Stomatopod diet

[crafty_50mitchell]

Hey all just wondering what you feed your mantis's. Ive been pretty bland with the altering of krill then next feeding cockle, but am wondering what the rest of the group does, any really varied diet out there being administered?
Cheers, Brian

 

[O'Coralman]

feeding.

feeding.

Brian...........I feed mine silversiders......once to twice a week.....this has worked for me...dunno 'bout the others. I just drop one outside their hiding place and soon its gone. I assume it gets eaten...cause they grow and no scraps are left. Sometimes they carry the food around the rocks,carring it underneath ther bellies and then they just roll over and eat........my 5 cents worth....Steve:dance:

 

[DensityMan]

I restock the clean up crew monthly with a dozen nassarius and a couple cerith snalls. The tank has a good population of stomatella snails. Also supplement with live saltwater-ghost-shrimp and blue-legged hermits in bulk. Looking to order some mini-sand-clams from octopets.com sometime soon as well. Frozen food I direct to Tim ithrough a straw at least once a week and also tend to toss in shrimp pellets from timeto time to feed everything in the tank including Tim.

Fish products may not be the best long term for smasher health; for piercers it would be THE preffered wat to go as well as live fish occasionally.

Aside from not meeting possible dietary needs, the silversides could encourage a weakening of the smashers clubs (through inactivity). Then again it could be a fine diet, I'm mostly regurgitating the words of articles and conversations on-line. I didn't do the research myself. It just makes sense.

Best perk of feeding live gastropods and crustaceans is catching the mantis mid-hunt. Getting to see the predator capture his prey is pretty spectacular...

 

[O'Coralman]

thanks.

thanks.

DensityMan.....makes since to me...I'll get my guys something to smash....Steve:dance:

 

[crafty_50mitchell]

Sounds like some good logic to me too, think Ill place my order for snails in on monday.
Cheers, Brian

 

[dc]

I'm pretty much the same as DensityMan. I also put in live ghost shrimp occasionally, even if he's just eaten he will come out and attack it.

 

[O'Coralman]

....sense

....sense

...I believe that would be...makes sense.... . spelling my strong point:mixed: Now to get something for Ben to smash. Would a crayfish last in the salty long enough? Steve:dance:

 

[dave2184]

I feed mysis about twice a week half a silverside once a week and if hes hungry theres always nassarius snails and blue legs in there. My LFS sells these little hermits for a $1 each they call ocean crabs. I think they are micro hermits about a 1/4 inch shell with a brown crab they stay small and are a quick meal for him. I fed him a hary crab i found in my tank this morning must have been a hitchhiker on the live rock i bought recently.

 

[dc]

Re: ....sense

Re: ....sense

...I believe that would be...makes sense.... . spelling my strong point:mixed: Now to get something for Ben to smash. Would a crayfish last in the salty long enough? Steve:dance:

I'm sure it would. I acclimate my ghost shrimp as they are FW and they will live long enough to get whacked.

 

[DensityMan]

There's a video a few thread down of someone feeding crayfish to their mantis...

Looks like one hell of a fiesty meal!

Maybe when Tim get's older I'll get him a big-kid's meal like that... but a crayfish at his size would destroy him... :lol:

 

[dave2184]

What would you feed this one.:lol: :rollface: :lol:

 

[DensityMan]

The guy in the goofy helmet...

 

[majestic sea life]

i seen that movie lol its funny as hell if u know what a mantis shrimp that size can do

 

[O'Coralman]

how about a Jr. size

how about a Jr. size

DensityMan...my lfs has got some nifty little crayfish...Ben will get the Jr. size and if he does well , 'cause he is about about 4 on the inches side......maybe we'll get him the Big Boy size. Either way by next week I'll have a new Big Boy mantis(ordered him special) and a biggie crawdaddie will get his...heheheh . Am thinking MickeyMantis would go well as a name:lol: Anybody out there used that yet....don't want to .....hey 'bout a thread on what we call our Mantis? Steve:dance: