"thinking" of jumping in . . .

[liquidnoodle]

I'm thinking of setting up a mantis tank and need a little help on furthering my plans.

I'm hoping for a peacock mantis, so I was planning on a 29 gallon tank. Glass, but lined w/ acrylic on the bottom and maybe an inch or so up the side?

I'm not planning on corals so would a standard AGA light fixture be ok? w/ maybe a 50/50 bulb?

I was thinking about a aquaclear 500 hob filter w/ rubble rock would that be enough? I could run media when needed and maybe house live food so I only needed to make a weekly run for it? I could keep the live food in another tank, but I thought that would be easier.

For the heater, I've been reading posts and it seems a model w/o a light is best? Or how do I build a guard to keep it from being broken?

I'm planning on crushed coral and live rock. Should the rocks be of varying sizes or are some better than others?

I'm guessing the rest of the set-up (cycling, water prams, ect) is the same, anything I should know?

Last question, sometimes when I order from the LFS I get to pick the size (S,M,L) should I go w/ the small or would a larger size be healther?

Sorry for the book, but I don't want to go into any animal care uninformed. Thanks for all the help!

 

[mattyice]

instead of the aquaclear filter i would say pay the extra money and get a fluval 305 or 405 canister filter and put some rock rubble in one of the trays, live food would be much better in seperate tank

i would go with a good plastic heater with no light

get some varying rock sizes and get alot of rubble to put in the tank with the rock, get ALOT of sand instead of crushed coral, something liek 40 lbs would be good for a 29G the mantis will build its burrow and use the rubble to reinforce it

i would make the cycle longer just because they are much more sensitive to ammonia and nitrates and nitrites

im guessing that the peacock mantis will only come in one size, if you can even order one from the LFS, if you can order different sizes i would say start with a small one and get ready for YEARS of enjoyment with proper care

 

[Thurge]

Standard AGA fisture will be fine.
Aquaclear's have mixed reviews fron the body developing cracks. I prefer Millenium filters, ans they provide room to stuff LR rubble into. For a 29 I would go with a Millenium 3000.
Go with either a Stealth heater (liveaquaria has them) as they are a hard plastic, or a titanium heater.
Crushed Coral has been known to trap detritus in it because of the large size of space between the particles, I would suggest using Argonite, and yes vary the size of the LR pieces you have inthe tank. I would go with stuff from grapefruit or larger to rubble so that the mantis can make its burrow and have pieces to make a door.
Avalibility will depend on where your LFS gets its stock from. Some will get from one or two wholesaler's and others use a "cherry" picker. Find out how they get there stuff and you should know if its going to be a case of getting what ever they can get or if they can get what you are looking for. You can also get an idea based on there prices, as cherry pickers charge a bit more because they go looking for what is ordered, so the LFS will charge a bit more.

 

[DanInSD]

Just FYI, my 4" peacock has a propensity to whack the sides of the aquarium. I have thick acrylic, and it makes an impressive amount of noise (easily heard downstairs, and has been known to wake me up through two closed doors). I would NOT want this to be a glass tank! She attacked my finger once, and it hurt through the tank!

Following Dr. Roy's advice, I used a 2.5" grey PVC 90 degree electrical conduit "elbow" to make a cave. The concern is that relying on the mantis to make a live rock (and rubble) burrow may not protect it adequately from the light, which can be contributory to shell disease, especially in large males. Mine moved in immediately and has since done a lot of redecorating, placing shell and rock fragments around the openings (to disguise them?).

Enjoy,
Dan