mantis shrimp species that can have tankmates?

TheDragonsReef

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I've been wanting to keep some kind of mantis shrimp and if I have to keep him solo that's fine too. I was just wondering if there are any species that can be housed with fish or possibly other inverts. How do they do with starfish?
 

Marine Life

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I've been wanting to keep some kind of mantis shrimp and if I have to keep him solo that's fine too. I was just wondering if there are any species that can be housed with fish or possibly other inverts. How do they do with starfish?
from what I have heard a mantis shrimp need to have a species only tank. But a starfish such as a CC should be fine.
 

rockdiver

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I had one many years ago as a hitchhiker it didn't bother anything except for hard shelled snails and crabs. It left the fish alone shrimps and even the crabs well not sure on the crabs.
But I do remember it was well worth replacing snails and crabs. It had to be the coolest amazing thing I ever had. Setting up a tank now after many years waiting for TBSW to respond to my order and hopefully I get one in my rock or sand.
 

Tamberav

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I kept a peacock with fish for years... however it was only about 1.5 inches when I got her and she grew to about 5 inches. She never attacked any fish that were with her since a baby but I could never add any new fish. They are curious and notice any changes.

I think it really depends on the individual mantis as well as keeping it fed and entertained. I gave mine live food and plastic colorful toys to mess with.
 

FreshwaterConvert

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I kept a peacock with fish for years... however it was only about 1.5 inches when I got her and she grew to about 5 inches. She never attacked any fish that were with her since a baby but I could never add any new fish. They are curious and notice any changes.

I think it really depends on the individual mantis as well as keeping it fed and entertained. I gave mine live food and plastic colorful toys to mess with.
I’m intrigued on these colorful plastic toys any specifics or descriptions? Stuff she liked or didn’t? Would she destroy them immediately?
 

OPMantisShrimp

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I used to put a lava lamp near my N. wennerae and he would watch it all the time. If I picked it up and brought it too close it would meral spread at it. My O. scyllarus has a large hermit crab in there that she can't crack open so she throws it around and buries it. Oh starfish do work. I had one with a G. chiragra for over a year. It only hit the starfish once when it got too close to the burrow. Starfish was fine though.
 

vetteguy53081

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It gets along with
Breakfast-lunch-dinner

putting jokes aside- damsels as they are quick and hide well
 

[Cameron]

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Problem with a mantis in with fish is that it will stress the fish significantly. You are basically locking the fish into a cage match. If that mantis gets hungry, it will eat any fish it can catch which is most fish.
 

Steve Erekson

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Problem with a mantis in with fish is that it will stress the fish significantly. You are basically locking the fish into a cage match. If that mantis gets hungry, it will eat any fish it can catch which is most fish.

I'm not so sure about that. My damsel bullies my mantis around, it is fully willing to go toe to toe with it and the mantis backs down every time.
 

OPMantisShrimp

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Problem with a mantis in with fish is that it will stress the fish significantly. You are basically locking the fish into a cage match. If that mantis gets hungry, it will eat any fish it can catch which is most fish.
I beg to differ, sir. I have yet to see this with any of the 5 stomatopods I have kept with fish. Generally, they seem disinterested entirely in fish. My O. scyllarus even used to share a burrow with a lawnmower blenny. Of course, there is no guarantee but I have yet to see a stressed fish with any of my mantis shrimp. The exception of course would be the S. rugosa I had but the fish were food ;)
 

Robb1821i

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Just put a wennerae in today. He explored the tank alot, walked over my conch a few times. Scared me because I like him but he doesn't seem to notice him at all. My two clowns shooed him out of their main area at first but eventually just let him be.
He only hit one nassarius so far but it was getting very close to him. Snail's fine but it left in a hurry. They seem to be very curious though. He basically ran along the whole glass on all 4 sides and swam up and zig zag across each. Like he was learning the dimensions.
 

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Crustaceon

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Mine just stays in his little cave all the time. Every so often a “sacrificial” hermit crab will scuttle past the cave which instantly get’s the shrimp’s attention. You can tell that little critter is smart. It pops out just enough to size up the crab and you can almost hear the little shrimp gears turning before it basically says “nope” and goes back to watching shrimp tv or whatever it does in that cave. There’s no way I’d fully trust it to not eat something around it’s size or smaller.
 

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