What to Feed Mantis Shrimp Pellets
My Peacock Mantis!
ChrissFishes01
- #1
He's also been hard to photograph, as he's a pretty fast mover. Here are a few I got today right before I fed him - you can see him notice my phone, look straight at it, creep forward, and then use his feelers on the glass to check things out. So cool!
The bare spot on the glass is from his "remodeling" - he had to move some of the sand to his PVC to use as a burrow. This is a temporary tank. He'll be moving into a 40 breeder soon, and I plan to integrate a network of PVC tubing underneath the rockwork to provide shelter.
Just thought I'd share my new buddy!
AggressiveAquatics
- #2
AJE
- #3
MonsterGar
- #4
I am Assuming he is a peacock mantis shrimp?
ChrissFishes01
- Thread Starter
- #5
They are kinda creepy, lol. I think part of it is videos you see online - you only ever see them in feeding mode. When you get to actually observe them just doing their normal stuff, they're not so bad. More interesting, than anything. This tank does have a lot more algae on the glass, though, because my heart rate gets pretty high any time I have to put my hand in the tank!That's so cool. Mantis shrimp are awesome and creepy at the same time lol
Kribensis27
- #6
MonsterGar
- #7
Harrison, I demand more pics.
ChrissFishes01
- Thread Starter
- #8
I think it's a she, but yeah she's a peacock. Still pretty young, too! Should grow a couple more inches.That is so awesome! I am definitely following. Please update as time goes on. Mantis shrimps are one of my favorite animals, and it is my dream to have one.I am Assuming he is a peacock mantis shrimp?
Usually when they break glass it's when they're trying to form a burrow - they break up rock on the reef in the wild. So when they dig in the sand and find the bottom glass and punch it over and over, sometimes they manage to break through. Supposedly.Awesome! Isn't it.. like.. a bad idea to wave food by its face through glass? Can't these guys break glass? Am I thinking of a different animal? Am I being dumb??? The questions are endless.
Personally, I doubt they can actually break glass. Maybe if the tank was already weakened, I guess it's possible. But the punch isn't quite as powerful (or as loud) as you might think. It's no louder than a snail falling off the wall of the tank and landing on a bare glass bottom - not even audible unless the room is silent. This one is still young, but I can't imagine it getting that much louder.
AggressiveAquatics
- #9
I saw that they can strike their claws so fast it can boil the water around them. Is that true? Also what size tank is she in? Just curiousThey are kinda creepy, lol. I think part of it is videos you see online - you only ever see them in feeding mode. When you get to actually observe them just doing their normal stuff, they're not so bad. More interesting, than anything. This tank does have a lot more algae on the glass, though, because my heart rate gets pretty high any time I have to put my hand in the tank!
Lucy
- #10
Awesome! Isn't it.. like.. a bad idea to wave food by its face through glass? Can't these guys break glass? Am I thinking of a different animal? Am I being dumb??? The questions are endless.
We must have been watching the same videos. haha.
Maybe it's a different species of Mantis Shrimp?
ChrissFishes01
- Thread Starter
- #11
I've heard that as well! I know it's true for pistol shrimp (that's why they "snap" like they do), but I'm not sure if it's true for these guys. I know it's pretty fast - when I give her clams on the half shell, she drags it to her burrow and I hear a bunch of wacking for a few hours.I saw that they can strike their claws so fast it can boil the water around them. Is that true? Also what size tank is she in? Just curious
She's in a 20 long for now - I've got a 40 in the works for her. I think she'd be alright size-wise in the 20 for a while, but her bioload is insane.
Maybe! I know the Peacock Mantis (this one) is one of the larger ones that people keep. I'm sure there are probably bigger ones. I still think the risk of breaking a tank is pretty low, but maybe I should be more careful in the future lol. This one's been passive so far, but I'd rather not have another 20 gallons of saltwater on my carpet.Beautiful creature!!We must have been watching the same videos. haha.
Maybe it's a different species of Mantis Shrimp?
