Hitch hiker mantis shimp

mww00ds · Nov 15, 2022

So I recently started a new 30 gal tank up and ordered 20 some lbs. of live rock from Golf Live Rock. Rock looks awesome full of life from corals, to algae to sponges to my main topic question. While pulling out rocks and the paper wrapping I found a tiny little green mantis shrimp. As of right now he's in a small jar with other hikers I pulled out of the rubble at the bottom and am trying to decide if I should keep him or find someone else to take him. For those that have mantis shrimps how hard are they and what kind of tank do they require. For those who are going to tell me to just kill it. I don't want to hear from you. I'm looking for informative information to make an educated decision.

Thanks

For those that are interested I'll try to get some pictures of everything

StatelineReefer · Nov 15, 2022

mww00ds said:
So I recently started a new 30 gal tank up and ordered 20 some lbs. of live rock from Golf Live Rock. Rock looks awesome full of life from corals, to algae to sponges to my main topic question. While pulling out rocks and the paper wrapping I found a tiny little green mantis shrimp. As of right now he's in a small jar with other hikers I pulled out of the rubble at the bottom and am trying to decide if I should keep him or find someone else to take him. For those that have mantis shrimps how hard are they and what kind of tank do they require. For those who are going to tell me to just kill it. I don't want to hear from you. I'm looking for informative information to make an educated decision.

Thanks

For those that are interested I'll try to get some pictures of everything

10 gallon to start, plenty of places to hide, and a pvc pipe 'cave' of at least 4" in diameter and twice as long as the mantis should start you out fine. They're sensitive to nitrates, and this can lead to shell rot.

You should check out Oatmeal's story if you haven't!!

StatelineReefer · Nov 15, 2022

Build Thread - Oatmeal the Mantis Shrimp - RedSea Max Nano Peninsula Tank

Background I started in the hobby a little over two months ago with a Juwel Rio 240 litre (65 US gallons) tank and a female peacock mantis shrimp named Oatmeal (after the author of this comic). I put two small clownfish in there with her and she didn't treat them with the love and kindness I'd...

www.reef2reef.com

mww00ds · Nov 15, 2022

StatelineReefer said:
Build Thread - Oatmeal the Mantis Shrimp - RedSea Max Nano Peninsula Tank

Background I started in the hobby a little over two months ago with a Juwel Rio 240 litre (65 US gallons) tank and a female peacock mantis shrimp named Oatmeal (after the author of this comic). I put two small clownfish in there with her and she didn't treat them with the love and kindness I'd...

www.reef2reef.com

Interesting thank you

DaJMasta · Nov 15, 2022

They're neat creatures, and I'd lean on the side of keeping it if you don't want to keep the things they like to eat. If it's a smasher type, it will eat all the bivalves on your live rock and will hunt a lot of the CUC inverts, which can be tricky, but if you keep it fed well the losses shouldn't be too bad.

They're really best in a species only tank, and if you decide you don't want to keep it, I imagine you can find someone nearby to take it - I had three in a batch of live rock a year and a half ago and ended up shipping one or two and then rehoming the others locally to interested parties.

StatelineReefer · Nov 15, 2022

Not gonna lie, I've thought about keeping Mantis Shrimp again myself... I swear the last one I had was smarter than I was.

Tired · Nov 15, 2022

Better move it to a bigger container than just a jar, or it'll die before you can do anything with it. Couple gallons of water with an airstone and a handful of rubble should work okay for a few days.

Congrats on your lil guy! Pics?

Hadla · Nov 15, 2022

you don’t need that big of pipe haha! That’s only for peacocks. 1 1/2 should be fine! Most hitchhikers don’t get much bigger than 2-3 inches! I hope you keep him and post pics!

if you don’t want to keep him, I’ll mail you a box and heat pack to send him to me!

mww00ds · Nov 15, 2022

They'er not the greatest pics but heres what I got so far. Also shows how small this guy really is. He's no bigger then the couple copepods I a find in the left over paper. Also for now the jar ( with holes in it) is in the tank so he can get freash water and what not.

StatelineReefer · Nov 15, 2022

mww00ds said:
They'er not the greatest pics but heres what I got so far. Also shows how small this guy really is. He's no bigger then the couple copepods I a find in the left over paper

Aww, such a cute little murderbot.

Tired · Nov 15, 2022

Ohh, he's so cute! Look how teeny! I wonder what he eats at that size?

Hadla · Nov 16, 2022

I’m so jealous

mww00ds · Nov 16, 2022

bnord · Nov 16, 2022

Had one get by the screening before i put a Keys roach in my 15

lost 3 gobies before i figured it out

easy to catch out in a home made bottle trap (they may be smart, but they are gluttonous) and now he has his own tank

mww00ds · Nov 16, 2022

bnord said:
Had one get by the screening before i put a Keys roach in my 15

lost 3 gobies before i figured it out

easy to catch out in a home made bottle trap (they may be smart, but they are gluttonous) and now he has his own tank

Wow he's big. Right now mine's maybe 3/8 of an inch. If he hadn't been so brightly colored I would have missed him on the paper. Would've though he was just a piece of branch coral

Tired · Nov 16, 2022

Ohh, look how small! I continue to love him. It's a shame the species available in the hobby don't stay that size; what a cute little pico inhabitant that would be.

bnord said:
easy to catch out in a home made bottle trap (they may be smart, but they are gluttonous) and now he has his own tank

Is that bottle trap in the picture the best for these guys? Going to get myself some Tampa Bay rock, and I'd honestly love to at least see a mantis, but I don't want one eating my blennies. Planning to run the tank fishless for a couple months, with regular bottle trapping.

PeterEde · Nov 16, 2022

smithii?
Looks a bit like the one I accidently flushed. I wish I still had mine but they limit what you can put in the tank
Although I still have at least 1 pistol shrimp killing crabs
Mantis have character

bnord · Nov 16, 2022

Tired said:
Ohh, look how small! I continue to love him. It's a shame the species available in the hobby don't stay that size; what a cute little pico inhabitant that would be.

Is that bottle trap in the picture the best for these guys? Going to get myself some Tampa Bay rock, and I'd honestly love to at least see a mantis, but I don't want one eating my blennies. Planning to run the tank fishless for a couple months, with regular bottle trapping.

I Watered up some shrimp on the end of the fish line, got the mantis to come up to the shrimp at dusk, and slip the net underneath them. They are indeed smart, but they are also pigs

StatelineReefer · Nov 17, 2022

PeterEde said:
smithii?
Looks a bit like the one I accidently flushed. I wish I still had mine but they limit what you can put in the tank
Although I still have at least 1 pistol shrimp killing crabs
Mantis have character

Possibly Viridis.