Seriously contemplating a 10gal mantis tank

[chopper320]

I have a 10 gal. tank that I'm trying to figure out what I want to do with it. I've thought about a small FOWLR that would house a couple of percs and some shrimp and/or starfish. Lately though, after reading this board and some of the pages, I have been thinking about a mantis tank.

Can somebody that keeps these tell me all of their requirements and just give me some reasons to keep these little creatures. They sound kind of fun to watch but I've never actually seen one in real life. I'm sure I could have one ordered or find one at a LFS if I wanted one.

Could I keep more than 1 in a 10 gal.? Is there anything else that could possible work with them? Possibly a type of shrimp or a couple of damsels? How hardy are they? These are just a few of my questions.

Thanks in advance for your help!

[ISFRAEL]

hi chopper (nice name?)

a 10gal should be ok for a mantis as long as its not a huge mantis.

i feed mine every 2nd day, it gets a mixture of shrimp, squid, cockles and white bait.
any kind of filtration will be ok as long as the water quality is good.
mantis are very hardy animals but they dont like nitrates.
they are very easy and cheap to keep.
i spend about $5 a month on food.

a deep substrate is a must (i have roughly 6" ) so they can burrow (fun to watch) plus some large peices of liverock to dig under makes them happy.

2 together isnt a good idea (even though im doing just that right now ) as they are solitary animals. one is enough fun by itself.

i keep hermits (occasional food ) and an anenome with mine.

go get one, you will love it and probably turn into a zombie just like me who sits there having a staring contest with my mantis for hours.

checkout moviegeeks site:
http://SOFTFRAG.50g.com/

or the lurkers guide:
http://www.blueboard.com/mantis/index.htm

for more info and great pix.

any more questions then ask

c-ya

[moviegeek]

I don't like 10 gallons for mantis tanks because the glass on 10 gallon tanks is so thin. I really do think a 6" mantis could break the glass.

If you get a 15 or 18 tall tank that would set you back about $35 new and the glass would be nearly twice as thick. Plus, you could have a 5-6" sandbed and you'd be left over with about the same size area as a bare bottom 10 gallon.

Of course, acrylic tanks are always nice for mantis :-)

Isfrael - I know what you mean about the staring contests.

[ISFRAEL]

staring contests!
i was lookin at the bugger while he sat there lookin at me for 2 HOURS?

mg is right! get a deeper tank!
mine is 16" high and its great.

[ISFRAEL]

so chopper, have we convinced you to get one?

[chopper320]

I think so!! I checked my LFS and they didn't have any and don't special order anything but there are a few really good shops a little farther away that I am going to call tomorrow or Fri. and see what they can do. I don't live very far from Premium Aquatics either so I may check and see if they can get me one.

I did get the weird look at my LFS when I asked if they had any mantis shrimp. They said I'm the first person that's ever asked them for one. They are usually helping customers figure out how to get rid of them!! HAHA!

I don't have but about 2lbs of live rock in the tank right now. Should I wait until I can get some more before I get the mantis or will he be ok in that setup for a short while?

Thanks to everybody who replied!

[ISFRAEL]

ive asked my lfs to call me whenever they find one in some liverock.
ive gotten my last 3 this way for free and their usually pretty small but it good to watch them grow.

it kilos over here so im not sure how much a lbs is.
ive got 3 large peices just for it to hollow out underneath and live in.

[moviegeek]

I'd recommend live rock as your primary bio filter. I'd also recommend adding it before the mantis, and wait until you are positive it is cured. So, you need about 3/4 to 1 pound of CURED rock per gallon. The stuff at the LFS isn't cured, although they will probably tell you otherwise.

If you can pull off a drive to Premium Aquatics, I would highly recommend it. Jason = customer satisfaction. He will give you the straight story on live rock, and probably has the best prices in your area. See what kind of sand you have while there and build a deep sand bed.

I just placed an online order, and not only did Jason honor a livestock credit toward dry goods that was a year old, he also gave me the more expensive bulbs as part of DIY PC retro kit when he could have charged me $10 extra and given me the cheaper bulbs. Plus, no sales tax since I am out of state. And he even had a skimmer collection cup on hand for a skimmer that is no longer made. I am very pleased with PA, and have been for all three orders I've placed.

[chopper320]

Ya I buy all of my LR from Premium Aquatics. It's great I only live about 20 minutes from there!! I buy it fully cured from their and I smell it and have tested my levels with it b4 and I'm pretty positive that it actually IS fully cured unlike most LFS.

I think I will add more LR b4 getting the mantis though. Thanks for your help :0)