mantis shrimp...i think

kennyb · 10-19-2006, 11:01 PM

yesterday i found the molt of what my fish guy belives to be a mantis shrimp. i brought the skelton to him and he said that what it was, and to try and catch him before he gets too big and starts to kill my fish. the mantis shrimp molt i found was about an inch long. i can here a faint click, click, clicking sound. ive read thats its pretty loud, but i was thinking it was quiet because it was so small.
i mostly worried for my midas blenny who is always tucked away in rock crevises. how big do these mantis shrimp have to be to start hurting my tank? (i have a fish only tank) i have a trap set for it tonight, i just hope it gets it, i heard they were smart and wont go back in it a second time if it gets out.
i'll try and get a photo of the molt on the computer tomorrow.

mr.dark-saint · 10-20-2006, 04:33 AM

If you hear a "click" it's most likely a "Pistol Shrimp". But without seeing the "molt" I couldn't say. Have you seen snails with busted up shells? When the Mantis Shrimp flick them you'll hear a click. By chance did you see the "Claws"? Did it look like a "Pincher" (like a lobster claw) or a what praying mantis's grabber?

**Fishfirst** · 10-20-2006, 10:58 AM

actually mantis make a click as well... it doesn't have to be very big to harm anything... try viewing your tank at night with red colored flashlight

i have crabs · 10-20-2006, 08:29 PM

i have a small one that dosent bash in anything so far, even though its a smasher i cant even get him to bash the food i feed him.so you wouldnt always find smashed in items if you have a mantis.
i would start tring to bait him out into the open.mabey find 1 rock with lots of holes in it and seperate it from the rest of the rocks and start putting a chunk of shrimp tied to a small rock right beside the one you seperated every night after the lights go out sooner or later the mantis or pistol will move into that rock where it can be cought easily.

kennyb · 10-21-2006, 11:41 AM

well we have split the tank down the middle witht he rocks, so that way i can tell what side of the tank he is on so that i can narrow down the rocks.
i didint hear anything last night, i used a blue flash light to look for him, but nothing yet.
i also set a trap for him, and i even thought i had him the next morning! but i ended up catching my flame hawke fish, who died a couple of hours after finding him in the tank.

i will not give up!
here are the picks of the molt i found.

**Scuba Kid** · 10-21-2006, 12:03 PM

oh yes. definitely a mantis shrimp. Get it out as soon as possible or it will probably end up killing your fish and inverts.
When you do catch it, it would make an excellent candidate for a species tank.

**Fishfirst** · 10-21-2006, 12:23 PM

If you do catch it... PLEASE send it to me! I'll pay you for shipping and everything... I've been wanting a mantis for sometime now!

**Scuba Kid** · 10-21-2006, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fishfirst

If you do catch it... PLEASE send it to me! I'll pay you for shipping and everything... I've been wanting a mantis for sometime now!

You should talk to some of the people on Grim Reefers (www.grimreefers.com ). A lot of them keep mantis shrimp, im sure you could get one from someone there.

kennyb · 10-21-2006, 12:42 PM

luckly we dont have any inverterbrates.
is it big enough to hurt some of my fish now?
we have;
2 b&w clown fish
3 cromis
1 kole tang
1 blue throat trigger
1 midas blenny
1 spotted toby (who is blind, i hand feed him every night)
all my fish are around 4 inches or less.

does anybody have any other suggestions on how to catch this guy?

**Fishfirst** · 10-21-2006, 01:04 PM

I would try an inverted 20 oz soda bottle... with a nice piece of krill in there.

i have crabs · 10-21-2006, 01:35 PM

mantis shrimp swim quite well and a bottle trick wont work

**Fishfirst** · 10-21-2006, 02:34 PM

an inverted bottle is similar to a minnow saine... minnows swim good... but it still works. Of coarse I would monitor the bottle quite a bit... so the mantis doesn't figure out how to get out.

kennyb · 10-21-2006, 06:13 PM

ok well its 8pm eastern time, and i will feed the fish soon, and turn off all the light so that they will go to bed early. and see if ican catch him/find him
i'll keep you posted.
thanks guys

**Fishfirst** · 10-21-2006, 06:20 PM

did I say saine I meant a minnow trap

leveldrummer · 10-21-2006, 07:00 PM

you should use a red lense on your light. not blue.

