Well I decided to keep a mantis shrimp that came in as a hitchicker. He has just been chilling in a makeshift QT setup right now but I want to give him a real home. My plan is to convert an old freshwater system. It is 25-30 gal has a hob filter and sponge setup. I'm obviously getting new filter media. There is a standard compact florescent bulb.
So my thoughts:
Basic setup:
A mixture of this
Plus some live substrate from my tank.
His home which is a small chunk of LR. Along with some old rock I have and PVC tubes.
Play mates would initially include a few hermits and emerald crabs just to tidy things up.
All advice is appreciated, this is my first mantis. Given the light bio load I don't think cycling will be an issue. I can seed bacteria and use more live rock if needed. If I don't add micros or coral a light upgrade shouldn't be need also correct?
So my thoughts:
Basic setup:
A mixture of this
Plus some live substrate from my tank.
His home which is a small chunk of LR. Along with some old rock I have and PVC tubes.
Play mates would initially include a few hermits and emerald crabs just to tidy things up.
All advice is appreciated, this is my first mantis. Given the light bio load I don't think cycling will be an issue. I can seed bacteria and use more live rock if needed. If I don't add micros or coral a light upgrade shouldn't be need also correct?