mantis shrimp in a reef tank with fish?

romsoccer12 · 05/28/2009, 08:16 PM

is there a dwarf mantis that can get along with everything in a 29gal biocube?
i have some corals
1 starry blenny
1 chromis (dont care if it dies)
2 clowns
1 sixline
2 peppermint shrimp (dont care if they die)
1 skunk cleaner that is reallly big
is there a type of mantis that will only eat small inverts like hermits or little crabs that can do well in this tank?

MantisO_o · 05/29/2009, 06:39 AM

Not sure if this would help you, however in my past Peacocks i have had blenny and clown before with her. Where it really just depend on the temperament of the Mantis you get. Its a trial and error thing. As far from my experience all inverts are food. Unless you have a large enough Turbo snail and Brittle Stars. Good Luck : )

Koshmar · 05/29/2009, 01:12 PM

romsoccer12, you have two threads that basically ask the same thing, I think you really want a "reef safe" mantis. It depends on the individual stomatopod, four people have already told you this. I know that you want to hear a different answer, that there is a mantis that is not going to kill anything, but that simply is usually not the case. If you have a reef setup turbos are going to be a problem unless you fix the corals with an adhesive to a rock. Peacocks can bash right through turbo snail shells though. Your best bet for a mantis in a reef environment would probably be a small Gonodactylus or Neogonodactylus species.
I believe Justinl keeps a reef setup with his peacock, he may be the best source for your inquiry.
Best of luck with your attempts.

romsoccer12 · 05/29/2009, 02:07 PM

i have STML. sorry i asked twice

Koshmar · 05/29/2009, 11:06 PM

STML?
No need to apologize, it simply shows your desire to find an answer. I wasn't trying to be offensive, I just found it amusing.

gozermantis · 05/30/2009, 12:59 AM

i have a 30g reef with a 3.5 inch g. chiragra. he doesnt harm any corals but has snatched a scooter blenny, and mandarin, one clown and of course all my snails and crabs.

Mentat · 05/30/2009, 05:36 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by gozermantis
i have a 30g reef with a 3.5 inch g. chiragra. he doesnt harm any corals but has snatched a scooter blenny, and mandarin, one clown and of course all my snails and crabs.

This is normal Mantis behavior in a small tank and answers your question. If they were reef safe, reefers would not fear them like the plague. Unless damaged during "mantis decor," corals are safe. Brittle stars, cucumbers and the like are usually left alone. Snails, crab, fish, etc. are all fair game. It's not that they behave bad, it's in their nature and neither you or them can't modify that.

However, you can set-up a 10G and keep one of the smaller species by itself, or with some low light corals. It's not complicate... tank, cover, UG filter (doubles as glass bottom protector), air pump, gravel, live rock, cuttings from your reef, etc.

lionbacker54 · 05/30/2009, 07:17 AM

mentat-
love the idea of a UG filter to double as a glass bottom protector. good stuff

justinl · 05/30/2009, 11:31 AM

Yeah, i don't really have a whole more to add to what's already been said. best bet is probably N. wennerae (easiest one to obtain). Considering your bioload, you will not be able to accomodate anything bigger than that. corals are safe for the most part but if you want to keep your frags from becoming interior decor, glue them to rocks that are at least as big as the mantis. The mantis itself will be safe in your existing system, but the same cannot be said for any of the shrimp or the blenny. the rest will *probably* be alright.

that said, you can't forget about bioload. mantids are messy animals. you could probably get away with adding the mantis though; if we assume it doesn't kill anything you currently have (unlikely though it may be), you will have to be quite diligent about water quality.

romsoccer12 · 05/30/2009, 03:43 PM

stml= short term memory loss. thx for the help though guys. i think if i get a mantis, itll be in a small 10g species tank with actinic lighting.

351winsor · 05/31/2009, 02:18 AM

If you have a reef type set up with alot of rock and corals chances are that you will never see the mantis anyway. Most are very reclusive and if giving plenty of hiding spaces they will hide most of the time.

