The Puffer Forum

I just lost my Mantis shrimp. I think it might have been due to the 11 hour blackout we had last week. I thought he was fine--no stressing or gulping at the surface, so I did nothing to maintain his tank. I was really busy with the heavier-stocked ones. He was the tank mate of a purple lobster in a 40g tank--just the 2 of them--so I figured it was way understocked. He started acting weird though, right after the electricity went on. Almost like he had brain damage. I found him dead 2 days later. So I have this square tank (25x25x18) with one purple lobster (I can move) and thousands of tulip anemones covering ever inch of rock & glass (except the front), along with about 100 lbs of really nice LR. The nems looked cool for a while. Fine for a mantis tank but I think I'd like to go in another direction. Not even sure if I want to keep the tank SW or go back to FW with it. The tank is a weird shape for a puffer. I love oddball fish but most of the oddballs require live foods & I really don't think I want to deal with that right now with all the tanks I have to keep up with.

I could just get another mantis (really love them!) but I'm really tired with how the tank looks with all those nems. If I was to get rid of the nems though, that would involve the long smelly process of cooking all that rock. I could do it outdoors in a garbage can with FW & just keep dumping it out every couple of days & refilling. It's gonna be really gross though!

Ideas???

well if it was a bigger tank, id say get a porcupine puffer lol

PP, I know you just said you don't like raising live food, but since you have so many puffers, why don't you just turn that tank into a "live food tank". It's a great size for marmokrebs. Not sure they're allowed where you live, but it's an idea. They are my favorite food source for my puffs. I started with a 55 gallon full, but now have added another 55 and a 75 to the list, as they multiply by the 100's!

Nah, I've got an extra 15g if I wanted to do that. It's a really nice display tank & it has a MH/T5 fixture over it.

what type of mantis was it?

A big Peacock.

I am not able to (or rather to lazy for) calculating how many litres the tank is, so I don't know if it's large enough. But I would have gone for a puffer like Camille. She is such a beautiful one!

+1 toby

I have a gorgeous bluespot toby in my 46g bowfront already.

Copperband jus fer awhile.

This guy is in Divers Den right now. I saw him in person on Saturday and the picture doesn't do him justice!

You got to the Diver's Den for real? I knew it was in Wisconsin, but man that must be cool! Where is it? I would want to go, but they'd probably want me to buy something, huh?

It's in Rhienlander. I drive up there to get supplies because the next closest good pet store is Petco and I won't go there. I have a relative that works there and I can get in to areas that some can't.....

Id get another Mantis

Dad, How big was that tiger?