What do I feed baby mantis shrimp?

ballerboy · 12/11/2014, 10:44 PM

I found a baby green mantis shrimp in my aquarium, he is about one inch long, and I put him in a separate bank tank to monitor him until he is bigger.
The only problem is I can't figure out what to feed him, I tried frozen mysis he picked it up and then dropped it and I even put a live ghost shrimp there today and he ignored it

Any suggestions on what to feed? He is very small so it's tough

Gonodactylus · 12/12/2014, 09:35 AM

Depending on the species, at 1 inch long it is not a "baby". If you can get live adult brine shrimp, most small stomatopods will take them. Treating the brine shrimp with a nutrient supplement seems to help. We use Selcon. If you can't get smaill live food, I have also had good luck with frozen Cyclops.

Roy

ballerboy · 12/12/2014, 11:46 AM

Thanks for the reply! the species is Gonodactylellus viridis, is that still okay to feed him?

ballerboy · 12/12/2014, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gonodactylus

Depending on the species, at 1 inch long it is not a "baby". If you can get live adult brine shrimp, most small stomatopods will take them. Treating the brine shrimp with a nutrient supplement seems to help. We use Selcon. If you can't get smaill live food, I have also had good luck with frozen Cyclops.

Roy

Thanks for the reply! the species is Gonodactylellus viridis, is that still okay to feed him?

Gonodactylus · 12/12/2014, 12:16 PM

Sure. G. viridis is a smasher, but when small they take mostly small prey such as amphipods, crabs and shrimp. They really don't start breaking up gastropods and hermits until they are over an inch long.

Roy

ballerboy · 12/13/2014, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gonodactylus

Sure. G. viridis is a smasher, but when small they take mostly small prey such as amphipods, crabs and shrimp. They really don't start breaking up gastropods and hermits until they are over an inch long.

Roy

Thanks, just one last thing to ask you,
Do they prefer shallow sand bed, deep sand bed, or crushed coral?

Also for their home, do i add a big live rock that he can hide in? right now its just a flat rock that he hides under!

Please let me know

Gonodactylus · 12/15/2014, 09:32 AM

The stomatopod would prefer a cavity in live rock. The problem with this is that you will usually never see more than a pair of eyes looking out. I flat piece of rubble about hte size of a deck of cards, place on top of the substrate will work. The animal will dig under it anc create a burrow providing shelter. In the field this would be only temporary and the stomatopod would keep searching until it found a cavity, but in the aquarium with no other options the animal will settle down and stay put. The type of substrate really doesn't matter. When I keep small gonodactylids, I usually use a mix of sand, crushed coral and broken shell just deep enough to cover the bottom - about 1/2 - 1 inch.

Roy

12/11/2014, 10:44 PM	#1
ballerboy Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Posts: 23	What do I feed baby mantis shrimp? I found a baby green mantis shrimp in my aquarium, he is about one inch long, and I put him in a separate bank tank to monitor him until he is bigger. The only problem is I can't figure out what to feed him, I tried frozen mysis he picked it up and then dropped it and I even put a live ghost shrimp there today and he ignored it Any suggestions on what to feed? He is very small so it's tough

12/12/2014, 09:35 AM	#2
Gonodactylus Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Berkeley, CA, USA Posts: 5,024	Depending on the species, at 1 inch long it is not a "baby". If you can get live adult brine shrimp, most small stomatopods will take them. Treating the brine shrimp with a nutrient supplement seems to help. We use Selcon. If you can't get smaill live food, I have also had good luck with frozen Cyclops. Roy

12/12/2014, 11:46 AM	#3
ballerboy Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Posts: 23	Thanks for the reply! the species is Gonodactylellus viridis, is that still okay to feed him?

12/12/2014, 12:16 PM	#5
Gonodactylus Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Berkeley, CA, USA Posts: 5,024	Sure. G. viridis is a smasher, but when small they take mostly small prey such as amphipods, crabs and shrimp. They really don't start breaking up gastropods and hermits until they are over an inch long. Roy

12/15/2014, 09:32 AM	#7
Gonodactylus Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Berkeley, CA, USA Posts: 5,024	The stomatopod would prefer a cavity in live rock. The problem with this is that you will usually never see more than a pair of eyes looking out. I flat piece of rubble about hte size of a deck of cards, place on top of the substrate will work. The animal will dig under it anc create a burrow providing shelter. In the field this would be only temporary and the stomatopod would keep searching until it found a cavity, but in the aquarium with no other options the animal will settle down and stay put. The type of substrate really doesn't matter. When I keep small gonodactylids, I usually use a mix of sand, crushed coral and broken shell just deep enough to cover the bottom - about 1/2 - 1 inch. Roy