20 gallon

[Corey Shelk]

Also you should update your build thread with some more recent pics, I love seeing them

 

[ArowanaLover1902]

Yeah it will, mushrooms are weird though, they tend to move a bit and sometimes spread through a kind of mitosis rather than just growing new ones.

 

[Corey Shelk]

Yeah that's what my others seem to be doing

 

[Corey Shelk]

Here is a better pic of Langston. The clowns were just swimming right in front of him a moment ago and he just completely ignored them so I'm happy with that

 

[ArowanaLover1902]

Oh now I see him, dang he’s really cool. I want one but love my pistol shrimp too much, maybe I’ll get one for my sump.

 

[Corey Shelk]

Oh now I see him, dang he’s really cool. I want one but love my pistol shrimp too much, maybe I’ll get one for my sump.

I definitely recommend getting one for the sump. He is such an interesting little critter and luckily Langston has a nicer personality compared to others.

 

[ArowanaLover1902]

I’ve heard of a few other clubbers being rather tame too, it’s the spears that go for fish. If I got a clubber he’d likely eat all my hermits...I’ll probably get a clubber.

 

[Corey Shelk]

I’ve heard of a few other clubbers being rather tame too, it’s the spears that go for fish. If I got a clubber he’d likely eat all my hermits...I’ll probably get a clubber.

Yeah I've heard that too which is something I'm glad about. But yeah he'll probably go after your hermits which is a good thing if they are the ones knocking around your zoas haha. I haven't seen mine go after one yet them, I think he is more content with taking out the ghost shrimp.

 

[ArowanaLover1902]

How fast does he catch the shrimp? What’s your clean up crew in the tank?

 

[Corey Shelk]

The small ones I first got he took out like nobody's business. I got 20 larger ones about two weeks ago, a few died like a m hour or two into the tank from unknown causes and one he caught immediately. And then from there he takes them out with 1 every day or sometimes every other day depending on the size of the shrimp. I currently have about 3 left. I have 3 large astrea snails that he doesn't touch. I've seen 2 Asterina starfish that he hasn't touched and 2 stomatella slugs that I've noticed that he also hasn't touched. I had 6 dwarf blue legged hermits and now I think I'm down to 3 of the largest ones (although maybe I just can't find the other small ones but I think he ate them.) I also just got 3 dwarf ceriths and I haven't seen him react towards them yet. Also I have my emerald crab, when I first put it in he immediately gave it a smack (it was just a test punch so the emerald was scared but fine) and completely ignored him since. I think Langston would have to be extremely hungry to go after the astrea snails and the emerald crab. Also I don't think he will touch the slugs or starfish.

 

[smartwater101]

The mantis shrimp does not have "a nicer personality" it is simply young. As it gets older it will eventually murder everything in the tank. No fish or clean-up-crew will survive.

You may get away with it for several months but don't get comfortable with the idea of housing it like this long term.

 

[Corey Shelk]

The mantis shrimp does not have "a nicer personality" it is simply young. As it gets older it will eventually murder everything in the tank. No fish or clean-up-crew will survive.

You may get away with it for several months but don't get comfortable with the idea of housing it like this long term.

I'm prepared for that in case it starts to happen, but I know N. wennerae has been kept with fish and larger snails and crabs successfully before. This species only maxes out at about 3" and Langston is maybe 2". With the larger species of Mantis like O. scyllarus, the more familiar peacock mantis shrimp, and the even larger species then it will definitely take out about anything we would normally keep in an aquarium. That's why I got him, to try and disprove the common misconceptions about mantis shrimp like the "tank buster" myth and murder sprees. I think, depending on the species, if it is always well-fed with appropriate foods, isn't protecting a nest, and has enough real estate it can be kept successfully with some other organisms. For example I definitely wouldn't put out shrimp in with Langston because he loves taking out ghost shrimps, I wouldn't put another mantis in there unless it was a female N. wennerae during breeding season, and I wouldn't expect any tiny hermits and crabs to survive for a long time. But fish and larger snails and crabs I think will be almost completely ignored. Mantis shrimp are relatively intelligent though and like all animals some can be complete brutes, while others are dainty, with all shades of grey in between.

