setting up mantis shrimp tank

Discussion in 'Inverts' started by wilko82, Aug 18, 2009.

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  1. stepho

    stepho Panda Puffer

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    It may last for a while. I keep some ghost shrimp with my mantis. They aren't faster than the mantis, but they are usually fast enough to make him go after something else. Sometimes I think he chases them just to see them swim away in terror. Although when he wants to he doesn't seem to have much of a problem catching and killing them.
     
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  3. wilko82

    wilko82 Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

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    hi jwin just read about your set up hope mine goes as smooth as for the filter im not sure it just came with the tank the guys at the pet shop said take it out and just let the live rock filter it but i wondered what harm it could do to leave it in
     
  4. wilko82

    wilko82 Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

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    hopefully this works and you can see the pics 1 is the tank the rest are just of bits of the rock. Can you tell me if everything on the rock is ok and just if all seems well generaly thanks sorry they arent the best.




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  5. dpruitt7450

    dpruitt7450 Bubble Tip Anemone

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    everything looks good, lots of lil caves for him to hide in... this thread makes me want to convert my soon to be fuge into a mantis tank!
     
  6. wilko82

    wilko82 Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

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    just did some water tests for the first time the tank has been runing 5 days the results are PH 8.2 AMONIA 0.25 NITRITE 0 NITRATE 10 is this normal i was told to expect amonia nitrite and nitrate to be really high for a couple of weeks
     
  7. Triggerfish

    Triggerfish Ritteri Anemone

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    That will give the opposite effect of a fuge, instead of lowering nutrients it will raise them.
     
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  9. stepho

    stepho Panda Puffer

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    In my experience it really depends. There are so many factors that come into play during a cycle IMO you can't really predict what will happen and how fast it will happen. You have Ammonia and no nitrites which means your cycle is probably just starting. Your ammonia will probably get larger than you will see it decrease, your nitrites will rise, then decrease finally your nitrates will rise and in some cases decrease or require a water change.
     
  10. wilko82

    wilko82 Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

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    ok thanks stepho i will keep testin and hope to see changes that i guess means progress
     
  11. tigermike74

    tigermike74 Panda Puffer

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    Your ammonia will go up, then your nitrites will jump up really high and your ammonia will drop. Then your nitrates will jump up really high as your nitrites drop. When your nitrates drop to 20ppm you are ready to put one fish into the tank to help increase the bacteria colonies to sustain the bioload in the tank.
    All this should take about 4-6 weeks, btw.
     
  12. wilko82

    wilko82 Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

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    thanks tigermike