MonsterGar
- #12
I think you are thinking of the Pistol Shrimp. Although I wouldn't be surprised if that were true for the Mantis Shrimp. Scientists predict that if we could throw as fast as the mantis shrimp can punch, we could throw a baseball into outer space.I saw that they can strike their claws so fast it can boil the water around them. Is that true? Also what size tank is she in? Just curious
Another? I would like to hear that story lolI've heard that as well! I know it's true for pistol shrimp (that's why they "snap" like they do), but I'm not sure if it's true for these guys. I know it's pretty fast - when I give her clams on the half shell, she drags it to her burrow and I hear a bunch of wacking for a few hours.She's in a 20 long for now - I've got a 40 in the works for her. I think she'd be alright size-wise in the 20 for a while, but her bioload is insane.
Maybe! I know the Peacock Mantis (this one) is one of the larger ones that people keep. I'm sure there are probably bigger ones. I still think the risk of breaking a tank is pretty low, but maybe I should be more careful in the future lol. This one's been passive so far, but I'd rather not have another 20 gallons of saltwater on my carpet.
PrancoLe
- #13
MonsterGar
- #14
ChrissFishes01
- Thread Starter
- #15
Yeah, I've watched him - if my memory recalls correctly, he falls into a subcategory of YouTubers that I'm not a fan of. The ones that feed live animals for views.Have any of you watched Joey Slayem on youtube? He has a punching mantis shrimp and a spearing one. Pretty entertaining to watch sometimes.
Live feeders are most definitely a requirement for some animals - I feed live things to my fish pretty frequently, if for nothing else than to add enrichment to their environment. But, I make sure the feeders are appropriate. I believe Joey Slayem was the guy who put a crawdad in with his peacock (correct me if I'm wrong here), and the crawdad actually did a number on the mantis before all was said and done. Not really good for either animal, and was done just for views. Which, I have nothing against in principle - I may post a video the next time I catch my mantis hunting hermits. But that's an appropriate feeder...
I don't know, it's a fine line with me.
MonsterGar
- #16
The crayfish didn't actually do any damage to the mantis shrimp, but its still a bad idea, and messed up because the crayfish was hardly even alive and breathing in the saltwater. I also find that his videos are usually not as entertaining as the thumbnail might make you think. Every once in a while I check his channel for mantis shrimp videos and that is about it.
Tbh, those kinds of encounters to typically happen naturally in the wild though.
ChrissFishes01
- Thread Starter
- #17
I'm not so sure that an encounter like that really would happen. Crustaceans that large aren't really natural prey (to my knowledge), and Mantises are known for being able to decide whether or not a fight is worth it. Small crabs, shrimp, and snails are probably worth the small amount of work for the meal. I think a lot of mantises would avoid going after a large lobster, or would at least have an escape route. In the situation with the crawdad, the mantis did decide to attack it, but who's to say it was trying to eat it? In such a small tank, it could've just been too close to the shrimp's burrow and it was defending territory.While his mantis shrimp videos are still sometimes entertaining (Mostly because videos of keeping and feeding mantis shrimps are rare), I do agree with you that he mostly does his videos for views, and often posts clickbait and things like that. I think he even cooked and ate one of his mantis shrimps that died for a video.The crayfish didn't actually do any damage to the mantis shrimp, but its still a bad idea, and messed up because the crayfish was hardly even alive and breathing in the saltwater. I also find that his videos are usually not as entertaining as the thumbnail might make you think. Every once in a while I check his channel for mantis shrimp videos and that is about it.
Tbh, those kinds of encounters to typically happen naturally in the wild though.
Regardless, I'm glad the mantis wasn't injured, but it could have been, and that's my main issue. Feeding small crabs or some snails would have been safer and probably cheaper. I think we agree, people like that just irk me. I work at a PetSmart, and I get people coming in constantly to buy feeder fish for fish that don't need them - in most cases, it's detrimental to the predator, and they could be eating a healthy diet of pellets and frozen foods with the occasional live snack.
Ugh, sorry. You work in retail with animals and you get plenty of rage built up about it, lol.
MonsterGar
- #18
Well the crayfish was smaller than the mantis shrimp, and the shrimp did drag it back to its burrow after. But I still agree that that shouldn't be done in the confines of an aquarium.I'm not so sure that an encounter like that really would happen. Crustaceans that large aren't really natural prey (to my knowledge), and Mantises are known for being able to decide whether or not a fight is worth it. Small crabs, shrimp, and snails are probably worth the small amount of work for the meal. I think a lot of mantises would avoid going after a large lobster, or would at least have an escape route. In the situation with the crawdad, the mantis did decide to attack it, but who's to say it was trying to eat it? In such a small tank, it could've just been too close to the shrimp's burrow and it was defending territory.
