Thinking about a tank for a mantis

I love inverts. I think crabs and shrimp are some of the coolest things we can keep in an aquarium.

I have been looking for a really cool invert for my 98gal for quite a while. I was looking for something that would be active, interesting, but also completely safe for my current inhabitants. Well... while looking at liveaquaria.com for inverts I saw a mantis shrimp.

I have always been very attracted to the mantis shrimp. I love watching videos of them and I got to thinking I could set up a small tank and keep a mantis by itself. No harm could ever come to my current inhabitants and I would have the awesome invert I want.

So now that I have decided to set up a mantis tank I have some questions. I will be taking my time setting up this aquarium. I don't mind waiting a while to get my stomatopod. I would like to set up the tank as inexpensively as possible.

What size tank does a mantis require? I realize this will depend on the species of mantis, but in general what size should I go for?

Will my tank need a top? I can't imagine a shrimp being a jumper, but if I get one that occasionally enjoys live feeder fish they may jump.... perhaps a removable cover I can just put on when feeding live fish?

What kind of light will be required? I am not trying to to grow corals or anything, just keep a mantis happy/be able to see him and coralline algae. I wouldn't imagine it would require too fantastic of a light set up.

What kind of filter should I use? I was thinking just a cheap hang on back filter.


I know a mantis "can" chip or crack an aquarium. I don't plan on getting the big peacock mantis so that isn't a huge concern for me, but I will reinforce the bottom and part of the sides with lexan just to be on the safe side. It can stop a 9mm bullet it ought to be able to hold up to a mantis ;D

Anything else I should know about mantis?

Thanks everyone!

 

I know a few people with them, their really cool animals, everyone I know with one just has a nano-tank, big deal from what I've read is they can break cheap glass so just get a good quality tank and you should be fine, also they like rockwork with lots of holes and a lot of sand to burrow in

 

I have read that too. What I was planning on doing is lining the bottom 3-4" with 1/4" lexan (polycarbonate). It is said to be able to withstand being shot with a 9mm.

 

I would sat that a large skimmer and carbon would be in order since they will consume alot of food and make the water pretty messy nutrient wise.
Lighting is not a big deal as standard full-spectrum light should suffice.
They are neat and can be very colorful and entertaining!

 

Here's an article I wrote a number of years back

http://www.seasl.org/wave/Vol 1 Num 3 Final.pdf

Your instinct to put plexiglass under the sand is a good one and is mentioned in the article.

I have kept mantis for nearly a decade. Sadly, I'm mantisless at the moment. I kept Snuggles (male peacock mantis) at the store. He was the most popular believe it or not....even more popular than the sharks. When the St. Louis Post Dispatch did an article on our store, he was the picture they used. When we were picked for the Business of the Month in Maryland Heights, his picture was used again. I injured my back and was gone for a week. One of the workers read that you should dose Iodine for crustaceans. Mind you, they knew where I lived, knew my phone numbers, knew my email.....but they chose to just dose Iodine without contacting me. They killed him. AAARRRGGGHHH'

Coral Reefer's recommendation of carbon is a good one.

 

Hey thanks. That is a good article. I read it and bookmarked it so I can read it again lol. Sorry about snuggles.

I think I am going to try to get a Gonodactylus smithii (purple-spotted mantis).

If I used an internal filter such as this: Current USA SubCurrent Internal Filter w/Pump

Would he bash on the filter and damage it? Would it be better to go with a hang on back?

 

No. They just don't go running around banging on things. They bang on snail and hermit shells to eat and they bang on rock to make a den.

I guess my concern would be how often you would see your mantis in such a large tank. For a G. smitii, I would almost recommend buying a used 12 gallon nano cube and then your filtration is built right into the tank.

 

He isn't going into my 98g reef tank. I am setting up a new smaller tank just for a mantis.

 

I have mine in a 28g Oceanic Biocube. I am not all that familiar with the different kinds of mantis, just my peacock mantis Bob. I love my mantis....he is set up in my office where I work at home and I find myself watching him (and my Golden) more then I do work...(Shhhh....dont tell). They are fascinating and smart smart animals. I have placed a couple pieces of PVC tubing and a bunch of rock in there for his den. He loves the pipes in there and has rearranged the set up a few times. I am going to start putting some zoos and soft corals in there with him and see how he does.

You will learn the moods of your mantis. Most of the time I can do whatever I want in his tank. I can rearrange the rocks, clean etc and he will not do anything. Other times (mainly near a molt) he will be on the offensive and gives me a warning not to bother him. He will get into this merrel stance where he gets on his back legs and spreads his pinchers out to tell me to stay away. At that point his tank looks nasty until he gets out of his PMS (Premolting Syndrome)

He is majorly PMS right now so his tank is groody! But 99% of the time I can do whatever to him. I even made the mistake once of redoing the rock and was not paying attention and destroyed his den. He came bolting out and just tapped me with his tail to let me know he was not happy.

But I think a mantis shrimp is fantastic to have

 

Those creatures are very creepy. I'd be afraid it would get out and get me!