My 4G Mantis Pico Tank Journey

[Kian Wee]

Just wanna share my experiment using 18L Ocean Free tank adapting for marine purpose. 30Lx18Wx20H. Good footprint on top of my washing machine which is the only place my wife allows for marine tank now.

Basic setup when bought comes with underpowered undergravel 3V filter and top drip down filter. Flowrate is unknown but extremely slow. Comes with 10 white LEDs of unknown wattage and wavelength and 2 moonlight LEDs again of unknown power. Comes with hood (anti-condensation) and 3 plugs. See picture below for tank during cycling on 4th Feb.

Cycle done with some live sand, live rock and water from my existing RSM plus an addition of dead gravel and coral chips to 5cm depth.

Above is my mantis shrimp, 50mm female Gonodactylaceus ternatensis in my betta tank

[Kian Wee]

Very short cycle registered.

Put in a Hailea internal filter with foam and carbon at 380l/hr flow to augment the flowrate.

Highest spike on 3rd day at Ammonia 0.5ppm, nitrite 0.2ppm, nitrate 5ppm. On day 7, ammonia 0ppm, nitrite 0.05ppm, nitrate 2.5-5ppm. pH: 8.2, salinity 1.022, temp: 30.

Did 30% water change with nsw before coral stocking.

Put in some xenia, mushroom and aiptasia and FTS below:

Some closeups.

Main problem is temperature control which rise to 31.5 even at night with slight open hood. Now resorting to fan to bring it down to 28 as below. Blu tack to mark water level to top up distilled water.

Need experts here to advice on cooling the system as chiller is out of question.

[mitlancer]

get those small Dymax clip on fan.... for your size, one should be enuf...i think.

[Kian Wee]

get those small Dymax clip on fan.... for your size, one should be enuf...i think.

thanks... where to get huh? roughly how much? my big fan overkill... only good thing temp down to 27 liao.

[teebs]

thanks... where to get huh? roughly how much? my big fan overkill... only good thing temp down to 27 liao.

C328 has. Most LFS also sell.

[wilsontantw]

Nice species tank!!!

What food do u give it??

I used to have one peacock mantis many years back.

[Kian Wee]

Nice species tank!!!

What food do u give it??

I used to have one peacock mantis many years back.

I've been giving her frozen market prawn which she likes. Likes food to move around before taking.

Tried mysis shrimp, garoupa slice and hikari crab pellet. Surprisingly she also take them but seems reluctant to eat. She took some MLS pellet this morning. Getting her to be pellet trained so that i can do short travel.

Interestingly, she'll store any unconsumed food by digging a deeper burrow and packing it at the side of her main burrow. She also deshell and leave the shell at the front of the burrow.

Thanks to the advice here, I got a dymax cooler fan and now the temp is at 26-28.

[tiffanydunk]

wow mantis tank! nice.

[benjamintse]

the mantis shirmp never hurt anyone?wont it smash the glass(tats wat i heard its capable of doin)

[Kian Wee]

the mantis shirmp never hurt anyone?wont it smash the glass(tats wat i heard its capable of doin)

it won't break glass. Slightly numb and painful when I accidentally got struck. Killed my hitchhiker snail in live rock. It smack my aiptasia that competes for the prawn and the huge aiptasia moved away.

[benjamintse]

ow how did it strike?like hit u with smt or claw u or......i dun really know much abt mantis shrimp so....

[Kian Wee]

ow how did it strike?like hit u with smt or claw u or......i dun really know much abt mantis shrimp so....

She's a smasher so the pink hammer like class nails me.

Quite hard for one this size.

[peacemaker]

it won't break glass. Slightly numb and painful when I accidentally got struck. Killed my hitchhiker snail in live rock. It smack my aiptasia that competes for the prawn and the huge aiptasia moved away.

:bow:

Should add this to Fear Factor...

[MOssrope]

you make me very tempted to make one mantis tank too...

i almost got myself a mantis at cf.. they were constantly hitting on the breeder box and their eyes follow u as you move.. so evil,

your nick does signify why u kept it though!

do update often .. if all goes well for u i shall make one as well to house these violent kids

[Kian Wee]

you make me very tempted to make one mantis tank too...

i almost got myself a mantis at cf.. they were constantly hitting on the breeder box and their eyes follow u as you move.. so evil,

your nick does signify why u kept it though!

do update often .. if all goes well for u i shall make one as well to house these violent kids

haha. I have a more normal reef tank for 2 years as well. Still running but minimalistic with 2 false percs, sailfin tang, purple yellow dottyback, java demionselle, gold coral banded, hairy crab, hermit etc. Anemone, bubble, mushies rhodac, plate etc etc. All tried n tested stuffs. Been wanting a mantis

in it's better days here's how it look

[Kian Wee]

haha. I have a more normal reef tank for 2 years as well. Still running but minimalistic with 2 false percs, sailfin tang, purple yellow dottyback, java demionselle, gold coral banded, hairy crab, hermit etc. Anemone, bubble, mushies rhodac, plate etc etc. All tried n tested stuffs. Been wanting a mantis

in it's better days here's how it look

Here's the FTS of my other tank. Ran into some bryopsis problem but it has cleared up but sponge, gorgonia n clams r no more.

