at 1.023 right now I think. Is that good?

5) Could I keep a small fuzzy dwarf lionfish in the tank as well? Probably not, just wondering.

I know there's quite a few questions, but I wanna keep him/her as happy as possible. If anyone could let me know what they think, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!

-Ben

 

[tigerTA]

i'll bump ya, cause id like to know also.
and are there ANY fish that can be placed with a mantis?
and whats the best tank size for one?

 

[InnsmouthLook]

I would very much like to hear some answers to these as well. Anyone?

 

[brekurboy1]

There are several fish that will hold their own and even kill and mantis but the general answer is no. No ornamental, non-poisonous fish would last very long against an O.S. It's either that or I'm not brave/stupid enough to try. I leave a damsel in the tank as cannon fodder/emergency food.

Put a fish in, but don;t count on seeing it for very long.

Starfish . . . I don;t know. The problem with this is that not very many people put other things with O.S.'s because they're so aggressive. It's like the T-Rex in Jurassic Park. If you move he'll try and kill you.

Your salinity sounds fine. Infact if you treat the tank like any other tankyou have the shrimp should be fine. Just keep your eye on your nitrates and nitrites since it's a fairly small water volume.

Also. Put a piece of PVC piping in there maybe 1.5 his body length and 1.5 to 3 times the body thickness. He's hiding because that's what they like to do when they're uncomfortable. When he gets used to you he'll come out more but if there's no retreat it'll stress out and live a comparatively short life.

Go to the lurker's Guide at:

www.blueboard.com/mantis/

And read up.