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Am I Ready For A Mantis Shrimp?


Li'l Ninja Shrimp

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Li'l Ninja Shrimp

Hi! A newbie here, registering to this site mainly because I'm planning on getting a peacock mantis shrimp (my favorite animal!) and this forum seems very reliable! :happy:

 

I've spent quite a bit of time researching and today I went all over my pet stores to make a checklist of the things I could get. I just want to know if my list is good enough for my shrimp!

 

A 20 gallon acrylic tank (is the glass of a similar size tank strong enough to hold a peacock mantis? )

A Whisper 20 filter or a Power Filter

A Top Fin 20 heater or a Tetra HT 30

A 24" T5 Fluorescent light (I've also been advised that the peacock shrimp is better off without a light, how true is this? )

20 lb CaribSea sand or Aragonite sand

Sea water of course! ;)

Lotsa live rock

3 Damsel fish

And after the cycle is complete, my new little mantis!!

 

I plan to feed the little mantis snails and hermit crabs 2-3 times a week. I made as much notes as possible that the store clerk was giving me on the cycle and acclimation process. This will be the first time I had a saltwater critter (a beta fish was the last pet I've owned... when I was a kid...) and I could use all the help I can get.

 

So... Any suggestion or revisions to this list? Any advice? Thank you to any who read this! :)

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Well the 20 gallon is simply not big enough in the long run for a peacock. They get big. One of the biggest in the hobby.

 

Islandsoftiki is the resident mantis expert and even has a peacock. He is exposing his mantis to strong light and had yet to have an issue. I would get in touch with him if you have more specific questions.

 

If you are set on damsels consider them disposable. The Mantis may or may not decide to kill them.

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20 gallons is a bit small for a Peacock. And that's not to say that the 20 gallon display is a problem, it's the total water volume and water quality that's an issue with 20 gallons. When I was first given my peacock mantis, she came in a 20 gallon tank. It was a nightmare to keep the nitrates under control. I ended up combining her tank with my mature 10 gallon mixed reef into a 30 gallon IM nuvo tank with a really excellent filtration system. For what it's worth, 30 gallons is the absolute minimum water volume I'd attempt, and only if you can keep your water quality good enough to keep SPS corals happy and successful. This seems to be the trick to keeping an O. Scyllarus in a lighted tank without having problems with shell rot.

 

 

Now, if you want my recommendation for what would be an equally awesome and fun mantis that would be ideal for your tank size, I personally would go for a G. Smithii or N. Wennerae. Both can be very colorful and more importantly, interactive and entertaining. I think you would enjoy either of those species just as much as an O. Scyllarus. They don't have shell rot issues either. I would love to have both a G. Smithii and an N. Wennerae on top of the two I already have, but I don't have time for any more tanks.

 

As far as keeping fish with a mantis, the rule of thumb is, most smasher mantis are ok with fish until they day they kill it, then you need a new fish. I have yet to have any fish losses with either of my smashers though. Every individual mantis is different, regardless of species. They're like you and I, they all have different personalities.

 

No dice keeping more than one damsel at a time in that size tank. They will fight. Just get one and make maintaining your water parameters easier. My G. Ternatensis tank has one Azure damsel, one clownfish, and one yellow clown goby. They all get along like best buddies. They're all about the same size, too. You want a skimmer if you're going to have that many fish and a mantis.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Li'l Ninja Shrimp

Strange, I thought I would get e-mail notification if I got any responses... I was starting to get discouraged when I was getting none! Sorry for taking so long to reply!! I'll check in regularly now that I know!

 

Okay, so a larger 30 gallon tank will do? I'm just worried about size measurements as I live in a studio and have limited space. I can probably fit a 30 gallon if I rearrange stuff or get an extra desk (I'll pester my parents :P )! I certainly don't want to have to put it on the floor! :blink: But if that's not possible, then it's the smaller mantis shrimps I'll go for. Both N. Wennerae and G. Smithii look gorgeous!! I'll certainly have a hard time choosing between them!!

 

Where can I get these other species? The only pet store I know nearby that sells mantis shrimp only has the peacock variety (there's a red one there too, but the guys said it's just a different color variation but is still a peacock mantis). Is there a reliable website I can get them from or a special breeder or something?

 

The tank will primarily be for the mantis, with the damsels being there cuz the guy at the store said it'll help start the cycling. Although I am thinking of adding more sealife as I get more experienced in the salt-water aquarium thing!

 

 

The mantis shrimp knows when you're ready

 

Oddly enough, I had TWO dreams the past three nights about mantis shrimps!! I think it's a sign!! :D

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