BTW my xenia in my pico seems to be doing badly... more limp and does not pulse anymore... Did water change and dose Aquapharm A +B and iodide but seems to be still in poor condition... anyone can help?

[Kian Wee]

Just a brief of what happened to my mantis pico... xenia was doing badly and addition of iodide and 50% water change improved things significantly... developed new polyps but not opening as much.

Added florida ricordia but the epoxy clouded the water... try to attach but ricordia keep migrating down...

Mantis shrimp move house to underneath the bigger rock and the ricordia landed right at her entrance.. peace and quiet for one day.... the ricoridia seems to be expanding and the flourescent green is looking great.

This morning...... ricordia is gone ... slime all over the tank and the pebbles it was on is inside the mantis lair when i lifted the rock.... the mantis is still smacking the remains on the pebbles. Expensive meal and water quality is crap.

Anyone heard of mantis eating ricordia? I tot ricordia has no natural predator.

[arcanehacker]

Just a brief of what happened to my mantis pico... xenia was doing badly and addition of iodide and 50% water change improved things significantly... developed new polyps but not opening as much.

Added florida ricordia but the epoxy clouded the water... try to attach but ricordia keep migrating down...

Mantis shrimp move house to underneath the bigger rock and the ricordia landed right at her entrance.. peace and quiet for one day.... the ricoridia seems to be expanding and the flourescent green is looking great.

This morning...... ricordia is gone ... slime all over the tank and the pebbles it was on is inside the mantis lair when i lifted the rock.... the mantis is still smacking the remains on the pebbles. Expensive meal and water quality is crap.

Anyone heard of mantis eating ricordia? I tot ricordia has no natural predator.

Don't think it ate it.. the pebble is just in its way so probably using it as its home decor.. BTW they can melt off very fast if its dropped face down on the sandbed.. Thats what happened to one of my Yuma.. came back after work and its gone.

[Kian Wee]

pic of my short lived florida ricordea

And the current rockscape after purchase of a small mushroom rock. Mantis is peering out to see wat's going on

[demonsori]

pic of my short lived florida ricordea

And the current rockscape after purchase of a small mushroom rock. Mantis is peering out to see wat's going on

are the frags going in this tank ?

[kimkim23]

bro pico i dont recommend dosing A+B, might be too strong even if its alittle.

[Kian Wee]

are the frags going in this tank ?

yes Thanks for the nice size frags. i was searched in CF, AM, Iwarna, GO, Jireh, Ah Beng for 2 weeks in vain for this pico size frags.

Thanks to advice here managed to stick some gel glue on my rock. unfortunately, paly to close to mushroom tho.

Here's some pics

My FTS

Her highness in her mighty tent

Close up of mantis

Side of my tank

The nice green pay, brown paly, zoa and one maroon shroom frags from demonsori.. the purple and green ones are the original resident.

[Kian Wee]

bro pico i dont recommend dosing A+B, might be too strong even if its alittle.

ok thank for advise... btw can dose iodide, pH buffer or Ca then? Or just change water? worried iodide not enuff for mantis moult and Ca not enuff. Also my pH at 8.0. not great as well.

now nitrate down to 5-10ppm but not ideal. xenia melted. 2nd casualty of my pico experiment after ricordea. any suggestion how to bring down further? My macroalgae on live rock dun seems to be helping.

Thinking of adding leather frag from my other tank but heard that it produce slime which inhibit other corals. any opinion?

[kimkim23]

ok thank for advise... btw can dose iodide, pH buffer or Ca then? Or just change water? worried iodide not enuff for mantis moult and Ca not enuff. Also my pH at 8.0. not great as well.

now nitrate down to 5-10ppm but not ideal. xenia melted. 2nd casualty of my pico experiment after ricordea. any suggestion how to bring down further? My macroalgae on live rock dun seems to be helping.

Thinking of adding leather frag from my other tank but heard that it produce slime which inhibit other corals. any opinion?

My ph recently 7.8 Nia coz of the constant topping up of di water so I do dose ph puffer as it's not strong. I tried dosing ca and A&B before but I think it didn't produce very gd result. Seen my hermit molt few times Liao. I recommend u start dosing with ph buffer 1st ok? Hardy corals shd be alright even with little dosing.check yr saltmix oso. Maybe some coral additives will do too

[jackywongto]

ok thank for advise... btw can dose iodide, pH buffer or Ca then? Or just change water? worried iodide not enuff for mantis moult and Ca not enuff. Also my pH at 8.0. not great as well.

now nitrate down to 5-10ppm but not ideal. xenia melted. 2nd casualty of my pico experiment after ricordea. any suggestion how to bring down further? My macroalgae on live rock dun seems to be helping.

Thinking of adding leather frag from my other tank but heard that it produce slime which inhibit other corals. any opinion?

PH

PH fluctuate throughout the day. early in the morning, it is lower.

after you lights are switched on, it will rise by 0.1 or 0.2

If you would like to increase, you can add some PH buffer, Kent marine pro-dkh.

but I think 8.0 is ok really. What water are you topping up with? If you are using tap water + water conditioner, you should be quite ok cause tap water has quite high PH.

nitrate

10ppm is ok. dun have to lower. If really want, do more frequest WC.