You can certainly keep them in a glass tank. A 29 gallon is a good size for one.

We've had this discussion on here before. Even with all the YouTube videos out there I've yet to see a single one showing it actually cracking the glass. Plenty of videos of them hitting the glass but none actually breaking it.

 

You do realize that this will have to be a species tank, right? Not even CUC

 

Yup, only the mantis will be in there. I've decided to get a smaller smasher (either Neogonodactylus wennerae or Gonodactylus smithii if i can get hold of one) as i don't think i'd be able to house a peacock mantis shrimp currently. The plan is to build up so one once i can reason with buying the biggest tank possible.

Thanks for your help all

 

I would put some starboard or something under everything. There is a risk of them burrowing under the rocks and having a cave in which could break the bottom of the tank.

 

You can go for glass tank with no worries. i keep mine 6" peacock in a 6mm thick glass tank. stories about them breaking tanks are true but they do it whilst making the burrows. They simply try to make a burrow deeper and smash on the bottom of Your tank. All you have to do is:
-get few small rubber balls/ strips
-place them on the bottom evenly along antire tank
-cover them with fine sand but leave top exposed
-put perspex sheet as thick as possible on top of them to make new bottom

Fine sand and rubbers will work as shock absorbers and he will not be able to break bottom.


You work is pointless anyway as you won't be able to get peacock mantis shrimp in UK. Only because they told you in that shop they can get it for You it doesn't mean it's true. I've been there (trust me). You might be looking at around 2-5 years waiting time for one to show up and even when it does You won't be the only one out there who wants it.
Noone in UK imports mantis shrimps full stop. Only way one can show up out there is if it comes hiding in a rock.

They have stopped importing mantis shrimps (all of them) in 2008.
There's only one person in UK who can get one for You but it's not gonna be cheap (small one's are at around £85).

 

You can go for glass tank with no worries. i keep mine 6" peacock in a 6mm thick glass tank. stories about them breaking tanks are true but they do it whilst making the burrows. They simply try to make a burrow deeper and smash on the bottom of Your tank. All you have to do is:
-get few small rubber balls/ strips
-place them on the bottom evenly along antire tank
-cover them with fine sand but leave top exposed
-put perspex sheet as thick as possible on top of them to make new bottom

Fine sand and rubbers will work as shock absorbers and he will not be able to break bottom.

You work is pointless anyway as you won't be able to get peacock mantis shrimp in UK. Only because they told you in that shop they can get it for You it doesn't mean it's true. I've been there (trust me). You might be looking at around 2-5 years waiting time for one to show up and even when it does You won't be the only one out there who wants it.
Noone in UK imports mantis shrimps full stop. Only way one can show up out there is if it comes hiding in a rock.

They have stopped importing mantis shrimps (all of them) in 2008.
There's only one person in UK who can get one for You but it's not gonna be cheap (small one's are at around £85).

This isnt true... I have been to several shops recently that have instock peacock mantis shrimp and others each of them have ordered them from tmc!

 

I'm guessing it's because it's a green mantis rather than a peacock they seem to be happy with krill.

 

You didn't read it correctly.... I keep 2" green mantis shrimp and 6" peacock mantis shrimp in the same tank along with other live stock I've mentioned before.

yes they do kill everything that moves and mine was the same when I first got him but if You have a time and You willing to try things You can get any mantis You want to live with anything You want. I'm not saying that because I've managed to do it on my tank, I'm saying that cos I've done it 3 times already (my tank + 2 of my friends tanks)
It takes ages and yes You will lose few crabs, snails and sometimes even a fish but if You try hard it can be done.

I was runing two tanks for nearly a year to do this (one was only a tiny river reef 48)

There might be a bit of true in nature and haracter of each mantis that makes some of keepers failing however I had 100% success rate.
I'll make a video of entire content of my tank and post it out soon.
Only problem might be getting shot of my green mantis as this bugger comes out whenever he wants and there's no way for me to even bait him out with food. He is most of the time outside of his cave but only thing You can see is his eyes poking out thru small gaps in rocks but that's after carefully looking for him for hour or more lol. There's insane amount of amphipods, copepods and other stuff that he eats so he doesn't want to take any food I'm trying to give him.

Video will be updated soon.

P.S. There's also a "fact" going around internet that You can't have corals in Your tank because You need to have a strong light to keep them alive and that's not good for mantis and also he will move every coral that is not hammered down to huge piece of rock.... LIE !!!
Strong light causes shell rot - true. It's happening because of bacteria that are "feeding" on light however they will not survive in Your tank if You run powerfull UV sterilizer. You will kill some beneficial bacteria aswell but marine tank will consume most of Your spare time anyway so You might aswell keep Your eye on the tank and dose stuff when needed.

The only thing on the internet that spreads like creazy and is true is that copper based medications for Your fish will kill mantis shrimp!

 

Its not so much failing as it is luck. Its not an inexperienced keepers fault if the mantis kills everything, its in their nature.

 

Yes, I see I did misread it.

There is a great article in CORAL magazine (back issue) on stomatapods that I recommend to anyone wanting to keep them.

 

yeah.... good luck with that Even that they have peacock on their website there's no way You can get one. I actually have been looking for one for years and I did order it in over 50 shops around the UK !!! I think I might have had few calls exactly at the same time from few maidenhead aquatics shops saying that they do have it (they have been talking about the same single peacock as only one showed up for sale from TMC) but that was after 3 years from ordering it....
Did You actually bought one from them?????? Sure they will tell You that they can get it for You but it's not true. In the last 5 years I never heard about anyone who simply ordered one and got one quickly so if You managed to do it then you are the only one

 

Iv just purchased mine had it from rock'n'critters on Barry south Glamorgan. If you ring Chris or steph they will be able to get one anytime... Proper good service!

 

Ugh.... Seeing this thread makes me want to sart a peacock mantis tank even though I was going to wait. Curses lol!!!

 

Side Bar:

I was listening to a radio show on colors (I lead a very exciting life!) and they mentioned that mantis shrimp have 16 different color receptor cones in their eyes! For perspective, humans only have 3 (red,green,blue).

 

You do know that the only reason we can enjoy modern 3D techonology right now is mantis shrimp... Yep 3D was based on their amazing sight
I'm not talking here on a simple 3D that was invented by some one eye blind guy. I'm talking about our new 3D TVs

 

You do know that the only reason we can enjoy 3D techonology right now is mantis shrimp... Yep 3D was based on their amazing sight

Are you serious! That's so cool!!! Good thing to or I would have had to see James Cameron's AVATAR in 2D lol!!! I would like to be a peacock mantis just for one day. I would wack a fish and not feel bad about it..... Well maybe I would be little sorry lol! And I could see a million colors I never new existed!!!!

 

Mantis arnt that hard to find if you really want one. You can use the TMC website to locate a shop that you can order a mantis from, or a shop that TMC have recently supplied a mantis too.

It's true that a lot of shops say they can get etc from TMC, and then never get back to you I think theres a stigma as they are awersome killers in tanks and I think shops are scared of having them in, when I picked up my peacock the person who bagged him up was funny to watch in case he got a wack from the shrimp.

 

It's good that You were lucky with Your pecock however I do know someone who works for TMC and all they had was 6 peacocks in the last 4 years

 

that's great news !!! maybe our group will finally get bigger here in UK.