AggressiveAquatics
- #20
Can you link the video? I've been trying to find it but it's just documentary's on if they canAwesome! Isn't it.. like.. a bad idea to wave food by its face through glass? Can't these guys break glass? Am I thinking of a different animal? Am I being dumb??? The questions are endless.
Kribensis27
- #21
I'll try to find it, but I watched it like 3 years agoCan you link the video? I've been trying to find it but it's just documentary's on if they can
Jacklynn
- #22
AggressiveAquatics
- #23
Oh lol I thought it was recentI'll try to find it, but I watched it like 3 years ago
ChrissFishes01
- Thread Starter
- #24
Excuse my poor camera skills and the randomness of the video. It was on a whim.
ChrissFishes01
- Thread Starter
- #25
BigManAquatics
- #26
ChrissFishes01
- Thread Starter
- #27
They are pretty alien-looking, right?All i gotta say is that i thought the aliens usually TOOK critters from Earth....not dropped their pets off!
But, just to prove that they're not always the murder-machines you see in feeding videos, spend a minute with mine. This is how she is 99.9% of the time - either in her burrow, or out in the tank moving stuff around, watching me, and interacting with her environment. She does behave somewhat differently with my phone in front of the tank, but I think it's just because it's something new to look at.
AcornTheBetta
- #28
DANG! That's so cool! *Falcon PUNCH*I just got this guy a few weeks ago, and he's finally starting to come around. Originally he was pretty skittish, and only watched me from the safety of his PVC pipe. I got the bright idea of adding in a damsel as a dither, and he's really become more active since then. Some of the basher-type mantises will hunt fish, but the majority seem to leave them alone if they're well-fed... regardless, so far the damsel has been doing well (and is smart enough to keep its' distance), and I've been successful in getting the mantis to be more active. I'm feeding him a piece of krill in this video.
He's also been hard to photograph, as he's a pretty fast mover. Here are a few I got today right before I fed him - you can see him notice my phone, look straight at it, creep forward, and then use his feelers on the glass to check things out. So cool!
The bare spot on the glass is from his "remodeling" - he had to move some of the sand to his PVC to use as a burrow. This is a temporary tank. He'll be moving into a 40 breeder soon, and I plan to integrate a network of PVC tubing underneath the rockwork to provide shelter.
Just thought I'd share my new buddy!
ChrissFishes01
- Thread Starter
- #29
ChrissFishes01
- Thread Starter
- #30
You'll notice he's missing an arm. I have a harlequin shrimp in another tank - their only diet is echinoderms (starfish). That's all they'll eat - and since most starfish regenerate limbs just fine, the most common way to feed the shrimp is to feed a severed arm about once per week.
Yeah, I'm not a big fan either - but, I knew what I was getting into. In the wild, the harlequin shrimp live in pairs. They actually find a starfish, flip it over, and eat it from the tip of the leg inward towards the mouth. They do that so the star doesn't die and decay. They'll also force-feed it to keep it from starving. It's pretty crazy!
I'll be keeping around a dozen of these in my FOWLR tanks. I'll remove an arm a week, and hopefully I'll be able to avoid actually killing any of these.
On a happier note, I did add a light back on the tank. Just an old 10000K T8 I had from somewhere. The 40 gallon should be coming pretty soon!
MonsterGar
- #31
ChrissFishes01
- Thread Starter
- #32
Well, for one, I thought this guy was cool - most chocolate chip stars are gray, while this guy is red. Kind of unusual! Thought he'd go nicely with the mantis, and the future 40B will be a decent home for the starfish as long as I watch what kind of corals/snails I add (as the stars can eat them).Is there any particular reason why you added the starfish? Just because why not? Also, you seem to have a pretty passive mantis shrimp, but I feel it could eat the starfish if it really wanted too.
Most mantis shrimp are considered safe with starfish. They're just not prey items - the mantis never gave this guy a second look.
ChrissFishes01
- Thread Starter
- #33
Also, here's a strange little thing I found:
The little orange thing in the center of the frame. It's living, and it's also growing. Not sure what it is - but it's cool to watch it move around.
