setting up mantis shrimp tank

hi every1 i am currently setting up my first saltwater tank i wish to keep a purple spot mantis shrimp. the tank is 12 gallon and is now up and running with filter heater and a powerhead for extra movement and 4.5 kg of live rock is there anything i can do to speed up the cycle thanks

 

welcome to 3 reef wilko

there are a few members on here with Mantis tanks , hopefully they will spot your post when then come on and offer advice on keeping them - here is one thread for your information

http://www.3reef.com/forums/show-of...hos-dual-10g-mantis-tank-mr-fister-69077.html


check out the show of your fish tank thread - and go through the pages - and you will find a few Mantis tank related threads for ideas

cycling - there are no shortcuts IMO if you want to be certain that the enviroment you create will be suitable for the inhabitants

its without doubt the worse aspect of the hobby for most people, the waiting between setting up with salt and rock , to the point when you can add your live stock

your cycling with live rock, let nature take its course IMO

Steve

 

thanks steve i will check out other peoples mantis shrimp threads for advice and ideas

 

Well you certainly picked the right project for your first salt water tank. Hardy species of mantis shrimp are probably the easiest thing to take care of in this hobby.

One downside to mantis shrimp is they store food, which has adverse affects on the water quality. The mantis probably won't mind but you may end up with a lot of algae. I had a really bad cyano outbreak in my mantis tank due to nitrates. Keep up with water changes and you will be fine though.

Good luck! How about some pictures of your set-up? Of course pictures of the mantis will be mandatory.

 

Welcome to 3reef, I planned on setting up a mantis tank but I got too busy with the one I currently have. Hey is the purple spot mantis a smasher or a stabber? I liked the smashers like the peacock mantis.

 

You'll poke your eye out!!! jk lol

Welcome buddy, the waters fine! Great group of intelligent humane folks here.

Sounds like you are on your way! Don't rush things and everything will be grrrrrrate!

 

purple spot mantis is a smasher and one of the most sought after species. It is as interactive as a peacock, but is smaller and not prone to shell rot.

I have a smasher (Caribbean rock mantis) but spearers are sweet too. Watching a spearer take food is amazing. All you see is sand until the comes flying out, stabs the piece of meat, and before you can blink they are back in the sand. Check it out on youtube its pretty amazing.

 

nice, it does look like the peacock. One thing I don't recommend you doing though......
YouTube - Holding a huge mantis shrimp

 

thanks guys i will try and put some pics on if i can work out how.

 

You'll love a mantis once you get one. They truly are amazing creatures. Mine will even take snails from my hand (I have the same as stepho, C. Rock Mantis)

It looks like you are well on your way. Just be patient through the cycle and you should be good to go!

The biggest problem I have seen with mantis shrimp is algae, as stated earlier. Not only do they gum up your water with their food habits, getting a clean up crew to battle the algae is not really an option : I would love to have some snails in the tank to clean up the algae. However, my 1.5" mantis has taken out any invert I've placed in there, from a red leg hermit all the way up to a banded trochus snail (about 1 inch in diameter). I will try to get a peppermint shrimp in there some time because I am sick an tired of all the aiptasia in that tank, but there's no clue what will happen with that, either.

Like stepho said, just stay on top of water changes and you should be fine.

What are you cycling the tank with and what filtration do you have on the tank? Just curious.