Mantis question!

[matty0206]

Well I just bought a sea clear acrilic hex tank that I am going to keep a mantis in. I have been doing alot of reading on Dr. Roys sight, on there he suggests a tank of at least 26 gallons for the peacocks when full grown. I think the tank I bought is only like 15 or 20 gallons. The only species I can find readily is the peacock, can someone suggest other species to look for that would 1: be ok in this size tank, and 2: doesnt hide all of the time? I guess another question is are other species readily available other than the peacock?

 

My lfs has two right now one is a peacock that is about 6 inches, and the other is neon geen and only about 3 inches. The green one seems to hide all of the time!

 

Any help would be awesome!

Thanks

[althefishguy]

O.Havanesis stays small as mantis go caribbean should be easy to find.

I have 2 they are very active !!

 

Al

[matty0206]

Thanks al! I will look those two up! I assume they are in seperate tanks? Anyone else?

[modularduck]

you might also look into a G.smivthii there are a couple of us on here that have them.

[justinl]

dont get a peacock. i also discourage an O. havanensis despite the fact that thay are very pretty and super cool... they are sensitive and can be killed just by stirring the sand (according to the doc Roy himself).

 

i would suggest looking up tampabaysaltwater.com. they sell N. wennerae for 10$ (50$ shipped to your door) CONSISTENTLY. this is a big thing because lfs and online vendors almost never ID properly (and thus i also doubt that your lfs "peacocks" are even peacocks at all).

 

N. wennerae are great mantids because they will get the right size for your tank, no bigger. generally very active (some would say they rival G. smithii), very colour morphic and can even change just by the lights you use, and can tolerate any light you give it. VERY hardy. just because of TBS they have become THE most available mantis by far and are now being highly recommended by many mantis lovers.

[springmo]

Peacocks are actually rather easy to identify, especially at 6". It's interesting that they're the only species you can get, they're often rather hard to find. As great as peacocks are, you probably want something smaller. N. Wennerae, as somebody mentioned, is a good choice. So is G. Smithii but they can be quite hard to find.

[justinl]

yes peacocks are easily identified as they are teh only mantids that have leopard spotting and red raps (smashing arms)... it is very distinctive.

 

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthropoda/cr..._scyllarus2.jpg

 

the reason i say the ones your lfs has probably arent peacocks is because lfs just label them as the collector labels em... and usually the collector will name ANY mantis a peacock or the general "lime green mantis." it's rather annoying... i got my G. smithii as a "peacock."

[matty0206]

I have done my share of research and the one at my lfs is definately a peacock! I wish I knew what the lime green one was? I do agree that when I get one I would like to know the exact type so that I know its exact care requirements. I am about as far from tbs as one can get, do you all think one would make it to portland alive if I had one shipped?

[justinl]

likely. mantids are actually good shippers and N. wennerae are about as sturdy as they get... they are an intertidal species after all.

 

edit: if you get a good pic of the green guy i might be able to ID it for you. try to get a good pic/look at the meral spots.

[FLcracker94]

Geeze, I would say, dont get a mantis shrimp!

If you have small fish, it will kill the fish.

If the tank isn't strong enough, it can shatter the glass.

 

Also, If you plan on keeping your thumb...your taking chances having one lol. But, do what you want, this is just my opinion.

[matty0206]

No fish with my mantis thats what the 40g reef tank I have is for! This will be a species tank, well except maybe some corals!

 

Justin I will try to get a pic but like I said he seems to hide all of the time!

[Raindogg]

Geeze, I would say, dont get a mantis shrimp!

If you have small fish, it will kill the fish.

If the tank isn't strong enough, it can shatter the glass.

 

Also, If you plan on keeping your thumb...your taking chances having one lol. But, do what you want, this is just my opinion.

In defense of mantis shrimps...the smashing glass thing seems to derive itself from one instance with an extremely large individual. You hear all the time about how they can do it...but in reality it seems very rare. And while I am careful with my hands in the mantis tank, he has never attacked me. Giving him a little piece of food before working in his tank seems to keep him preoccupied. I would only keep them in a species tank, but it is an absolutely fascinating creature that has even won over my wife, who thought he was a monster at first.

[matty0206]

The same thing hapened with my wife, I showed her them and told her all about them and she said "hell no", One day we went to the lfs and she saw one in person, and now she wants one. They are beautiful and amazing creatures, I think one article I read explains it best. The guy said "I am worried about waking up one night and finding my mantis raiding the fridge". Thats just awesome!

[this1fish]

Geeze, I would say, dont get a mantis shrimp!

If you have small fish, it will kill the fish.

If the tank isn't strong enough, it can shatter the glass.

 

Also, If you plan on keeping your thumb...your taking chances having one lol. But, do what you want, this is just my opinion.

 

 

have you ever raised a mantis before? I highly doubt it if you're talking about it shattering glass. I almost paid 45dollars for my current mantis 1month ago IF the dude at the LFS would let me see it completely. I told him to lift the rock my mantis was under but he refused to because he claims it WILL shatter the little hex tank. I told him i will pay for the tank, clean up the mess and BUY the mantis if he breaks the tank. The guy did it and guess what? NOTHING happened and boy was he embarrassed. It is something that RARELY happens. you can literally harrass the crap out of the mantis and it still won't attack the glass. There has to be something next to the glass that it is trying to get to to get it to smack on the glass as far as i've seen.

 

I didn't buy the mantis that day because the dude was talking nonesense( he claims he's seen it happen many times) and i rather buy it another day with someone who actually knows their stuff. Then again i walked into the store again a month later and the manager who i know pretty well, offer me the mantis for free and i took it. =D. never made attempts to crack my tank or even try to wack at me while i was aquascaping. as stated, just keep a good eye on it(be very cautious too as it can deal good damage) and keep it occupied and you are set to go with sticking your hands in there.

 

btw my girlfriend still thinks mine is ugly as heck. I just tell her my mantis is beautiful in the mantis world. =D