 

[Corey Shelk]

Also I've been considering buying/building a sump and if he shows any aggression towards the fish then I'll catch him and get the sump and that will be his new home. Although honestly I bought the emerald crab for him to eat, I was surprised when he gave it a warning hit and then nothing else.

 

[smartwater101]

That's why I got him, to try and disprove the common misconceptions about mantis shrimp

Everyone who does this manages make it (maybe) a year or so before they realize it's time to give the mantis shrimp a proper home.

The "tank buster" idea is largely over stated, I'd agree there, but you're already trying to rationalize attacks as "tests punches."

Their behavior is well known. Not sure why you think you'll have better luck , especially in a 20 gallon. Just give the thing a proper home.

 

[Corey Shelk]

Mantis shrimp are smart, the same way a shark will do a test bite, a mantis will do a test punch. They can't risk their raptorial claws by taking on something "more than they can chew." So he sent out a test punch that wasn't full force, or maybe it was but it just couldn't get through the crab's carapace. Either way I believe my aquarium is more than enough of a proper home for him. He has the entire bottom to scurry around in and has his holes in his rock and underneath the rock and can move from point A to point B relatively unseen except for in a few patches. He has more than enough to eat, with about every 3 days I add some thawed shrimp on a metal stick for him to take if he so chooses. He has only taken from it once which was actually about two days ago. Mantis shrimp are a common hitch hiker on FL live rock and live in DTs for months, sometimes even just get left, before they are trapped and removed from the aquarium.

 

[Corey Shelk]

Now if Langston was in his burrow going about his business and a clownfish went into his burrow would there be a problem? I definitely think there would be which is why I removed the 6-line wrasse I had in there for a day because I knew it was only a matter of time till they had a head on collision. But the clowns are open water swimmers and rarely encounter Langston. On the few times they have (maybe twice since I've had the clowns) he hasn't shown interest in them once and just keeps scurrying along the substrate to his next burrow

 

[Corey Shelk]

You're right, it was extremely easy to remove the frags. Here is there new placement. The zoas closed back up after being moved and the green star polyps are still closed. The mushroom is still looking smooshed. But it hasn't even been 24 hours so I'm not too worried yet. The first pic are the zoas. The second pic is the GSP. The last pic is the shroom (is that placement good?)

 

[count krunk]

I saw you live in central FL? I would try to get all livestock locally then. We have WWC and living reef for starters. Those two are really nice. Lots of central FL members on this board as well.

I know you love that mantis shrimp, but I have to agree that is it far from a good reef tank mate for a 20 gallon aquarium. They are avoided in almost all reef/community tanks for good reason. I know some species of mantis can crack the glass if they smack it.

Other than that, the tank looks good man!

 

[Corey Shelk]

I saw you live in central FL? I would try to get all livestock locally then. We have WWC and living reef for starters. Those two are really nice. Lots of central FL members on this board as well.

I know you love that mantis shrimp, but I have to agree that is it far from a good reef tank mate for a 20 gallon aquarium. They are avoided in almost all reef/community tanks for good reason. I know some species of mantis can crack the glass if they smack it.

Other than that, the tank looks good man!

I checked Craigslist and stuff but couldn't find any. I could try the forum threads though.
I know there is a risk with the mantis but I honestly believe it's a small one because I put the dwarf hermits and emerald in there for him to eat. I don't keep any fancy shrimp or anything either because I know he would kill those as well. It can be a toss up but from all accounts I've read they generally do fine with fish (they aren't speakers as mentioned earlier) as long as they are kept in a large enough tank. I've seen accounts of them killing everything in a 5-8gallon tank which is understandable, that is a small footprint. But I've seen general success with people having them in 20 gallons. Although if I do get a sump that would be more water volume and that I could get a goby or 6-line wrasse again because he would go to the sump.

 

[Corey Shelk]

The new green star polyps have started to open and all the new frags are looking good! I'll try and get pics today or in the next few days