The Mystery Of The Amazing Mantis

[Nutramar Foods]

Colored Mantis Shrimp (Lysiosquilla sp) will get somewhere between eight and twelve inches long at adulthood. That being said, they don't need a huge amount of space as long as they are well fed. A 40 to 50 gallon, long or cube aquarium is plenty. Make sure the rockwork is very stable as Lysiosquilla are adept burrowers and will quickly undermine and tumble rocks that are propped on sand or not firmly affixed in place. This rockwork should be planned with several burrows and hiding places set up for you to be able to see into them. The shrimp will add more, but it makes for a great display if you can usually have a glimpse of your “hiding” Mantis. Give them plenty of rocks and swim paths to move around and hunt. You will want a tight-fitting lid and strong filtration as they are messy eaters.

Here at Quality Marine, we feed our spearers a variety of thawed marine based foods, like silversides, market fish and shrimp. Very small Mantis Shrimp will usually accept Gamma krill, feeder fish and shrimp. Adults generally need to be fed a moving target when initially introduced to the aquarium; to this end, we use feeder sticks, and suggest you do the same. The spearing mechanism of their predation is so fast that your likelihood of injury is high if you get anywhere near their target. Getting speared or clubbed by a shrimp can be a serious injury. Don't risk this. If you have a culture of sterile feeder fish like marine raised platies or guppies, your Mantis Shrimp will love these, and it would be quite a display. Click to learn more about the incredible Mantis