Mantis Shrimp

ive never owned a Saltwater tank. nor will i own until years from now. and if i ever setup a saltwater aq. i would definately build it around a Mantis Shrimp. this would fulfil my dream tank quota. even so ive lots of research todo before i even acquire one.

anyone ever own one of these buggers before?

I thought mantis shrimp were something to avoid in a SW tank?? I've always heard that you want to get rid of them if you happen to end up with them....

Mantis Shrimp "reef pest" if you were to dedicate a tank to just a Mantis it would be fine but I wouldn't have one in a reef they will wipe out all your snails,crabs and fish ..nasty lil critters.
here's a good article:
Statistics
Disposition: Extremely Aggressive
Lifespan: Long lived (Over 20 years)
Hardiness: Very hardy
Care Level: Expert
Also Kown As: Stomatopods, Thumbsplitters
Reef Safety: Mantis shrimp are powerful predators and depending on the particular species hunting style, will either eat fish or hard shelled creatures such as crabs and snails.
Mantis shrimp are highly evolved creatures with many unique and interesting features that make them captivating pets for those interested in the care and maintenance of marine predators. Their front appendages are their primary weapon. Powerful and fast, these weapons come in two distinct varieties depending on the species of mantis in question.
The first type are the bludgeons. These appendages are shaped like clubs and accelerate at over 10,400g to a speed of 23m/s, and strike their target with the force of a .22 caliber bullet, 1500N. The speed of this strike is so great that it produces a cavitation bubble in the water. When this bubble collapses, the resulting shock wave will strike the pray a second time. Even if the mantis misses, the shock wave from the collapse of the cavitation bubble will stun the fleeing prey. Mantis shrimp armed with bludgeons prefer to attack and consume hard shelled animals such as snails, crabs, mollusks and rock oysters, but they will also use their weapons to burrow through solid rock and have been known to shatter aquarium glass.
The second type of mantis are the spearers. These mantis posses the same abilities of their "smasher" brethren, but their hunting appendages are shaped like spears instead of clubs. They use these weapons to hunt soft bodied animals such as fish.
In addition to their powerful hunting abilities, mantis shrimp have the most powerful eyes in the animal kingdom. Each eye is fully independent, and can move at a high rate of speed along any axis. These eyes are actually broken down into three distinct parts, giving each eye independent trinocular vision and depth perception. The mantis can perceive all wavelengths of light from ultraviolet to infrared, and are the only animal in the world known to be able to perceive circular polarized light.
Mantis shrimp are assumed to use their powerful visual perception abilities both to identify and range their prey, and to communicate with each other. Some mantis have the ability to use fluorescence to communicate, and others have been shown to produce mating displays using pigments that reflect circular polarized light, making them the only creatures in the world that can perceive them.
Mantis shrimp are often called "thumbsplitters". They can deliver painful damage to the hands and are often described as being able to "cut like a razor blade". It's recommended that you keep your hands away from them, and if feeding frozen food, always feed them with a pointed stick or mechanical claw.
amazing video's
http://news.discovery.com/videos/earth-peacock-mantis-shrimp.html
watch the pistol shrimp
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC6I8iPiHT8

I actually find these guys pretty kewl. But yeah...they would be a tough sell in any "community" style tank.

well yeah of course. i know alot of people refer to them as pest to reef tanks. but if i were to get a Mantis Shrimp it would be with the Expressed Intent of building a tank around the Mantis Shrimp as the centerpiece of the tank, therefore no concerns.

i suppose id put in some dirt cheap salt water fish that i wouldnt care about if they were eaten.

when i do finally get the little bugger id put it in my 40g breeder tank, once i get my 3rd and final tank (100-200g freshwater community tank) of course. and that will happen when i own my home possibly in approximately 5yrs

thanks for the info cwhip!!!!

Make sure you re-read the part about... "have been known to shatter aquarium glass"

Your tank built around the mantis should be made of acrylic. These are generally considered the most evolved species in the animal kingdom. They're neat, but better left in the ocean IMO.

Pretty crazy "shrimp"! I could see a species only tank but WOW! imagine sticking your hand in that tank. Might not be very pleasant haha.

Look up a little more info on these guys at the good ol wiki haha http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantis_shrimp

Quote :

Their eyes (both mounted on mobile stalks and constantly moving about independently of each other) are similarly variably coloured and are considered to be the most complex eyes in the animal kingdom

Now that is impressive when you think about all their competition!