New mantis shrimp!!!

[littlefoxx]

Hey guys! After watching lots of videos and research decided to get a mantis shrimp. Just ordered him from Tampa Bay rocks! Got the treasure chest. Its a WYSIWYG so this is my new friend!! Cant wait for him/her to come. I really liked the red on this one! Im turning my 32 biocube into its lair since its already cycled and just sits empty. Just a few questions, this box comes with 3 pounds of sand and 3 pounds of rocks. Ive got some flat rocks and extra sand in the tank already, just wondering what kind of rock to add for it on top of what I have? Plan is just to let it make its own home out of the rocks, just want to make sure Ive got the right amount and size rocks for it to do so!

 

[TripFamAZ]

Beautiful Red!
Personally I would create a cave type structure with the larger rocks and then make sure you have lots of rock pebbles and small broken pieces of coral and frag rock for him to move around and make his own. You could always throw a small piece of pvc in there and cover it with the extra sand.

 

[littlefoxx]

Beautiful Red!
Personally I would create a cave type structure with the larger rocks and then make sure you have lots of rock pebbles and small broken pieces of coral and frag rock for him to move around and make his own. You could always throw a small piece of pvc in there and cover it with the extra sand.

Hum I do like the PVC idea! Kinda make a rock structure around it.

 

[littlefoxx]

Are these guys good with corals? As far as knocking them over and such

 

[TripFamAZ]

Hum I do like the PVC idea! Kinda make a rock structure around it.

I have a peacock and he loves his pvc and uses one as his regular burrow but actually utilizes both.

 

[TripFamAZ]

Are these guys good with corals? As far as knocking them over and such

Sorry I more meant like broken pieces of dried coral looking rocks… I break pieces for mine off this.

 

[littlefoxx]

I have a peacock and he loves his pvc and uses one as his regular burrow but actually utilizes both.

Oh cool! Did he put all the rock around it like that or did you do that for him?

 

[littlefoxx]

Also does anyone keep fish with theirs? Ive seen some YT videos with a guy who keeps damsels in with his for movement

 

[TripFamAZ]

The largest rocks I put over the pvc but all tiny rocks pebbles and frag he all arranged himself (circled in red).
Here is the the other end of it he did..

 

[TripFamAZ]

Also does anyone keep fish with theirs? Ive seen some YT videos with a guy who keeps damsels in with his for movement

Yes you totally can. It all depends on the Mantis personality.
A person I know has one mantis that will kill anything you put in with it and another that lives with some clowns and stars.

 

[littlefoxx]

The largest rocks I put over the pvc but all tiny rocks pebbles and frag he all arranged himself (circled in red).
Here is the the other end of it he did..

Oh okay cool! I was thinking of maybe getting a PVC and gluing some dry rock around it to look like a cave and them giving it rubble rock to move and smash as it pleases if thats a good idea?

 

[TripFamAZ]

Oh okay cool! I was thinking of maybe getting a PVC and gluing some dry rock around it to look like a cave and them giving it rubble rock to move and smash as it pleases if thats a good idea?

I’ve heard of people doing that for sure. My only other suggestion is putting the landscape more towards the back of the tank.
Good luck’

 

[littlefoxx]

I’ve heard of people doing that for sure. My only other suggestion is putting the landscape more towards the back of the tank.
Good luck’

Ah that makes sense. For sure will! Excited for it to come! And figure out what gender it is lol

 

[littlefoxx]

Yes you totally can. It all depends on the Mantis personality.
A person I know has one mantis that will kill anything you put in with it and another that lives with some clowns and stars.

Hum. Ive always wanted a small school of domino damsels, maybe Ill do those since they are cheap, fast and mean lol

 

[Stomatopods17]

N. wennerae (what you're ordering) will bore a cavity into the rock, and close the entrance at night time/during molts with small chips of debris.

They may dig a burrow under rock, but if there's a suitable large piece with a lot of craters it'll likely mine out one of the craters into a cavity.

 

[littlefoxx]

N. wennerae (what you're ordering) will bore a cavity into the rock, and close the entrance at night time/during molts with small chips of debris.

They may dig a burrow under rock, but if there's a suitable large piece with a lot of craters it'll likely mine out one of the craters into a cavity.

Ah cool! Would you still put a PVC pipe in a tank for one then? And I did end up with this species on your recommendation in the last post due to tank size and not wanting to go larger than this for a peacock!

 

[Hadla]

I have two of the tiger gobies from tbs with mine after googling the same question lol

 

[littlefoxx]

I have two of the tiger gobies from tbs with mine after googling the same question lol

What shrimp do you have?? Those gobies are cool!

 

[Stomatopods17]

Ah cool! Would you still put a PVC pipe in a tank for one then? And I did end up with this species on your recommendation in the last post due to tank size and not wanting to go larger than this for a peacock!

I wouldn't bother with PVC for one, unless O. scyllarus and similar that construct U-shaped burrows hard to naturally replicate, a lot of the smaller species will bore holes into the rock work on their own or make a really small tunnel beneath them that wouldn't necessitate PVC.

 

[littlefoxx]

I wouldn't bother with PVC for one, unless O. scyllarus and similar that construct U-shaped burrows hard to naturally replicate, a lot of the smaller species will bore holes into the rock work on their own or make a really small tunnel beneath them that wouldn't necessitate PVC.

Ah okay so for this species a PVC would kind of go against what they would naturally build? Just making sure I understood what you mean!