Mantis Shrimp

Breakthecycle2 · May 21, 2015

Hey guys. I picked up a 2"+ peacock Mantis a few days ago, with the plan to keep her in my sump. That worked for about 3 hours until she got out into the sump. Anyway, I got her out and put her in my 15 gallon with sand, rock and PVC. My question is, she eats mysis like a champ, and I only have a small Tetra HOB filter and a powerhead. What size filter should I get?

ritter6788 · May 21, 2015

"Peacock" mantis? An O. scyllarus? Will need more than a 15 gallon IMO. The HOB filter really isn't needed if you have enough live rock/substrate to handle the nitrogen cycle. You could use it for running carbon or other filtration media. If you're going to go that route I would just buy the biggest one you can fit and is in your budget. A HOB skimmer would be more beneficial to water quality though.

rayn · May 21, 2015

Gonna need a bigger tank!

Peacock mantis are sweet, just watch your fingers.

Breakthecycle2 · May 21, 2015

Yeah I'm well aware about the tank size, I just need filtration advice.

YHSublime · May 21, 2015

ritter6788 said:
"Peacock" mantis? An O. scyllarus? Will need more than a 15 gallon IMO. The HOB filter really isn't needed if you have enough live rock/substrate to handle the nitrogen cycle. You could use it for running carbon or other filtration media. If you're going to go that route I would just buy the biggest one you can fit and is in your budget. A HOB skimmer would be more beneficial to water quality though.

Everything here is sound advice. I +1

Breakthecycle2 · May 22, 2015

What size tank Should I get when it starts to get a little bigger?

Shep · May 22, 2015

Best bet is to just get a 40B tank, that will work for the life of the shrimp.

YHSublime · May 22, 2015

Yep, 40 breeder is a good start and finish. They don't need a lot of light, but you should try different colors for stimulation. I used marbles and colored rocks. They are super cool.