how long have you kept a mantis for?

[zoe4eva]

Tell me how long you have kept your mantis shrimp for?
Also what is your system?
I have now had mine nearly 5 months.
What are your tricks and what do you think are the perks of keeping them?;)what type of mantis do you have and how did you source it?

[Lucky Eddie]

I had my OS for a year until the skimmer started spitting iron out into the system due to a damaged rotor. :( It wasn't until I stripped the system that I found the true cause of the problem. I had previously thought it was a dodgy batch of river shrimp.

I do have a small chagura (I think) which I have had for over 4 years now. He lives in the same piece of LR. Started off at around half an inch and is now around 2'' long.

[Marc Foord]

unintentionally been keeping one since the tank was setup - he must've come in on the caribbean live rock and is still clicking away...the little sod ! :rolleyes::laugh:

so that's 6 years so far. i was hoping he's croak it long before now (i was told they only usually live a few years :confused:) but alas not....impossible to get out as well without dismantling half of the tank.

[clippo]

had a Pseudosquilla ciliata (yellow morph) for about a year in a 12x8x8" rubble/caulerpa fuge. It was cool. Used to feed it live feeder shrimp, half silversides and krill. It managed to get down the overflow into the main tank and ate my female pipefish once. I traded it back to the shop in the end as I broke the tanks down.

[dduck]

I recently got a green mantis which lives in a section in one of my sumps.
Only had it about a month but it seems to be settling well making it's own cave etc. It's been feeding on marine pellets and the odd nass/cerith snail that wanders into the wrong section :eek:
Sourced through TMC via a non sponsor

[fras]

i've had a 1" n.wen now for about 6 months in a 21" x 9" tank & got him unwanted off a local reefer. It seems pretty bullet proof as far as I can tell.

I like it because it shows alot of intelligence, is very aware of my presence and it's cool teaching it feeding tricks. I don't think my fish are stupid, but they don't show awareness like my mantis does.

[Wombat]

I ahve a peacock mantis going well 6 months in

[CustardCreamKid]

Zoidberg is 2 years old and was taken off a Fellow UR reefers hands (thanks Dibs :wave:). A luminous green and the size of my pinkie he sits in our nano tank in a prime position so that he can survey the territory inside and outside the tank. Loves Krill Lance fish and any unwelcome trespasser's that should happen to wander past his cubby hole:D

Kenny

[steve mullin]

We've got a peacock in a nano in the shop, had him for 3 years, about 7", eats anything but is really partial to dead trops !

[blub]

between a year and 2. I ended up putting all my ocean rock in the oven and the LR, having been carefully checked into salted RO (and the fish), but as I was putting the rocks back in the tank, the stupid thing (still cant decide whether that "stupid thing" is the mantis or me (for not checking the substrate :rolleyes:)) came out and beat my hand. grrr