Smasher or Spearer?

Rosseau · #1 12/26/2007, 04:26 AM

Which gets your vote for the most enjoyable mantis type to keep?

I certainly have not posted in this forum before yet I've lurked here and there. I'm going to read away some more and hopefully set something up for a mantis soon.

I'll plumb it into my existing reef.

Typical questions yet not easy answers to find...

Which type do you prefer? Is one type easier to feed than the other? Can/will smashers eat live fish?

I'm also having a tough time figuring out exactly how much I will need to feed the mantis and how much of that should be live food. I'll keep reading.......

lifemalfunction · #2 12/26/2007, 08:53 AM

I have a peacock and I really enjoy. It's nearly 6AM (I've been up all night) and I'm still sitting here watching him eat my very last snail.

On a side note, I'm considering a 5-12G Nano for a G. Virdis!

JokerGirl · #3 12/26/2007, 09:29 AM

I don't think it really matters honestly. They are both unique, and interesting to watch in their own right. Guests in my home are usually glued to the peacock tank, though, since I'll usually drop a snail or something in for her.

Rosseau · #4 12/26/2007, 03:23 PM

Cool.

I'm sure they are both quite interesting. I'm wondering if one type is easier to feed than the other?

I'm leaning towards a smashing mantis.

I wish I had access to something like stomatopod.com's stock. I'm calling around to the local stores to see who has what, if anything at all.

I think I'm about to buy a biobube 8 for this. Boxing day sale... $100.

Originally I was thinking a 10G AGA or something, yet this should fit the bill.

Pea-brain · #5 12/26/2007, 03:26 PM

Lemme give you a basic rundown:

Smasher: Needs a 5-25 gallon tank. Most sought smasher is probably peacock. Smashers are pretty active as a whole (some aren't, like G. chiragra) and are pretty hardy for the most part. Many are also colorful. No special care really except a PVC pipe to burrow in for larger ones. On rare occasion large peacocks may break glass, but i've never heard of any hobbiest on RC having the problem. May leave fish alone, may not.

Spearer(with exception of P. ciliata): Need a larger tank. large enough to accomodate a sand bed as deep as the spearer. Also need a PVC tube to burrow in. The sand bed can and will cause strain on the glass with all the sand. But they are incredibly neat and even though they only come out for a few seconds at most to snatch some food they are amazing. Really a specialty type of mantis for a more patient person with some extra money though. Will eat fish, but you can have a cleanup crew.

P. ciliata: yes, P. ciliata gets its own category ;P . They are an activce spearer that should ideally have a 20 gallon (some people say 10's are fine). They actively hunt their food and can burrow under rocks or use a PVC pipe (in the wildf they burrow in mud, but you'd need a 15" long, 10" deep mudbed for a natural burrow. Burrowing in sand under a rock isn't natural or ideal, but doesn't cause any bad side effects except that the animal spends alot of energy taking care of it and making sure the walls don't crush it....) They are highly variable in color, and sometimes are found bright yellow or orange. The yellow and orange P. ciliatas have a pretty high chance of staying that color. Will most likely eat fish (pretty cool). Can have a cleanup crew (may occasionally pull a hermit out of its shell and eat it)

Dan

Rosseau · #6 12/26/2007, 03:42 PM

Thanks Dan,

I'm cruising around Roy's list and am picking up a few things there. My problem is actually going to be finding the right species at an LFS.

I don't want to have anything much bigger than a 10G so I'll make sure to choose wisely. Thanks.

I feel like there are probably a lot of people who get a mantis/mantis tank and quickly give up. I hope I'm not that way.

Pea-brain · #7 12/26/2007, 05:51 PM

Actually I've found on this site that people don't usually give up until the mantis dies, and even then some of them stick around and plan to get another mantis in the near future like me. Some people give up before the tank is even setup, a few have to give up because of space or moving issues, and very few just give up for no reason.....I'd say at the very least they are worth the little effort and it'd be harder to give up (catch) the mantis and the tank than a weekly or monthly water change, thawing a krill every few days and throwin in a hermit or snail a couple times a month

Dan