The Mantis Tank Thread

[Zombo]

 

She absolutely DESTROYED a hermit right in front of me today. The shell had been punched all the way through. I <3 my Bella!

[travisurfer]

very cool

[Jelly]

I am still only reading page twenty of this thread. long way to go yet.

 

It good to there are plenty of Mantis fans. I have been after a mantis ever since saw a UK documentry many years ago. "Fastest claw in the west" I have recently aquired a VHS copy of the Doco.

 

I have the option of what has been discribed to me as a Flurecent green Mantis and a Banded Mantis Shrimp. Both are smashers. I specified no peacocks as I am using a spare 7G tank I had lying around. I have had it setup waiting for the shrimp for about three months now.

 

I am considering getting another small tank and picking up both.

[bheld]

When mantis shrimp molt, can they eventually re-grow eyes? There is a Peacock at my lfs but it is missing an eye and am skeptical on purchasing him/her

[Giga]

here's my mantis tank no water yet but close

 

[travisurfer]

I am still only reading page twenty of this thread. long way to go yet.

 

It good to there are plenty of Mantis fans. I have been after a mantis ever since saw a UK documentry many years ago. "Fastest claw in the west" I have recently aquired a VHS copy of the Doco.

 

I have the option of what has been discribed to me as a Flurecent green Mantis and a Banded Mantis Shrimp. Both are smashers. I specified no peacocks as I am using a spare 7G tank I had lying around. I have had it setup waiting for the shrimp for about three months now.

 

I am considering getting another small tank and picking up both.

wow, awesome. sounds like you're well on your way. either mantis would probably be good but i would try to get an id before it goes in the tank to make sure it's a species that won't get too big.

 

When mantis shrimp molt, can they eventually re-grow eyes? There is a Peacock at my lfs but it is missing an eye and am skeptical on purchasing him/her

i can't say for certain, but i'm pretty sure they can't considering how complex their eyes are.

 

here's my mantis tank no water yet but close

 

wow, that looks amazing! keep us updated because that just looks like an amazing tank. stocking plans?

[Zombo]

wow, awesome. sounds like you're well on your way. either mantis would probably be good but i would try to get an id before it goes in the tank to make sure it's a species that won't get too big.

 

 

i can't say for certain, but i'm pretty sure they can't considering how complex their eyes are.

 

 

wow, that looks amazing! keep us updated because that just looks like an amazing tank. stocking plans?

 

+1 on the design! On my mantis front, Bella has learned a new trick -- tug-of-war! I skewer a piece of krill, lower it in and make her pull it free. She is strong enough to bend the bamboo skewer.

[h3llc4t]

+1 on the design! On my mantis front, Bella has learned a new trick -- tug-of-war! I skewer a piece of krill, lower it in and make her pull it free. She is strong enough to bend the bamboo skewer.

Mata Hari does this too. She'll tug a few times, run away, come back and tug a few more times, and finally smack the stick around like "Enough already, give me the frigging krill." I'm trying to encourage a gentle feed response by making her pull as little as possible on the food (trying to work up to hand feeding her) but krankykris loves to make her wallop the stick.

Edited August 22, 2008 by h3llc4t

[travisurfer]

So much fun

[hxcaquaman]

wow I wish there was this much action on my thread, 1935 posts!@#!@#

 

I guess people like mantis more than frog fish

[Pinner Reef]

I suppose so heres my addition to the thread...

 

 

Just a little wennera... at least I think it is... What do you think?

 

-pinner

[travisurfer]

Just based on the coloration, a wennerae or bredini seems most likely. What color are the meral spots?

[Pinner Reef]

Kinda light bluish/Irridescent.

 

-pinner

[travisurfer]

Yeah, probably wennerae or bredini. It just happens to be that wennerae are more common.

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthropoda/cr...name=n_wennerae

[travisurfer]

Any updates?

[Zombo]

Yep. I bought a G. chiragra from Preuss Pets I'm still waiting for the 22 gallon CAD I ordered to arrive; I'm going to make a custom eggcrate divider to split the tank in halves and keep both Bella and "Mantis sin nombre" in it. I think the 9 gallon will be getting retired to the house and set up as a frag tank. Here's a couple of shots of "Mantis sin nombre":

 

A great shot of the uropods and telson

 

On full display!

 

(S)He is about 3.25" long and *vicious* -- can't wait to get the "Mantis Duplex" built!

[travisurfer]

very nice. eggcrate is not going to cut it. personally, i would get a pane of glass cut to fit the tank and then drill some holes in it. that would keep the mantids permanently separate while looking nicer and keeping water flow going.

[Zombo]

Those would be mighty tiny holes to drill in glass, I suspect --- Maybe several larger (5/8" or larger) holes with nylon mesh over them? Come on creative minds -- I need some ideas on how to keep a pair of mantis shrimp in one tank!

[travisurfer]

They don't have to be that small, just small enough to prevent the mantids from breaking through. Nylon mesh wouldn't last long.

[GrandpaFeathers]

what if you took a glass divider, and cut lines down it?

I guess that would make it easier to break though....

[Zombo]

Maybe I just build a top-to-bottom glass divider and finagle things so each half has it's own filtration?

[travisurfer]

ahh, there it is. because the water flows from one side of the tank to the other via the rear compartment, why not add a glass divider in the middle that allows water to flow from the back chamber into the one side and then over that wall into the other side which then flows into the rear compartment again. make sense? it's sort of hard to describe but i just don't feel like making a picture of it. i can if you want me to though

[Zombo]

I just kept Bella in her 9 gallon, and the chiragra is now in her 22 gallon (which, incedentally, may have a slow leak on a bottom seam ).

[travisurfer]

That is horrible to hear. Leaky tanks just aren't fun. Best of luck to you.

[Zombo]

No leak, just big-time salt creep I'll post some pics of the 22G soon -- the chiragra is WAY reclusive, hence her name "Greta" (after Greta Garbo who said: "I want to be let alone.").