Need suggestions for a 2.5 gallon

[russell_wiley]

I am starting a 2.5 gallon Mantis shrimp reef. Does anyone have any suggestions for coral stocking? I am running 36 watts of PC lighting. I have some purple mushrooms, xenia, kenya tree and GSP. I'm not sure what else to put in. Any suggestions will be helpful.

Thanks,

Russ

[dtfleming]

bump it up to a 5.5 gal tank. 2.5 is still small as even the smaller mantis shrimp will grow. I have seen people keep softies in there such as zoas and mushrooms. Make sure you have enough sand for him to burrow.

[capsfan]

I agree with dt. Go ahead and upgrade to a 5.5 gallon. You will be able to fit more corals and a bigger mantis.

[L8 2 RISE]

I don't think it's a question of fitting a bigger mantis... I don't think there is any mantis shrimp out there that won't quickly outgrow a 2.5 gallon... the smallest display I've seen for a mantis was 10 gallons, and that was only because the mantis was a baby, when it got bigger, the person was going to upgrade to a custom 25 that was extra deep for more sand... maybe someone with experience can help out...

[MisterTang]

I don't think it's a question of fitting a bigger mantis... I don't think there is any mantis shrimp out there that won't quickly outgrow a 2.5 gallon... the smallest display I've seen for a mantis was 10 gallons, and that was only because the mantis was a baby, when it got bigger, the person was going to upgrade to a custom 25 that was extra deep for more sand... maybe someone with experience can help out...

 

The general rule of thumb on RC is 20 gallons minimum, I think.

[dtfleming]

No offense, but I could care less about what RC says. I wouldnt personally keep one in anything smaller than a 10gal.

[extreme_tooth_decay]

No offense, but I could care less about what RC says. I wouldnt personally keep one in anything smaller than a 10gal.

 

 

10G, 12G, 14G are common mantis tanks, even for large peacocks

 

For a mantis that doesn't get bigger than 1 or 2 inches (the size of a cleaner shrimp) and doesn't move much, I would think a smaller tank than that would be ok. Have you decided what type of mantis you want? 2.5G does seem pretty small though. Especially if you want corals as well.

 

I'm in the process of setting up some dedicated mantis tanks. I've put in a 6" sand bed.

Edited December 31, 2008 by extreme_tooth_decay