Ice · 10-21-2006, 09:41 PM

Oh yeah - that's definitely a mantis shrimp ! They can tend to be hard to capture. It must've been one lil bugger that made it in after the rock was cured completely. Just watch your fingers and you won't get bitten by him.

Ice · 10-23-2006, 01:11 PM

So, did you get him ?? LOL !! Try looking for him in rock crevices or under the rocks in the substrates or just that, under substrates.

kennyb · 10-23-2006, 09:28 PM

we are looking, i changed the lence from blue to red tonight, so maybe that will help. and my fiance used a peice of tape to make the entrance a little smaller so that our blind toby puffer would not swim in it by mistake. he almost sawm into it last night, i know he can fit into it but theres not much room so if he puffed up it might be a problem. not to mention the last fish that got in it died the next day. so hopefully this modified trap will work.
also im going to feed everyone a little bit less tonight and when i hand feed toby i will take out what he dosnt eat so that the mantis will hopefull come out looking for the only food in the tank...in the trap!!

we have a lot of rocks with holes in them, do you still think that it will go into the substrate? i havnt looked there yet. what do i do? just turn up the sand?

thanks everyone for helping me through this by the way. i really apperciate it! especially when i catch the little bugger!

Ice · 10-24-2006, 08:34 AM

He could possibly be hiding in the substrate under the rocks. Just an idea. Gotta think like a mantis shrimp ! Where would YOU hide really, really good without being seen if you were him ? Just a thought.

**Fishfirst** · 10-24-2006, 01:23 PM

most likely its in a hole in your live rock and not under the substrate. Smashers usually aren't burrowers.

10-19-2006, 11:01 PM	#1
kennyb Fishy Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Age: 23 Posts: 14	mantis shrimp...i think yesterday i found the molt of what my fish guy belives to be a mantis shrimp. i brought the skelton to him and he said that what it was, and to try and catch him before he gets too big and starts to kill my fish. the mantis shrimp molt i found was about an inch long. i can here a faint click, click, clicking sound. ive read thats its pretty loud, but i was thinking it was quiet because it was so small. i mostly worried for my midas blenny who is always tucked away in rock crevises. how big do these mantis shrimp have to be to start hurting my tank? (i have a fish only tank) i have a trap set for it tonight, i just hope it gets it, i heard they were smart and wont go back in it a second time if it gets out. i'll try and get a photo of the molt on the computer tomorrow.

10-20-2006, 04:33 AM	#2
mr.dark-saint Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Age: 36 Posts: 177	If you hear a "click" it's most likely a "Pistol Shrimp". But without seeing the "molt" I couldn't say. Have you seen snails with busted up shells? When the Mantis Shrimp flick them you'll hear a click. By chance did you see the "Claws"? Did it look like a "Pincher" (like a lobster claw) or a what praying mantis's grabber? __________________ It's only after we've lost everything, that we're free to do anything.

10-20-2006, 10:58 AM	#3
Fishfirst Fish Guru Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Northern Wisconsin Age: 24 Posts: 3,535	actually mantis make a click as well... it doesn't have to be very big to harm anything... try viewing your tank at night with red colored flashlight __________________ 210 Gal Reef w/ 55 Gallon Sump/Fuge, 125 Gal Fish Only, 65 Gal Seahorse-29 Gallon Sump, 55 Gal FOWLR, 54 Gal Corner FW Community, 20 Gal Nano FOWLR, 55 Gal Piranha, 29 gallon QT "All the yellow tangs and clownfish in the world can't save you now! hahahah" Peter from Family Guy

