CichlidFish.com - Fish That Think.

hey, im thnking about getting one of those mantis shrimp or pistol shrimp. seeing how imma cruel kid..mmwahahahahaha..it would be a change from fish and FW. anyone know about how to keep one of these?

well if you are looking for cruel dont bother with the pistol shrimp as they are totally peaceful. I have one in my tank that I have heard... never seen him yet but I have deffinately heard him (sounds like someone snapping thier fingers very loudly, even through the water and glass).

As for mantis shrimp I have never seen one for sale even through mail order, as most people are more interested in killing them then keeping them as pets... even my LFS here kills them on sight. There are 2 types spearers and bashers. Spearers act like land praying mantis, as they quickly snatch small fish out of the water and then eat them. Bashers use club like claws to smash though the shells of crustasions, and mollusks (snails, other shrimp). The blows are said to have the same strength as a .22 caliber rifle round. this variety has been known to break 150 gallon tanks(1/2 glass).

They can be kept in tanks as small as 10 gallons but beginners should stay away from anything smaller then 30 gallons for saltwater, as salinity levels are life and death for these creatures. Also nitrates are not tolerated at all by any salt water creature and water must be changed at 5-10 PPM. There should be crushed coral and live rock in the tank as these will not survive in a tank with out hiding places.

As for feeding you need to find out what type they are and then provide either small fish or snails for it to eat. BTW they are not really exciting pets as they spend 95% of their time hiding and you are unlikely to see them eat. Most people simply notice that snails or fish go missing. And may never see it until it is trapped.

Adam

hmm...i guess they might not be that interesting if they hide 95% of the time. ok den danx