For Owners of Mantis Shrimp...

Yes, live rock is the best way to filter it, plus they need some kind of rock structure for cover. Ditto to what the other fella said about plenty of sand...add as much as you can without it appearing ludicrous in such a small tank.

Water changes as necessary to keep nitrate at 0 ppm. Remember that on a 7g tank you will need to do daily top off, which isn't as easy as you think it will be in college. Trust me on that one...day trips, exams, and hangovers will take their toll on tank maintenance. Go bigger if you can.

I would cycle prior to adding the shrimp. Most mantis shrimp are damn near invincible, but it would be a shame to finally acquire one and then lose it to ammonia. Exposure to ammo, nitrite & nitrate also significantly weakens and dulls their shell, particularly around the tail.

just to give u and i deal of what they can live though,

my sister got one in her LR, I took them a while but the got it out of the rock using boiling fresh water (wich i came zooming out but lived though the exposher), then they keep it in a jar (less then a gallon) of fresh what. The thing lived for 3 day.

i DonT tHInk A LittlE aMmOn WilL sToP THouGHs THingS

I have read that mantis shrimp are pretty indestructable. I don't know enough about crustacean diseases to expound on whether or not ammonia will weaken their shells, but from what I've read on them, they should be able to take whatever they are given and thrive.

They are most sensitive when they molt - poor water quality can kill them, or can cause them to develop a thin, drab exoskeleton at best. It takes little to nothing to cycle a 7g tank before adding it, so no sense in risking the mantis.

I saw a golden mantis today at World of Fish for $50. If I had the space for it I would definantly consider getting one. Keep us posted next year Chil on how it goes.

As a FW guy, I find Mantis shrimp utterly fascinating. How could something so beautiful be so destructive? Are these the same Mantis Shrimp I see when I do a Google image search?

If these things are so destructive yet so indestructable, they must wreak havoc in sensitive reefs.