05/28/2009, 08:16 PM	#1
romsoccer12 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: ohio Posts: 2,625	mantis shrimp in a reef tank with fish? is there a dwarf mantis that can get along with everything in a 29gal biocube? i have some corals 1 starry blenny 1 chromis (dont care if it dies) 2 clowns 1 sixline 2 peppermint shrimp (dont care if they die) 1 skunk cleaner that is reallly big is there a type of mantis that will only eat small inverts like hermits or little crabs that can do well in this tank? __________________ Colin R Current Tank Info: 3rd tank working fine!(29gal oceanic biocube) 5-6months old

05/29/2009, 06:39 AM	#2
MantisO_o Mantis Shrimp Addict Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Southern California, formally Virginia Posts: 809	Not sure if this would help you, however in my past Peacocks i have had blenny and clown before with her. Where it really just depend on the temperament of the Mantis you get. Its a trial and error thing. As far from my experience all inverts are food. Unless you have a large enough Turbo snail and Brittle Stars. Good Luck : ) __________________ ExtraordinaryMantisShrimp.BlogSpot.com 2014 Honda CrZ CEX Current Tank Info: Total System 255.64 gallons \| Odontodactylus japonicus: 'Alice' - female, 6" from Sri Lanka (Deceased 2009-10.26.2010/9:24:29am) \| Best things ever! Macintosh, Hybrids, Cephalopods & Stomatopods!

05/29/2009, 01:12 PM	#3
Koshmar The Hardy Mongolian Pony Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Dallas, Texas Posts: 1,372	romsoccer12, you have two threads that basically ask the same thing, I think you really want a "reef safe" mantis. It depends on the individual stomatopod, four people have already told you this. I know that you want to hear a different answer, that there is a mantis that is not going to kill anything, but that simply is usually not the case. If you have a reef setup turbos are going to be a problem unless you fix the corals with an adhesive to a rock. Peacocks can bash right through turbo snail shells though. Your best bet for a mantis in a reef environment would probably be a small Gonodactylus or Neogonodactylus species. I believe Justinl keeps a reef setup with his peacock, he may be the best source for your inquiry. Best of luck with your attempts. __________________ All Day I Dream About Stomatopods

05/29/2009, 02:07 PM	#4
romsoccer12 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: ohio Posts: 2,625	i have STML. sorry i asked twice __________________ Colin R Current Tank Info: 3rd tank working fine!(29gal oceanic biocube) 5-6months old

05/29/2009, 11:06 PM	#5
Koshmar The Hardy Mongolian Pony Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Dallas, Texas Posts: 1,372	STML? No need to apologize, it simply shows your desire to find an answer. I wasn't trying to be offensive, I just found it amusing. __________________ All Day I Dream About Stomatopods

05/30/2009, 12:59 AM	#6
gozermantis Stomatoholic Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Fort Myers, Florida Posts: 1,101	i have a 30g reef with a 3.5 inch g. chiragra. he doesnt harm any corals but has snatched a scooter blenny, and mandarin, one clown and of course all my snails and crabs. __________________ Stomatopod's are my weakness. i want to own them all like a little kid wants to own all the damn pokemon Current Tank Info: 29g FOWLR, 40b peacock tank (Khaleesi, female), 10g Male G. Graphurus (Boh, male) tank.

05/30/2009, 07:17 AM	#8
lionbacker54 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: toledo, OH Posts: 849	mentat- love the idea of a UG filter to double as a glass bottom protector. good stuff

05/30/2009, 11:31 AM	#9
justinl Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 2,118	Yeah, i don't really have a whole more to add to what's already been said. best bet is probably N. wennerae (easiest one to obtain). Considering your bioload, you will not be able to accomodate anything bigger than that. corals are safe for the most part but if you want to keep your frags from becoming interior decor, glue them to rocks that are at least as big as the mantis. The mantis itself will be safe in your existing system, but the same cannot be said for any of the shrimp or the blenny. the rest will probably be alright. that said, you can't forget about bioload. mantids are messy animals. you could probably get away with adding the mantis though; if we assume it doesn't kill anything you currently have (unlikely though it may be), you will have to be quite diligent about water quality.

05/30/2009, 03:43 PM	#10
romsoccer12 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: ohio Posts: 2,625	stml= short term memory loss. thx for the help though guys. i think if i get a mantis, itll be in a small 10g species tank with actinic lighting. __________________ Colin R Current Tank Info: 3rd tank working fine!(29gal oceanic biocube) 5-6months old

05/31/2009, 02:18 AM	#11
351winsor Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 157	If you have a reef type set up with alot of rock and corals chances are that you will never see the mantis anyway. Most are very reclusive and if giving plenty of hiding spaces they will hide most of the time.