Hi, im andrew and i may convert from FW to SW but i was curious about costs, you see i have numerous 6 gals, 10 gal, 20 gal and a 65 gal (but thats my FW tank and will always be unless you can convince my parents otherwise) and i was wondering about Mantis shrimp, but is there any special requirements to salt water (i.e. do i need a UV steriliser or a skimmer?) it will be my first attempt at SW and the mantis i am looking at is either a peacock or orange spot any advice?
I may just convert to the dark side!!!(to saltwater)
- Thread starter twiisted
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a 20 long is great for a single large stomatopod, it's proportionally easier the bigger you go though.
If you're just keeping stomadopods and live rock all you need is a pile of live rock and a decent HOB or cannister, an extra powerhead wouldn't be a poor idea either, but trying to rig a skimmer onto a 20 just for a mantis shrimp is way more work and equipment than is necessary. They're tough as nails and will be happy so long as they're salty and wet. For the predators that they are they're remarkably neat and clean.
UV sterilizers are awesome tools, but aren't necessary at all for a stomatopod. I run mine on my 150 when my tang decides to spontaneously manifest Ich, but that's about it.
If you're just keeping stomadopods and live rock all you need is a pile of live rock and a decent HOB or cannister, an extra powerhead wouldn't be a poor idea either, but trying to rig a skimmer onto a 20 just for a mantis shrimp is way more work and equipment than is necessary. They're tough as nails and will be happy so long as they're salty and wet. For the predators that they are they're remarkably neat and clean.
UV sterilizers are awesome tools, but aren't necessary at all for a stomatopod. I run mine on my 150 when my tang decides to spontaneously manifest Ich, but that's about it.
Would a 20 gal be better and sorry to hear im also leaning more to orange spotted as its cheaper and smaller.
right ill try convince my dad why his 20 gal is useless, we're growing out a jag cichlid in it, but i know hes craving for a go at salt water aswell! but ill still need to know if there is any special requirements to salt i have a fluval (or 2) that could be used for filtration, can i also have skimmers explained and why they are useful?
as they say in saltwater... bigger is better. the bigger the tank the more stable the params. a good skimmer and a HOB filter with a biowheel is all you need for a 20g SW. a good deep sand bed of atleast 4" and about 5lbs of flat liverock minimum will be apropriate shelter for a mantis. uv sterilizers arent needed but a skimmer gets rid of dissolved protiens (you will see how nasty your collection cup gets and will be glad that crap isnt in your aquariom anymore. but for your situation you can probobly skip this...just dont over feed. test kit for nitrates nitrites ammonia. and a test for Ph i would buy a book and read it a couple of times and do some online research. all i can say is soon you will want a bigger tank... and what do you mean " the dark side" people who keep fish in bowl are the "dark side"
nah this aint the dark side no more, im really starting to like those creepy, cute monsters the saltys have, the most freaky thing i ever had was my red claw crayfish and i loved him but he died during a molt, and i guess that mantis are basically them but more intelluctual, dangerous and colourful, if ilike him who knows, maybe ill completely convert to SW.
to be honest ive always desired a snowflake moray
to be honest ive always desired a snowflake moray
right i also need to know how long it would take to cycle, how i would do it and what kinda test kit and how much they run for, i also dont know how the w/c with SW works is there any specific way to do it? how do i measure how much salt i add during water change?
twiisted;3574480; said:
Cycling depends how well cured the live rock is, what ammonia source you use...usually, you should aim for a good cycle of 4 - 6 weeks.
Test kits wise..You'll need Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH at a minimum...i would also suggest calcium, alk and mag for when / if you go for corals.
For water changes, the process is, mix the saltwater in a container with a powerhead and heater for 24 hours prior to use to aeriate and ensure its correctly mixed....check pH and SG before using...drain 10% and replace with new saltwater....i usually recomend 10% water change per week...
Regarding salt measurements, its all stated on the salt product you purchase. You measure different in the US, than what we do in the UK, so, no point in me quoting how much i use.
Hope this helps.
technically saltwater is far from the darkside as it usually involves a lot more light... but yea u can do a 10 gal aslong as all u put in it is the mantis shrimp. otherwise itll bcome overstocked.