RainbowRiot
New Member
Hello all!
As many other posters, I have wanted a mantis shrimp since I was a teen and first learned about them, but only now, 2 decades later am I finally able to afford and keep one.
I am specifically looking at small punchers, as I rent and just can't do a 40gallon in my space, so a smaller species it is. I am hoping to find a Gonodactylus smithii or a Neogonodactylus wennerae, but I live in Western Canada, and live rock is almost never brought in anymore (according to all my LFSs), so I've had to just let them know I want a small smasher, and now it's just a waiting game to see if any of the contacts out there that my LFSs use can catch and send one.
In the meantime, instead of losing hope, I figured I would begin setting up the tank. I am only interested in macroalgae. Every time I start reading about coral, my anxiety spikes. I also come from freshwater, and I am hoping to buy as little new equipment as possible (aided by my desire not to have coral).
Now, to actually get to my question: Is a BiOrb appropriate for a Small Smasher?
I am still in possession of the Bio-Orb (biOrb?) I was gifted when I was... like 18 lol. It's been sitting in storage here doing nothing for the last 2 decades. It is acrylic, and it has a capacity of 10gallons (it's old school, I don't even see it on the website anymore).
Pros that I can see:
1. Acrylic is currently very expensive, as we all know. I already own this tank.
2. Because of the shape, it actually would fit perfectly next to my computer in my home office, which means I will be able to see it all the time - this is great interaction/enjoyment-wise, but also means I will be better able to stay ontop of waterchanges and cleaning up after the shrimp because I will always be looking at the tank
3. It is (as far as my research tells me) an appropriate size for the small species I am looking to keep
4. I know there is no confirmed, recorded case of a mantis shrimp (itself) breaking a glass tank - and I do have a really nice 15g rimless tank I would also love to use (with a lid of course) but I rent and I don't think I could ever go on holiday or leave the house again if there was always that 1/10 chance of my tank getting smashed through kicking around in the back of my head.... So I would really like to go with acrylic to just appease my anxiety (and again, I already have this acrylic tank option... so for the peace of mind, if I can use it, I want to use it)
What I believe to be the Cons based on reading through the forums and looking online:
1. The central, built-in filter is problematic for burrowing.
Possible solution: Get a pvc pipe to fit over the built-in one, to protect it from being smashed through. Add a cap to that PVC pipe so that the mantis cannot climb down into the filtration and get trapped. Encourage the mantis to build its u-shaped burrow AROUND the pipe that sticks up from the built-in filter, either by laying the live rock in that manner or using an artificial burrow with half-cut pvc to guide the shrimp a bit and hope it figures it out lol.
2. Small opening: Cleaning and Maintenance becomes Harder
Possible Solution: I guess just knowing this going into it and taking my time cleaning/knowing it might be trickier due to the opening size. To me, this hassle is still worth it considering how much I would need to pay for an acrylic tank of the same size in better shape.
3. Small opening: Lower Aeration
Possible solution: I can't remember where I read this might be a problem. Would just adding a bubbler and obviously using a wave maker to move the water solve this issue? I'm new to salt, but I've heard the oxygen levels are naturally lower in saltwater than freshwater, which I believe is why this came up.
Those are the pros and cons I can think of. If I can use this tank i'll save a ton of money and also keep my peace of mind - but I've wanted a mantis since I was a kid, and I also want to do the best I can for the animal.
All help is welcomed! Thanks!
As many other posters, I have wanted a mantis shrimp since I was a teen and first learned about them, but only now, 2 decades later am I finally able to afford and keep one.
I am specifically looking at small punchers, as I rent and just can't do a 40gallon in my space, so a smaller species it is. I am hoping to find a Gonodactylus smithii or a Neogonodactylus wennerae, but I live in Western Canada, and live rock is almost never brought in anymore (according to all my LFSs), so I've had to just let them know I want a small smasher, and now it's just a waiting game to see if any of the contacts out there that my LFSs use can catch and send one.
In the meantime, instead of losing hope, I figured I would begin setting up the tank. I am only interested in macroalgae. Every time I start reading about coral, my anxiety spikes. I also come from freshwater, and I am hoping to buy as little new equipment as possible (aided by my desire not to have coral).
Now, to actually get to my question: Is a BiOrb appropriate for a Small Smasher?
I am still in possession of the Bio-Orb (biOrb?) I was gifted when I was... like 18 lol. It's been sitting in storage here doing nothing for the last 2 decades. It is acrylic, and it has a capacity of 10gallons (it's old school, I don't even see it on the website anymore).
Pros that I can see:
1. Acrylic is currently very expensive, as we all know. I already own this tank.
2. Because of the shape, it actually would fit perfectly next to my computer in my home office, which means I will be able to see it all the time - this is great interaction/enjoyment-wise, but also means I will be better able to stay ontop of waterchanges and cleaning up after the shrimp because I will always be looking at the tank
3. It is (as far as my research tells me) an appropriate size for the small species I am looking to keep
4. I know there is no confirmed, recorded case of a mantis shrimp (itself) breaking a glass tank - and I do have a really nice 15g rimless tank I would also love to use (with a lid of course) but I rent and I don't think I could ever go on holiday or leave the house again if there was always that 1/10 chance of my tank getting smashed through kicking around in the back of my head.... So I would really like to go with acrylic to just appease my anxiety (and again, I already have this acrylic tank option... so for the peace of mind, if I can use it, I want to use it)
What I believe to be the Cons based on reading through the forums and looking online:
1. The central, built-in filter is problematic for burrowing.
Possible solution: Get a pvc pipe to fit over the built-in one, to protect it from being smashed through. Add a cap to that PVC pipe so that the mantis cannot climb down into the filtration and get trapped. Encourage the mantis to build its u-shaped burrow AROUND the pipe that sticks up from the built-in filter, either by laying the live rock in that manner or using an artificial burrow with half-cut pvc to guide the shrimp a bit and hope it figures it out lol.
2. Small opening: Cleaning and Maintenance becomes Harder
Possible Solution: I guess just knowing this going into it and taking my time cleaning/knowing it might be trickier due to the opening size. To me, this hassle is still worth it considering how much I would need to pay for an acrylic tank of the same size in better shape.
3. Small opening: Lower Aeration
Possible solution: I can't remember where I read this might be a problem. Would just adding a bubbler and obviously using a wave maker to move the water solve this issue? I'm new to salt, but I've heard the oxygen levels are naturally lower in saltwater than freshwater, which I believe is why this came up.
Those are the pros and cons I can think of. If I can use this tank i'll save a ton of money and also keep my peace of mind - but I've wanted a mantis since I was a kid, and I also want to do the best I can for the animal.
All help is welcomed! Thanks!
