My juv. mantis has been doing fine in an acrylic "critter keeper" with a foam sponge filter/airline, and a small heater. he's doing fine.
The keeper is basically looks like an acrylic shoebox, with a plastic, pop-on, perforated screen-like top and a little clear trap door on top. They're for lizards, hermits, etc. Only cost me $6 or so, and I threw in a 1" southdown sand bed, some shells/rubble and a holey piece of live rock that he zips in/out of. He eats krill, and little snails that I throw in there from a freshwater plant holding tank I have. I put the snail in front of his lair & he bolts out & smahes it across the tank: then he eats them later, when I'm not around.
Simple little setup until my used 6 gallon eclipse tank shows up from a fellow reefs.org poster.
[ May 24, 2001: Message edited by: kennerd ]