The Mantis Shrimp Guide Thread

[NirvanaandTool]

Putting some crushed coral in as building material (like a handful, not a full layer) wouldn't hurt but ya, sand is better as an overall substrate choice. The larger pieces here and there (and shells, frag plugs, frags, shells with snails still in them) will be much appreciated by your mantis for burrow building.

[pgrVII]

Good deal,let the design process begin lol.

[NirvanaandTool]

If you do put coral with your mantis, consider it a given that anything not glued down will be used for burrow construction. That expensive new SPS frag? Makes a nice front door to his burrow.

[pgrVII]

There will be no coral in there im not investing in lights other than something to light the tank for the mantis

 

Although I have some zoas that I may cut back soon and a pice of leather from a huge piece I have to also cut back but if I lose em no big deal

[pgrVII]

Although after looking around the web I see a lot of folks keeping the purple spot in a full on tank,I understand there's risk to that but does make me wonder if one would work in my 28 gallon cube. Not that I'm at all opposed to making a new tank just for it. Just a thought.

[pgrVII]

I'm looking at a fluval spec V I'm wondering if it will be big enough to house a purple spot mantis.

[Mariaface]

I just discovered a dark little guy (navy? purple-ish? does it matter if he might molt and change color?), less than an inch long, hovering under the lip of my center rock. The last addition was live rock in April or so, so he managed to hide from me for this long in a Nuvo 16. I guess it wouldn't be too hard, considering how fast they are and how much more they can see, and that he'd be more likely to come out at night. Hopefully him coming out today means he's more comfortable with me as 'that thing that keeps peering into the tank all the time'. I have no idea what species he is; he only showed his body for about half a second before turning around and heading back into the rockwork (luckily for me, that likely means he's a burrower and smasher, not piercer and digger, because my sand is only an inch deep).

Would I be alright waiting to identify him until he's a) gotten used to coming out of the rockwork long enough for a clear photo and actually bigger? As far as tank size goes?

I couldn't convince him to come outside with krill, but something about the earlier feeding must've gotten him to come out, right? And he must've been eating something the past couple of months. I suppose I'll see how my CUC renewal tomorrow entices him. This might explain why I'm down to one or two cerith snails and three nassarius snails, and then two huge turbos. Huh. Good thing I moved back to NYC, I may have to start making semi-regular trips for snails/shells/rubble for the shrimp to build with.

I couldn't for the life of me get a clear photo of its rapts. Or a clear photo at all. Tripod doesn't get here until tomorrow, and I don't know if I'll see him any time soon.

[Dr.Brain Coral]

I would keep him. You will come to love it as much as anything in the tank

[Mariaface]

I kind of already do, and I've only known the little guy for the thirty seconds I spent trying to get the exposure right for that photo. xD

 

I'm sure I'll be keeping him. Or trying to, anyway. Looks like I haven't gone wrong so far? It'd be pretty awesome if he stayed that tiny (I've got a 2.5gal begging for contents, but that would have to wait until my college-graduate self has landed a job. Maybe a few months down the line).

 

Still, though, I just want to make sure that now I'm aware of him, I take care of him well. I just really want to know his species and don't even know if that's possible when he's that tiny, much less when I can't find him. The moonlights turn off in less than ten minutes, I should pull up a chair...

 

 

I think I'll stop by Manhattan Aquariums once their renovations are done with this weekend. I could pick up some extra shells for him to mess with, or crushed coral. I was thinking about getting a blue-legged hermit, just the one, for some algae maintenance. But it'd have to be pretty big for the mantis not to mess with it just yet, and even then it'd just be a matter of time... Probably still worth getting. Maybe. I'll see how he does with the reefcleaners snail shipment I unknowingly ordered for CUC, then decide how long I'd have a hermit for if I put it in the tank.

[Dr.Brain Coral]

I would say that a 2.5 is to small for him

[Mariaface]

I agree. I've got the 2.5 gal, originally meant for a betta I never got, and the five gallon that's currently holding all my extra equipment/wires and things. The 5 gallon could potentially fit on my desk, but the electronics would be interesting. And I don't plan on moving him into a smaller tank if I don't absolutely know his species is going to fit and thrive in it. And even then, the tank needs to get set up and cycled and established before he goes into it. So for now, he's staying in the Nuvo 16 where he's made himself at home! :]

 

Fun fact, the marine option on the 2.5 gal was super shrimp, because they're the size of a dime and don't eat very much and don't need heat and are bright friggin red. It's still tempting.

