mantis shrimp

austinpetemo

austinpetemo

AC Members
Sep 25, 2007
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Newton Falls, OH
hello i will soon have an open 10 gallon tank and i would like to start what will be my first saltwater tank. i would like to keep just one animal in it tho and that will be a mantis shrimp after seeing these on youtube i want one. i have a thing for unique animals and this is definatly different. i know i will need a acrilic tank. i dont know where i can get one tho so ill search the internet. also where can i get cheap salt and how much will a year supply cost? is there anything else i need besides a filter. i think i need a hydrometer.
oh and also what do i feed a mantis shrimp?
 
I know nothing about SW or mantis shrimp, but here's some great articles by fellow ACer's. They are in the Marine section of the articles tab.

This one explains all the FAQ's that SW newbies ask:
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=123455

In this article you can find information about salt water cycling:
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84571


If you feed your Mantis shrimp dead food (seems more economical &safer), it won't be punching anything to death, and therefore might not be as cool to you.

There's some really cool FW invertebrates, such as self cloning crayfish, and even the awesome vampire shrimp. These could be more economical and easier to care for.
 
:) OH OH, Crossing over to the salty side. I am pretty sure that they like snails and crabs.

you could buy a 5 gallon pail full of salt, (makes 160 gallons) and that should do a "ten" for a year, as long as you don't overfeed or overstock. I just picked up a pail of coralife for $49 at the fish store.


Also 15 lb bags for $15 (enough for 50 gallons).

Do take lots of pics as you go :)
 
i dont mind feeding dead stuff bcuz its cheaper and im low on $$$ but every now and then as a special treat id throw somethin live in.
 
Well, you could just set up a tank FW and get some cool freshwater inverts. Those Vampire shrimp are very unique and cool. They feed by collecting particles in their fans. They get to be pretty big, but because they don't have claws they are safer to keep with tank mates. That way you wouldn't have to spend money on SW stuff like protein skimmers, RO water, an acrylic tank, live rock...etc
 
well first i have to get all the stuff and see if i have enough money (i only have $125 to spend) with a mantis though i need an acrilic tank and i know thats gonna be expensive.
 
i dont know after lookin on the internet i still want the mantis. they are just too cool.
 
One thing to be wary about...my tank is in my bedroom. I had a sneaky mantis that hitch-hiked into my tank. He clicked and clicked and clicked. It drove me nuts. Trying to sleep, CLICK. It's like a gun going off. So loud and annoying. I got him out, but now discovered a sneaky pistol shrimp. Gah.
 
what is the clicking noise? i thought it was just when they hit stuff.
 
He clicked incessantly. Pistol shrimp, Mantis shrimp, and my heater...all clickety, clickety click. I can hear it from the kitchen. I think they do it as self defense and to hunt. Other probably know more. It's much worse at night.
 
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