BigManAquatics
- #34
ChrissFishes01
- Thread Starter
- #35
Right?! Any time I look at the tank, I think of this scene in particular.I see starfish and immediately my brain turns everything into Patrick's voice!
BigManAquatics
- #36
Seems very fitting!Right?! Any time I look at the tank, I think of this scene in particular.
MonsterGar
- #37
Thats one of my favorite things about saltwater tanks. You get all kinds of free little hitch-hikers.Also, here's a strange little thing I found:
The little orange thing in the center of the frame. It's living, and it's also growing. Not sure what it is - but it's cool to watch it move around.
ChrissFishes01
- Thread Starter
- #38
In the meantime, here's some pics of her:
And a glam shot of her roomie, the 3-stripe damsel:
And a picture of her (very) temporary roomie, a green chromis:
Unfortunately, the chromis had to be removed after about 16 hours due to the damsel just beating the sense out of it at every turn. I thought I'd give it a try, seeing as the chromis was beating up the other fish in the tank at the store, but it didn't work out. I moved him to my 55 FOWLR this morning, where he hit the water and immediately began eating.
BigManAquatics
- #39
"Human, take me to your leader!"Still haven't gotten my mantis into a 40 - but it WILL happen soon! I've got the lumber for the stand and everything! I just gotta stop being lazy.In the meantime, here's some pics of her:
And a glam shot of her roomie, the 3-stripe damsel:
And a picture of her (very) temporary roomie, a green chromis:
Unfortunately, the chromis had to be removed after about 16 hours due to the damsel just beating the sense out of it at every turn. I thought I'd give it a try, seeing as the chromis was beating up the other fish in the tank at the store, but it didn't work out. I moved him to my 55 FOWLR this morning, where he hit the water and immediately began eating.
ChrissFishes01
- Thread Starter
- #40
If she could talk, that'd probably be about right!"Human, take me to your leader!"
She knows when I'm feeding other tanks, and she'll pace the glass while I walk around the room with food containers. I gotta be careful while I'm siphoning the tank, too, because she'll try and climb up the siphon or onto my hand! She's never punched me, but still... I don't wanna risk it!
ChrissFishes01
- Thread Starter
- #41
I'll be grabbing some black PVC for a cave for her whenever I'm at the hardware store.
BigManAquatics
- #42
Human! I said take me to your leader!! Not another tank!! No way you're the leader!Moved her into my 55 FOWLR system a few days ago. Netting her was terrifying (she didn't fight the net once I caught her - she just looked at me) and she acted pretty weird once I added her into the 55 after acclimation. I think she's settled in well, though, so I'm happy she's in a larger tank.
I'll be grabbing some black PVC for a cave for her whenever I'm at the hardware store.
ChrissFishes01
- Thread Starter
- #43
She is rather demanding! I feed her every two days - but I don't need a reminder on my phone or anything. She always lets me know by following my around the tank whenever I walk by. After she's been fed, she has no interest in me at all!Human! I said take me to your leader!! Not another tank!! No way you're the leader!
Here's a video of the tank as a whole:
And a video of her (finally) finding her food and dragging it back to her cave:
ChrissFishes01
- Thread Starter
- #44
The mantis takes the clams I give her, drags them back to her lair, and once they're cleaned, she'll scatter them across the tank. Usually, she'll decorate the entrance to her burrow with them, and then replace them as time goes on with newer shells (or terrified snails). This shell that shes prying away from my starfish is one such shell that she threw out of her burrow earlier. I didn't catch it on video, but she sat there and pulled at the shell for a good 30 seconds before the poor starfish let go.
ChrissFishes01
- Thread Starter
- #45
BigManAquatics
- #46
ChrissFishes01
- Thread Starter
- #47
I gotta admit - I always make sure to know where she's at before I stick my hand in the tank! She usually just stays in her burrow and watches what I'm doing, but she'll occasionally get a little too curious and venture out. Nuh-uh!My kids would be so scared of that if i had one!
AJE
- #48
ChrissFishes01
- Thread Starter
- #49
Some of them you can't! Some species (spearers) eat fish, and some smashers (like the one I have) will kill them. Mine just happens to be very tolerant.I didn't know you could keep them with fish
ChrissFishes01
- Thread Starter
- #50
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Source: https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfishforum/threads/my-peacock-mantis.480839/
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