wich fish to put in my mantis tank?

[Halfpikant]

Hey everyone,

I was in the LFS with my dad today, to check out different possibilities for our first tank.
An employee managed to convince my dad that you can put a fish in the tank given it can swim fast enough.
Since he is paying 50% of all costs I do not see the point arguing about this with him.
This brings me to my question: wich type of fish is most suited to put in the mantis' tank? Preferably a hardy one that is suited for beginners.

In the other LFS store in our city we found a small mantis shrimp. Can someone identify it for me based on the picture below? It is about 3-3,5 inches long. Based on my experience (wich consists of looking at pictures on roy's list) I think it's an O. scyllarus but I'm not sure. I'm a bit concerned about the white spots on it's back but that may be sand.
It was active and interactive and busy chasing a purple chromis in the same tank, but during the minutes I was watching it i never heard it smash something.

I read on this forum it would be lucky to find a peacock this size, but i'm concerned this guy won't last until summer (when i have time to start a tank). He didn't even have a PCP pipe in his aquarium, but he might have buried that in all the sand.
Is there a way to figure out if he is healthy?

 

[Jlentz]

Anything you put in the tank is up for grabs. Especially if it's a peacock. Damsels might do ok.

Make sure to get a big enough tank.

 

[Halfpikant]

We're both aware that anything is up for grabs. I just want to know the fish with the highest chance at survival. The tank is 54 gal wich should be more then enough for a peacock.

 

[nmotz]

That is a Peacock, but I'd say that he has shell rot on his upper carapace (back) if I'm not mistaken. You can buy him and try to nurse him back to health but it's a gamble at this point. Sorry about that!

Damsels and other small fish that like to swim up in the water column (not live in the sand like a goby) will have the best chance of survival. Fortunately these are usually pretty cheap fish.

Keep waiting, you'll find another Peacock if you decide not to get this one. Good luck!

 

[Keoki18]

+1 for peacock. And also agree with nmotz over passing this little guy up. The carapace looks a bit funny to me as well. Possibly damaged during transport or capture. I would wait and see if he has a successful molt at LFS before taking him.

I have had two mantis shrimp (Peacock/ Green) in separate fuge systems for a couple of years. Peacock was purchased and the green was pulled out of some live rock. both are doing fine with small mid water swimming fish (damsels, chromis, a few ugly duckling anthias). Just keep them fed and provide a nice hide for them. They should leave everyone else alone.

 

[Halfpikant]

Thank you both for your reply. It's a shame to have to pass this peacock up, but i'm not close to getting one anyway.
Could you please elaborate a bit more about what exactly looks off on the carapace? That way I can know what to look for when I see a new one.

 

[nmotz]

The leopard spot pattern seems to be interrupted as if the specimen were damaged in some way during transport (or possibly even in the wild). Additionally, the brownish spots right along the center of the carapace are either scars from a wound or the beginnings of shell rot. It's tough to say with just the one picture. Usually shell rot begins on the telson (tail), but it's possible that some old wounds allowed it to get started on the carapace. Whether its just scars or shell rot, this Peacock looks like it might not be the most healthy. How big is it?

 

[Halfpikant]

This Peacock is about 3-3.5 inches (8 or 9 cm). I just noticed the brownish spots on its head. Unfortunately I have no other pictures.

 

[Keoki18]

Agreed with nmotz. The pattern is a bit off. And such a small specimen should have little to no blemishes as they typically have a higher molt rate. Doesn't mean that this guy wouldn't survive and live a healthy life, its just a big risk.

 

[Halfpikant]

I'm still thinking about purchasing a fish. If I do it means I have a QT tank that is not doing much after I bought the fish?
Is it possible to use it to grow my own food for the mantis? Wich food would this be? What additional equipment would I need?

 

[EI Gringo]

Not an avenue worth pursuing unless you breed mollies in my opinion. Shrimps and snails are slow to breed, even mollies tend to be difficult to get much from in saltwater

 

[nmotz]

You could try to breed brine shrimp. Apparently it's pretty easy and my Peacock loves them. There are some good videos on YouTube to help you get started.