Stomatopod Compatibility

i'm about to get a stomatopod for my 28-gallon tank. Is there any type of invert i could add to the tank that the shrimp wouldn't eat (anemone, polyp, etc.)? i'd love to make the tank more aesthetically pleasing with some reef life.

any suggestions?

 

more or less mantis's are coral safe, but they will redocorate the tank if they dont like were you put it.

now it may ripe the coral off a rock if your unlucky, but im 99% sure they don't eat coral

 

I wouldn't put any expensive corals in there. It is likely your mantis will move the coral around, and may damage it, or kill it. I wouldn't keep anemone's with them at all.

What species are you planning on getting? Peacock?

 

I have a peacock with mushrooms, polyps, colt coral and a leather. I definately would not put any small frags in there as they LOVE to redecorate rock often.

I waited several months before I put any type of coral in there, but since I have he has not bothered it at all. They were all fairly nice sized pieces from my other tank but they have really done well.

But I would recommend learning your mantis first...get him in a routine with you and learning that you are the food source. Once you get that established, you can put corals and even some types of fish in there with him

 

Why do you want a mantis shrimp in your tank?

 

stepho: hopefully a peacock, but if the vendor finds a zebra or ternatensis i'll get one of those.

schackmel: that's good advice. i already have 5 astrea snails in the tank; if he hunts and eats these right away will it be harder to make him recognize me as his feeder?

bogie: it's really the only species i want. they're fascinating to me.

 

Because they're cool I don't think I had a mantis when you and Nicole came to dinner but I've kept them and would love to have another!

 

at first I would take your snails out of the tank until you have had him for a while IMO. You want them to associate you with the food. Then you add the snails back in the tank.

With Bob, I have a couple turbos and a red belly snail in with him. He has not bothered them for a long while (I know that he will eat them) but most of the time he will only get the snails when I drop them in front of him or his den. Other then that he does leave them alone now (other then the time that he actually was getting ready to molt and moved the snails to redecorate!)

 

Cool. Make sure you post pictures when you get him.

Mantis are awesome. I had two hermits in with my mantis (for food). I dropped one in front of my mantis's den as a v-day present and he ate it. Early today I noticed my mantis was eating barnacles off a rock away from his den and the other hermit was crawling on top of the rock he made is den in... I thought for sure he was dead, but he managed to make his way back to the other side of the tank without my mantis spotting him. Now he is back on my mantis's den, fortunately for his sake the mantis is inside not paying a bit of attention. The mantis is awake though, I can hear him banging in there every once in a while.