- Location
- San Antonio, TX

This section needs more threads 
After moving the clownfish harem to the big tank, I’ve revamped my Reefer 170 in preparation for a mantis shrimp (don’t worry, the urchin has been rehomed, since I don’t know if the mantis will like uni!):
Question is, which mantis to start with? Everybody loves the peacock mantis (O. scyllarus), but they get quite big and I worry a little bit about the glass, plus I know they’re prone to shell rot. Also, I’m hoping to keep a few fast fish (sixline wrasse for flatworms, a neon dottyback for color, and maybe a couple damsels) in there, and although these are smashers, I’ve sometimes read that they can’t be trusted anyway just because of their size.
A couple other options I was considering and my thoughts on them:
After moving the clownfish harem to the big tank, I’ve revamped my Reefer 170 in preparation for a mantis shrimp (don’t worry, the urchin has been rehomed, since I don’t know if the mantis will like uni!):
Question is, which mantis to start with? Everybody loves the peacock mantis (O. scyllarus), but they get quite big and I worry a little bit about the glass, plus I know they’re prone to shell rot. Also, I’m hoping to keep a few fast fish (sixline wrasse for flatworms, a neon dottyback for color, and maybe a couple damsels) in there, and although these are smashers, I’ve sometimes read that they can’t be trusted anyway just because of their size.
A couple other options I was considering and my thoughts on them:
- Orange spot mantis (G. ternatensis) - a little smaller than a peacock at max 5”, but I’ve read about sketchy collection methods with these, and Roy Caldwell has said he’s had some trouble keeping these alive longer than a couple months.
- Purple spot mantis (G. smithii) - this is apparently Roy’s favorite mantis, but at a max size of 3”, I feel like it would get lost in a system this size.
- Caribbean rock mantis (N. wennerae) - another highly recommended one for being hardy and active, but also very small, so same concern as the smithii.
- Tiger mantis (G. chiragra) - LiveAquaria often has these in Diver’s Den, but Roy says they’re not very interactive.