Squishie89 January 12, 2014 Share January 12, 2014 I have a 20L that is just sitting being unused, and we all know that is not allowed in this hobby! I have been thinking of setting it up as an angler fish and peacock mantis shrimp tank. So far I have thought on how to go about it so neither eats one another is to put the angler in first and have him eating frozen food hopefully, and add the mantis later on. Do you think this could work? Also given these would be the only 2 inhabitants, do you think I could get away with a HOB filter as long as it is cleaned regularly, and water changes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k January 12, 2014 Share January 12, 2014 I have a 6" Peacock Mantis and it eats or examines anything that is slow and sedentary. The Anglerfish would most likely end up as food if it's bigger or vice versa if the Angler is bigger. I've had 6 of these critters throughout the years and they've all gotten along well in reef tanks and have never seen them capture or eat fish that are free swimming. They do eat snails and hermits when there's nothing being offered to them. My current Mantis now eats cubes from my hand and even tries to eat Cyclopeeze from my hand when I'm feeding the Filefish. Mantis' are like Crows in the that they like to collect things. It has a den that is 'decorated' with bits of rocks and coral frags. It sometimes re-arranges these curios depending on it's mood I guess. I say to keep them in a big tank that offers plenty of swimming and crawling room, otherwise they'll be super territorial and may be aggressive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilary January 12, 2014 Share January 12, 2014 Agree with Rob - you'll end up with only one critter in the tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheyCallMeMr.703 January 12, 2014 Share January 12, 2014 +1, I've seen his tank, pretty cool to watch... Looking into getting one myself one day maybe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime January 12, 2014 Share January 12, 2014 My mantis takes scallop pieces from my hand now as well, greedy creature scampers like an excited dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheyCallMeMr.703 January 12, 2014 Share January 12, 2014 My mantis takes scallop pieces from my hand now as well, greedy creature scampers like an excited dog. Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM January 12, 2014 Share January 12, 2014 All the cool kids are getting mantis tanks. Now I want one too. Now where to put and how to tie it in to the main tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squishie89 January 12, 2014 Author Share January 12, 2014 I guess I was hoping if the angler was in first the mantis might not see him as food. Thanks for all the feedback guys, I really appreciate it. Sent from my toaster using tapatalk2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k January 12, 2014 Share January 12, 2014 You can hope that, and the mantis will hope he tastes good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squishie89 January 12, 2014 Author Share January 12, 2014 Lol yeah. I guess I will just do an angler tank if I do set it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OUsnakebyte January 13, 2014 Share January 13, 2014 As Rob said, do NOT house them together. In addition, you can train the angler to frozen all you want, but don't expect them to ever turn down a live meal that they can fit into their mouths (or even sometimes that they can't fit in...). However - if you place a divider in there, you can keep them both in the same tank. I recommend a piece of acrylic or similar strong material that you can silicone in place. Drill small, teeny holes throughout to allow water to pass through, but they won't be able to reach each other. We do this here to house to mantids in the same exhibit tank. Cheers Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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