10-21-2006, 12:03 PM	#6
Scuba Kid Moderator Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: RI Age: 17 Posts: 4,221	oh yes. definitely a mantis shrimp. Get it out as soon as possible or it will probably end up killing your fish and inverts. When you do catch it, it would make an excellent candidate for a species tank. __________________ Current setups: 1800 gallon koi pond, 10 gallon planted, 150 gallon reef, other FOWLR tanks

10-21-2006, 12:23 PM	#7
Fishfirst Fish Guru Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Northern Wisconsin Age: 24 Posts: 3,535	If you do catch it... PLEASE send it to me! I'll pay you for shipping and everything... I've been wanting a mantis for sometime now! __________________ 210 Gal Reef w/ 55 Gallon Sump/Fuge, 125 Gal Fish Only, 65 Gal Seahorse-29 Gallon Sump, 55 Gal FOWLR, 54 Gal Corner FW Community, 20 Gal Nano FOWLR, 55 Gal Piranha, 29 gallon QT "All the yellow tangs and clownfish in the world can't save you now! hahahah" Peter from Family Guy

Members currently in the Chat:0
	Users In Chat Room: There are several users in chat now! Don't Be Shy - click here and come on in!

10-20-2006, 08:29 PM	#4
i have crabs Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Age: 30 Posts: 94	i have a small one that dosent bash in anything so far, even though its a smasher i cant even get him to bash the food i feed him.so you wouldnt always find smashed in items if you have a mantis. i would start tring to bait him out into the open.mabey find 1 rock with lots of holes in it and seperate it from the rest of the rocks and start putting a chunk of shrimp tied to a small rock right beside the one you seperated every night after the lights go out sooner or later the mantis or pistol will move into that rock where it can be cought easily.

10-21-2006, 12:42 PM	#9
kennyb Fishy Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Age: 23 Posts: 14	luckly we dont have any inverterbrates. is it big enough to hurt some of my fish now? we have; 2 b&w clown fish 3 cromis 1 kole tang 1 blue throat trigger 1 midas blenny 1 spotted toby (who is blind, i hand feed him every night) all my fish are around 4 inches or less. does anybody have any other suggestions on how to catch this guy?

10-21-2006, 01:04 PM	#10
Fishfirst Fish Guru Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Northern Wisconsin Age: 24 Posts: 3,535	I would try an inverted 20 oz soda bottle... with a nice piece of krill in there. __________________ 210 Gal Reef w/ 55 Gallon Sump/Fuge, 125 Gal Fish Only, 65 Gal Seahorse-29 Gallon Sump, 55 Gal FOWLR, 54 Gal Corner FW Community, 20 Gal Nano FOWLR, 55 Gal Piranha, 29 gallon QT "All the yellow tangs and clownfish in the world can't save you now! hahahah" Peter from Family Guy

10-21-2006, 01:35 PM	#11
i have crabs Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Age: 30 Posts: 94	mantis shrimp swim quite well and a bottle trick wont work

10-21-2006, 02:34 PM	#12
Fishfirst Fish Guru Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Northern Wisconsin Age: 24 Posts: 3,535	an inverted bottle is similar to a minnow saine... minnows swim good... but it still works. Of coarse I would monitor the bottle quite a bit... so the mantis doesn't figure out how to get out. __________________ 210 Gal Reef w/ 55 Gallon Sump/Fuge, 125 Gal Fish Only, 65 Gal Seahorse-29 Gallon Sump, 55 Gal FOWLR, 54 Gal Corner FW Community, 20 Gal Nano FOWLR, 55 Gal Piranha, 29 gallon QT "All the yellow tangs and clownfish in the world can't save you now! hahahah" Peter from Family Guy

10-21-2006, 06:13 PM	#13
kennyb Fishy Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Age: 23 Posts: 14	ok well its 8pm eastern time, and i will feed the fish soon, and turn off all the light so that they will go to bed early. and see if ican catch him/find him i'll keep you posted. thanks guys

