What does a 1" mantis eat?

[sugartooth]

I got an orphan green color mantis and it is very small.
It looks to be about 1 inch, maybe 1 1/4 inch.

My question is if mysis will be too big? The PE mysis is as big as he is and Hikari mysis still seems too big.

Should I be dumping in copepods or something?

Also, I have a biowheel filter on a 2 1/2 gallon tank and the flow blows the mysis around. Is this a problem, will he find it?

Thanks in advance for the advice.

 

[medellia]

my tiniest havanensis is only 1/2", and she loves to chase live adult brine shrimp. she is small enough that she really has to fight to take one down

i am sure your mantis would be able to track the food down eventually, but my concern would be what happens to food that he does not find or cannot reach. in a tank as small as that, even a tiny bit of rotting food can crash it pretty quickly.
it would be easier for your mantis if you unplug the filter during feeding time, or use a bamboo skewer or a dropper or something to deliver the food to it. i use an eyedropper to squirt the brine shrimp near where she is, and then she does the rest. it is super fun to watch!

 

[sugartooth]

Thanks! I will try your suggestion.
Should I be enriching the food?

How much do they eat? How often?

Do I need to worry about Aiptasia and bristleworms?

 

[medellia]

i raise my own brine shrimp, and i make sure to feed them phytoplankton shortly before i give them to the mantis. i usually feed my mantids anywhere from daily to every 2-3 days. the smaller ones seem to want to eat more often. my little havanensis will take down at least 1-2 brine shrimp a day. i also give her freeze dried plankton soaked in selcon, and my smaller mantids will usually eat small pellets or flakes of marine fish food.
and i always have tiny snails and hermits around for them to snack on just in case...
i would not worry about aiptasia or bristleworms...i have plenty of both in my mantis tanks, and have never had a problem. mantids do a pretty good job of standing up for themselves anyhow

any pics of your little one?

 

[Hutton]

My little guy is about an inch and he hunts down any amphipod he can find. He took one down about 1/3 of his body length today

 

[Thurge]

When squirtle was that small I fed him Mysis and fish pellets, along with the occasional small hermit.

 

[prozz]

My T. spinosocarinatus is just under 14mm long and has no issues with large mysis. Even though they are already dead he still seems to feel the need to give them a good beating before eating.

Once a week I toss in a few brine so that Taku doesn’t get to lazy. He is also a fan of krill eyes and tiny slivers of silverslide.

As far as bristleworms I agree they are harmless as well. The Mighty Taku has several as roommates that are a bit larger then him and he has yet to hesitate to smack them around when they get to close. He will also occasionally feed on the smaller ones.

 

[sugartooth]

Your stories are great!
Love the picture. I will try and post a picture. I think I will name mine Leland, or Lee for short.
My husband gave me a really hard time saying "You are naming a Mantis?"

 

[medellia]

heh heh...in my opinion, they are one of the only reef inverts that deserves to be named they are a lot more complex and interesting than most people realize.

 

[justinl]

lol i love that spino! the damn mysid is bigger than it

as for naming, i disagree. i name my mantis (trogdor) but i also name all the hermits, snails and crabs that go in as well. collectively they are known as the "walking dead"

 

[medellia]

lol...the "walking dead"--i like that! so true