Preparing for my first mantis, need some advice

[basscataz]

Hey guys, I'm currently cycling a 10g in preperation for an early christmas gift for myself. I'm going for a macroalgae/mangrove biome with some 6500k leds, and I'm mulling over 3 species: G. vidiris, G. smithii, and N. wennerae. I'm leaning towards N. wennerae, but could use some help on deciding. I'm looking for a small but active species. Also, would a mantis wreck brittle stars or urchins? I'm thinking of having at least one sorta permanent cuc member in the tank.

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

Also, would a mantis wreck brittle stars or urchins?

A mantis will try to kill anything it thinks it can eat, unfortunately. A big urchin might fare better but you're also limited with space in a 10G. It may mean that you have to replace the CUC member every so often.

 

[André Brasil]

Great idea! Mantis Shrimp are amazing pets. G. Smithii is often seen as the best small mantis species, but not as easy to get as the n. Wennerae. Either one should be a good pick though! Brittle stars don't strike me as the most vulnerable, but most other cuc will probably be killed over time.

 

[basscataz]

Great idea! Mantis Shrimp are amazing pets. G. Smithii is often seen as the best small mantis species, but not as easy to get as the n. Wennerae. Either one should be a good pick though! Brittle stars don't strike me as the most vulnerable, but most other cuc will probably be killed over time.

Yeah I'm expecting to replace the cuc every couple weeks. I'll give a brittle starfish a try and see what happens. I probably won't go for an urchin.

What makes the smithii best small mantis species? That was my first choice before realizing nobody had them in stock.

 

[Shabalaba]

All 3 species would be great additions. G. viridis is probably the most appropriately sized mantis, very interesting to watch but can be quite timid, though I doubt it would be an issue in a 10g. G. smithii is one of my favorite stomatopods, being very active, curious and sporting some awesome coloration. N. wennerae are awesome Caribbean mantis shrimps that are known to be extremely hardy, very active, and can be very beautiful in the wild but will most likely develop a solid brown coloration in captivity. A mantis with smashing raptorial appendages will attempt to eat any invert that it think it can. I would not count on having any permanent CUC members, although I had a tiger conch that made it 3 years will my peacock mantis

 

[André Brasil]

Yeah I'm expecting to replace the cuc every couple weeks. I'll give a brittle starfish a try and see what happens. I probably won't go for an urchin.

What makes the smithii best small mantis species? That was my first choice before realizing nobody had them in stock.

Great color and personality! Active and curious as well.

 

[basscataz]

Cool! Sounds like smithii is the one. I think KP aquatics has em in stock too. If the 10g gets too small for it, I'm always down for another tank upgrade.

The plan is to fill out the rest of the cuc along with the mangroves this week, and get the mantis around the 14th.
My girlfriend will be housesitting for about a week that day .

thanks for all the help, I'll keep you posted.

 

[André Brasil]

Cool! Sounds like smithii is the one. I think KP aquatics has em in stock too. If the 10g gets too small for it, I'm always down for another tank upgrade.

The plan is to fill out the rest of the cuc along with the mangroves this week, and get the mantis around the 14th.
My girlfriend will be housesitting for about a week that day .

thanks for all the help, I'll keep you posted.

10g is a good size. Much bigger could hurt your chances to observe him more closely and often.

 

[basscataz]

Hey guys, I got my smithii today. everything went swimmingly aside from fedex not delivering my package at first.

but man, these critters are sooo cool.