what can a mantis eat?

[tirtguyll]

im thinking about buying a mantis but i have a bunch of questiones about them. you can answer all or one -your choice.
1)- i would like a "spearer" mantis. are these easier/harder to find or more/less capable of breaking the glass?

2)do they cost more?

3)it a 10 gallon acrylic size enough room?

4)what kinds are fairly cheap that only get to be about 5 inches long? spearer? or needs to be smasher?

5)can i feed it live goldfish feeders? is it ok feeders arent saltwater?

6)i want to feed it live foods, what can i feed it?

7)is acyrlic strong enough to house one?

8)do you have any other suggestiones? thanks a billion for answering this long post

 

[ReefMagic]

1- IMO they are harder to find. I've only seen 1 spearer for sale and about 30 or so smashers for sale. Dr. Roy just put up a thread telling about spearers who broke through their glass and plastic containers.
2- I wouldn't say so
3- totally Depends on the species.
4- I've been looking for a Pseudosquilla Ciliata spearer for a long time for my 20g, I'm most positive this species wouldn't exceed 5 inches, and would go great in a 10g. Acrylic is good for mantis who are prone to break regular glass.
5-Feeding live food is an unhealthy diet for mantis. You can give him live food once and a while to witness the "chase", but its better to feed frozen shrimp/silversides.
6- Glass shrimp are good live food for mantis', I've never fed any of mine live goldfish, but my LFS said that's all they fed thier O.S.But then again, they tried to tell me their large O.S. was a spearer. and that my little gonodactyloid was a spearer, both very easily seen as smashers.
7- Yes.
This is just what I think, maybe Dr.Roy will clear it up better.

 

[tirtguyll]

is a standard plasytic heater guard strong enough

 

[ReefMagic]

I dont know, I never have a heater in my tank.

 

[tirtguyll]

oh, well back to the mantis, what smasher wont get bigger than 5 inches? and possibly a common one? thanks, how much should i expect to pay for it?
thank you

 

[ReefMagic]

I'd say the most common smasher mantis that stays small is the Neogonodactylus wennerae. Found very common off TBS liverock. I've see them go for 6$ and as high as 20$ for a small one.

 

[tirtguyll]

cool, how should i set up my tank? i think i want a 10 gallon arcylic. i would like it really simple (not very costly) would i need live rock right? and if i put crushed coral in there would it keep the ph right? any suggestions would be great!

 

[DensityMan]

5-Feeding live food is an unhealthy diet for mantis. You can give him live food once and a while to witness the "chase", but its better to feed frozen shrimp/silversides.

Where did that come from RM? Feeding the mantis close to it's natural diet (live food of it's choice - from its wild diet that is) should be considered a boon, both physically and 'mentally' for the mantid. If you mean feeding freshwater-live animals is not recommended long term I can undertand that, but recommending against live entirely (save for snacks) seems a bit counter-intuitive (to me).

Just curious.

As for the initial questions (#6) feeding fresh-water live animals to salt-water creatures usually ends up being dirty for the tank and unhealthy long-term for the creature (or so I've heard). Feeding live salt-water feeders should not only be fine, but encouraged to some extent, so long as your animal doesn't just take a few nibbles and hide the rest to rot in the tank... I've seen salt-water feeder shrimp in my area now for the last couple months. At $0.29 each it's not bad for a smasher-meal. They can be hard on a tanks sand-fauna, especially in large numbers.

If you want a piercer it would probably do better long term in a slightly larger tank with a deep(ish) sand/mud bed to burrow into. Smashers will generally reside in rubble or holes through LR with some digging directly under the LR.

Purchased at 5 inches a 10g tank is going to seem somewhat like a prison, even for a species that doesn't roam much. It would be like me living in my computer den... forever. There's just no room to move around. Striking the glass/acrylic may be more likely when the animal is placed in too small a tank.

Unless you're getting a cold-water species a heater would be necessary for long-term health I would think (especially if you don't live someplace tropical). While many stomotapods do have a wide range of tolerance within the species, most collected are from reef-temperature areas (again second-hand knowledge from reading). When housing larger mantids it is advised to get either a titanium heater or at least a plastic heater-shield.

Dr. Roy may definitely have more to say... Good luck!

 

[tirtguyll]

ok, would a 20-29 galon be a better size?
and one more thing, do i need any more special equipment than a filter, light, and heater?

 

[DensityMan]

That equipment list should do it for ya, but you'll likely be doing more 'hand-maintenance' for clean-up without a skimmer and reliable clean-up crew (my 'clean-up crew is eaten in about 3 weeks...)

And yes a 20 or 29 would be perfect for a larger mantid (IMO).

 

[ReefMagic]

DensityMan: That's just what I have heard. If I'm wrong thanks for correcting me and now i know better.