[FlowerMama]

If he doesn't harm anything then keep him. If you look at my mantis thread you'll see how tiny my girls were when I got them, so tiny. They'll eat pieces of whatever frozen food you throw in. Mine loves the LRS frozen reef frenzy but I also have fish that I thawed and put in there too. They're wonderfully inquisitive. They're just one of the most amazing things to me that I'll ever know in my lifetime. Knowing what their eyes can do and how strong their shells are and that the military is trying to mimic their eyes and shell is impressive.

[Mariaface]

He hasn't hurt anything but snails for the past four months or so; I've decided I'm going to keep him. Now my worry is to keep him fed well for healthy molts, keeping him entertained, etc. I, too, am amazed at their abilities. It'll be an interesting time, watching the little guy (girl? no clue yet) grow.

 

I'll go read your thread now! Thanks for the resource; the more knowledge the better.

[FlowerMama]

Once you get to see it better as it grows go to go to Roy Caldwell's site at

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthropoda/crustacea/malacostraca/eumalacostraca/royslist/species.php?name=o_havanensis for example and you get pictures of shrimp. Then you can look at all the varieties.

 

Mine came from waters off of Florida from Sealife, inc (KPAquatics) rock. They're the oerstedaii (spg?) variety.

[Mariaface]

Woah, I think that website has been linked maybe ten times in this thread! xD Thanks! I'll have another look through; I went on the Gulf Live Rock website and found out the rock was harvested from their site 'ten miles off shore in the gulf of mexico's EEZ zone'. Getting closer.

[Dr.Brain Coral]

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthropoda/crustacea/malacostraca/eumalacostraca/royslist/species.php?name=n_oerstedii

[Mariaface]

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthropoda/crustacea/malacostraca/eumalacostraca/royslist/species.php?name=n_oerstedii

 

Hmmm. I certainly hope it's that simple. At first glance, he seemed to be a solid color (a really, really dark one), but the rapts are obviously mottled. Is it possible for it to be outrageously dark because of my sand color?

 

I thought it might be this spearer (I have no clue how rare any species is as a hitchhiker), which is also found in Florida, since the juveniles are just as likely to be living in rocks, black is listed as a color variance, and even if they don't usually eat snails it could've been subsisting on worms in my sandbed. I only ruled out your suggestion because of the color variances (I only just got to the portion of 1stimereefer's thread where her maroon mantis molted and turned green thanks to the lighting), but if it's more common and has the ability to blend into my black sand, then you're probably right. And I'm definitely no expert, that list was overwhelming!

 

Are you pretty confident about the Neogonodactylus oerstedii one? It looks like a closer proportion than the p ciliata, too... Hm. This is hard.

[Dr.Brain Coral]

I dont think it is a ciliata but I could be wrong. I thought it could be oerstedii as they are found in deeper water like where there rock is. Would you be able to get another picture?

[Mariaface]

Trust me, when I get a better photo this thread will be the first place I post it. :] Maybe I need to find a way to trap it temporarily in order to get a picture? But I really don't want to piss it off or anything, hmm.

 

I guess another vote for oerstedii will be its reaction to the snails tomorrow, if it decides to go after any of them. Though it might be too small for that, too.

 

I'll have to play with my camera and figure out settings in preparation for finding the little guy out and about.

[Tamberav]

Congrats on your new found friend!

[FlowerMama]

i don't know what you have, can't tell at all but I just picked the one i have from Roy's link to get you the site

[Mariaface]

i don't know what you have, can't tell at all but I just picked the one i have from Roy's link to get you the site

 

Ah, sorry! I was quoting Dr Brain Coral there; he suggested oerstedii. I read through your thread (don't judge my lack of sleep)! Sorry to hear about Geneva. :[ I hope Gertie's paying for her sins by being extra adorable and inquisitive.

 

I think I'm going to sit at an angle to the tank today and try to catch any movement from the corner of my eye.

[Dr.Brain Coral]

I had wondered about you trapping it temporarily but I didnt want to suggest you go through all the trouble.

[tibbsy07]

So I am going to have a pico-sized tank. I want to do a small mantis and macro. Is that possible? What kind of mantis would work in a tank like this?

[Islandoftiki]

So I am going to have a pico-sized tank. I want to do a small mantis and macro. Is that possible? What kind of mantis would work in a tank like this?

 

In a pico? What size?