Thinking about getting a mantis shrimp...

Hey I'm new to the forums. I originally had two saltwater fishtanks, a 72 gallon bowfront FOWLR and a small 14 gal (i think) biocube that had some inverts and damsels in it. I had to get rid of the 72 a few months ago because because being a high school student, I didn't have enough time to commit to such a large aquarium, but i was extremely sad to see it go. I still have the biocube, which has been sitting on my dresser with nothing in it for awhile now. I have always been interested in mantids and know pretty well their care requisites. The only problem I seem to have right now is deciding which species to get. I know that a peacock mantis is way to big for my biocube, and I've heard that green mantis shrimp stay pretty small. Has anyone ever kept smaller mantis shrimp? and if so what was the species that you had, and how did you procure the shrimp. Thank you very much ! ;D

 

Welcome to 3reef!

FWIW Peacocks (O. scyllarus) get way to big for a 14 biocube. I kept an O. havenensis in my biocube 14 a while back for about 6 months (lost him to bad molt).

Common names (with the exception of peacock) aren't reliable when talking about mantids. By green mantis I assume you mean G. viridis. They tend to be shy and less hardy than O. havenensis, which is what I would recommend for the biocube 14. stays under 3", very active and interactive. I could hand feed mine within 2 weeks, and he left CUC alone as he knew that snails and hermits that were food would get dropped outside his den.

As far as getting one, that can be hard. I lucked out that my LFS got one that hitchhiked on a rock. You can ask some LFS (local fish stores) if they get any, and if not, try a specialty website.

 

I thought green mantis shrimp were N.wennerae, but I guess I was mistaken. O.havenensis sounds like a good fit for my biocube, since it hasn't been cycled as long I don't want a delicate species in there, I'd feel terrible if I lost a mantid. Are O.havenensis spearers or smashers? I've heard of people hand feeding mantids but I didn't know if it was safe. Thank you!

 

hand feeding them is like playing a game of russia roulette. its not if, its when will it happen.

 

green mantis listed in us is usually wennerae, as they morph under our reef lighting into a neon green. Under lower light they are a maroon color. I had mine for a couple of years before I gave him to another reefer in my club. I wouldnt hand feed mine as he was very aggressive but the one in my sump was afraid of his own shadow.

 

here this should answer alot of questions
LionfishLair.com - Library
i learned alot when i was debating on setting one myself