MANTIS SHRIMP!
- Thread starter RobD23
- Start date
Why would you want mantis shrimp? They destroy corals, kill fishes, they are just pest to your SW tank.. Not to mention, they can bust your tank, if the glass pieces are too thin ^^
and mantis shrimp is not really a shrimp ^^
and mantis shrimp is not really a shrimp ^^
They do not bust glass or destroy corals. Some can even be kept with fishes. People are so scared of them that they have become like the boogie man of saltwater. I have kept like 5 different species and they make very interesting pets. Why would you want one? Because they are amazing creatures. They are also very intelligent. Im so sick of all the mantis bashing (no pun intended).
Ski
Ski
I agree, when I've kept mantis shrimp they were always very interested in what I was doing. Which shows a level of intelligence that I would guess most of the humans on earth don't even posses.. lol
Breaking glass is a myth. They are far from dangerous. Very playful and interactive. The peacock is the largest and the most colorful I think.
They can only kill what they can catch, so most larger damsels are safe. If you keep them well fed they will also be less likely to kill a tank mate.
Breaking glass is a myth. They are far from dangerous. Very playful and interactive. The peacock is the largest and the most colorful I think.
They can only kill what they can catch, so most larger damsels are safe. If you keep them well fed they will also be less likely to kill a tank mate.
yes mantis shrimp are good pets and dont destroy coral and yes you can keep them with fish but the busting glass is not a myth its happened to people i know and it happened once at an aquarium found this out on THE MOST EXTREME
peacocks are the nicest i catch ugly green ones and reds on ocassion here in hawaii...and the kill some big fish when they are hungry enough so i normally dont reccommend chancing it...a buddy had his 10gal tank spiderweb cracked from one havent caught any since that one...
Acrylic tanks work well. My friend has had one for 2 years in an eclipse corner 5 gallon and it has worked well. His is a peacock. It eats anything and EVERYTHING. It even shatters daradanus hermit crabs. As a testament to its intelligence. . .if he gives it a hermit thats so big it can't "kachow" it and shatter it, he carries him over to the sand and fills the opening with sand. . .when the hermit throws it out he hits him and continues until he has got him. As far as damsels go as tank mates. . .in larger tank I'd assume so but his has killed everything in he's put in ultimately best housed alone. Very cool pet indeed. Harlequin Shrimp are cool to. . .as long as you have a good supply of cheap seastars.
I had a female Gonodactylus chiragra that would crack open anything with a shell. When the smaller lighter prey items would fly away from her when she hit them she would retrieve them brace them against a rock and then proceed to crack them open. She was smart. Also she was kept in a nano reef with all kinds of corals she never touched and had tankmates including a Trimma Goby and a small cardinalfish that she didnt even pay attention to. Anything with a shell on the other hand was fair game.
Also I once personally contacted Dr. Roy Caldwell (one of the leading authorities on stomatopods) and I seem to recall him saying that he had only ever found one authenticated case of a stomatopod breaking a tank. I have had several species, some were in things as thin as a 2.5 gal nano or a small plastic aquarium, and never had one even come close to breaking the glass, even when burrowing or hitting the panes.
On that note I would like to hear from someone who has actually had one break a tank. Im not saying I dont believe your freind or your lfs employee's cousin's boyfriend, I just want to hear from someone with firsthand experience in this matter.
Ski
Also I once personally contacted Dr. Roy Caldwell (one of the leading authorities on stomatopods) and I seem to recall him saying that he had only ever found one authenticated case of a stomatopod breaking a tank. I have had several species, some were in things as thin as a 2.5 gal nano or a small plastic aquarium, and never had one even come close to breaking the glass, even when burrowing or hitting the panes.
On that note I would like to hear from someone who has actually had one break a tank. Im not saying I dont believe your freind or your lfs employee's cousin's boyfriend, I just want to hear from someone with firsthand experience in this matter.
Ski
I agree that there is no way a small mantis will smash glass. Peacocks get to about 13" i think and that is where your trouble is. Keeping a small 2-4" mantis in a small glass tank should be fine. As was said if your really worried about it get a acrylic tank. They make excellent pets and very quickly learn who you are and that you are who supplies there food.