10-21-2006, 06:20 PM	#14
Fishfirst Fish Guru Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Northern Wisconsin Age: 24 Posts: 3,535	did I say saine I meant a minnow trap __________________ 210 Gal Reef w/ 55 Gallon Sump/Fuge, 125 Gal Fish Only, 65 Gal Seahorse-29 Gallon Sump, 55 Gal FOWLR, 54 Gal Corner FW Community, 20 Gal Nano FOWLR, 55 Gal Piranha, 29 gallon QT "All the yellow tangs and clownfish in the world can't save you now! hahahah" Peter from Family Guy

10-21-2006, 07:00 PM	#15
leveldrummer something like a pimp Join Date: May 2005 Location: atlanta Age: 29 Posts: 1,933	you should use a red lense on your light. not blue. __________________ The meek shall inherit the Earth. Big deal. By the time they get it the rest of us will have messed it all up.

10-21-2006, 09:41 PM	#16
Ice Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Age: 43 Posts: 531	Oh yeah - that's definitely a mantis shrimp ! They can tend to be hard to capture. It must've been one lil bugger that made it in after the rock was cured completely. Just watch your fingers and you won't get bitten by him.

10-23-2006, 01:11 PM	#17
Ice Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Age: 43 Posts: 531	So, did you get him ?? LOL !! Try looking for him in rock crevices or under the rocks in the substrates or just that, under substrates.

10-23-2006, 09:28 PM	#18
kennyb Fishy Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Age: 23 Posts: 14	we are looking, i changed the lence from blue to red tonight, so maybe that will help. and my fiance used a peice of tape to make the entrance a little smaller so that our blind toby puffer would not swim in it by mistake. he almost sawm into it last night, i know he can fit into it but theres not much room so if he puffed up it might be a problem. not to mention the last fish that got in it died the next day. so hopefully this modified trap will work. also im going to feed everyone a little bit less tonight and when i hand feed toby i will take out what he dosnt eat so that the mantis will hopefull come out looking for the only food in the tank...in the trap!! we have a lot of rocks with holes in them, do you still think that it will go into the substrate? i havnt looked there yet. what do i do? just turn up the sand? thanks everyone for helping me through this by the way. i really apperciate it! especially when i catch the little bugger! Last edited by kennyb; 10-23-2006 at 09:30 PM.

10-24-2006, 08:34 AM	#19
Ice Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Age: 43 Posts: 531	He could possibly be hiding in the substrate under the rocks. Just an idea. Gotta think like a mantis shrimp ! Where would YOU hide really, really good without being seen if you were him ? Just a thought.

10-24-2006, 01:23 PM	#20
Fishfirst Fish Guru Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Northern Wisconsin Age: 24 Posts: 3,535	most likely its in a hole in your live rock and not under the substrate. Smashers usually aren't burrowers. __________________ 210 Gal Reef w/ 55 Gallon Sump/Fuge, 125 Gal Fish Only, 65 Gal Seahorse-29 Gallon Sump, 55 Gal FOWLR, 54 Gal Corner FW Community, 20 Gal Nano FOWLR, 55 Gal Piranha, 29 gallon QT "All the yellow tangs and clownfish in the world can't save you now! hahahah" Peter from Family Guy

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Ghost Shrimp? Amano Shrimp?	Tanger	Invertebrates	18	10-21-2007 08:13 PM
Bamboo Shrimp	cheseboy	Profile & Article Discussions	17	08-14-2007 12:32 AM
Funny, informative, or just plain sad?	TheOldSalt	FYI (For Your Info)	17	07-29-2007 04:33 PM
!!!!! super important shrimp questions!!!!!!	j-man the skater-man	Invertebrates	14	11-30-2005 03:28 PM
Info on Ghost Shrimp with pictures	Lexus	Invertebrates	2	03-13-2005 12:27 AM