I've been wanting to start up a mantis tank for quite some time now but i've ran into a problem........I can't find them anywhere! All of my LFS don't have them and they don't or won't order them. I've even looked at some online stores and they either don't have them or they don't have the species i'm looking for.....which is a G. smithii by the way. Does anyone know of a good website that might have what i'm looking for?

Sorry you are having such a hard time finding one. I really don't know of any online vendors because I've always found mine at the LFS. I currently have 4 but have never seen a smithii locally either. Let us know if you find something.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=2281

This is about the only thing I've been able to find online. Of course I wouldn't know exactly what I'm getting.....just what they have in at the time.

I'm basically looking for something that would be alright in a 20 long and that is somewhat interactive. Do you have any suggestions in case I happen to come upon any?

I know some peeps are looking for something a little different than the peacock... but there is nothing like them IMO. They are SO interactive. I would give up every other critter I had to have just him. A 20 long would be perfect. If it's a glass tank just cut out some acrylic and put it on the bottom of the tank under the sand..

Here's a couple pics of mine.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y248/seahorsedreams/mantisavi.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y248/seahorsedreams/Mantis%20Shrimp/newmantis11fixedbcopy.jpg

is he Smithii the peacock mantis?

No...i've always liked peacocks....but for some reason on other forums they act like you would need something bigger than a 20 long. Glad to know a 20 l would work though :). Thanks for the info!

Your peacock is gorgeous by the way.......i can't wait to have my own little guy...or girl.

thanks.. im sure a quick google search would have answered it, but hey, i was here.. :)

Hey Rob. The Peacock is an O. scyllarus. Several others are coined a peacock as well, but more often than not it refers to the O. scyllarus.

I promise you that a 20 gallon long would be perfect.

Great....I happen to have an extra 20 l laying around. Now.....the search begins for its future inhabitant.

I finally found one! After calling around some not-so-local fish stores I found one that had a peacock mantis. I went and brought him home today. I can already tell this is probably going to be my favorite tank!

Congrats! I'll be expecting pictures when he starts posing for you. :-)

I'll definately post some pics when I get a few decent ones. I have a couple of questions though......how often do you feed and what are some of the live food you feed them?

WAY cool, Megan! congrats!

we feed the smashers the occasional hermit, small snails like ceriths, even limpets that we collect from our reef's fuge. othertwise it's various frozen fare, or pieces of fresh raw table shrimp.

oh...just in case ya don't know, mantises are very sensitive to even the fumes of household cleaners, paint, etc., so be careful with them. we don't use anything in the same room as the mantis setups.

the scyllaris IS probably Renee's fave tank, altho the lions are her other thrill. i think she'd be hard-pressed to choose...

Thanks Greg!

The reason I ask is because my LFS doesn't have huge variety of snails and crabs that are for sale......they mainly just sell fish and soft coral.

Ok another question.....how often do you feed? Also...should I purchase a skimmer for this tank? Sorry about all the questions....I've done the research but there were a wide variety of answers and i'm just trying to get a feel of what other people are doing that are successful.

By the way thanks for the info about the fumes.

Hey Megan. Just in case you are wondering.... Greg is my other half.

We feed Mon. Wed and Fri. You don't need to fed live hermits and snails. You can get some empty shells and fill them with frozen food. This will keep his clubs happy and strong. Just feed him a piece of whatever is on the menu that night and walk away. He'll beg for more but if ya give it to him he may hide it for later.... as much as you are willing to give he will take..... and hide to rot.

One of our mantis tanks doesn't even have a filter... the LR and macro does the work for me. All it has is an airline. None of 4 mantis tanks have a skimmer.

Lol yea I kind of figured that was the case. I wish my "other half" was as into aquariums as I am.....that would make things soo much easier :).

Anyway...I do really appreciate the help from both of you!

no problem, Megan.

one last thing to let you know about...don't blast the tank with light, as too much light has been linked to shell disease, which male peacocks are particularly susceptible to (especially large males). if you should notice some white spots on the shell that don't belong, you'll want to bump up your feeding so the mantis will molt. once it molts, the spots come right off with the cast off shell.

you're gonna LOVE watching your new charge build its lair...absolutely fascinating. it will change and add to it as it pleases. so shells, LR rubble, etc are a must. we use a mixture of #3 sand, crushed coral, and sugar fine LS as a substrate.

Yea i just have single normal output fluorescent bulb on the tank......it's just one of those perfecto aquarium hoods that fit a 20L.

He's already started construction on his home......his cave which used to have 1 entrance now has about 4.