# Mantis shrimp?



## Norman (Feb 13, 2011)

Mantis shrimp? 

I've been losing some invertebrates fro my tank... Tonight I heard a series of clicking - 3-4 clicks in a row. Not the snapping of a pistol shrimp - different the first time in this tank. Lo and behold I see what looks like blue legged hermit looking out of a hole in the rock. Do they do that? Just sit their motionless. The clicking is coming from a different area of the tank, doesn't sound like my pistol shrimp in another tank sounds though. It's more powerful.

I had a big blood shrimp go missing as well ive found a broken up shell of my emerald cramp. Ideas?


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## Crayon (Apr 13, 2014)

Mantis? Sounds pretty much the same as a pistol shrimp from my experience. Like everything else, it can have days when it is more violent, too, so could be louder or quieter depending on a bunch of things. However, they do like invertebrates, and I lost all my bottom dwelling fish, too, because of mantis shrimp.


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## Norman (Feb 13, 2011)

Crayon said:


> Mantis? Sounds pretty much the same as a pistol shrimp from my experience. Like everything else, it can have days when it is more violent, too, so could be louder or quieter depending on a bunch of things. However, they do like invertebrates, and I lost all my bottom dwelling fish, too, because of mantis shrimp.


How did you catch the mantis Crayon?


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## darkangel66n (May 15, 2013)

I will lend you mine. I am sure he will find and quickly eat yours. Just return him when you are done.


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## Norman (Feb 13, 2011)

darkangel66n said:


> I will lend you mine. I am sure he will find and quickly eat yours. Just return him when you are done.


EEEEK!

I've qot a question, I've got what looks like the head and legs of a crab sticking out of the rock. I thought it was a dead blue legged hermit stuck in the crevice of a rock... But wouldn't the colouring go away if it was dead? It's not moving or at least wasn't last night. Could it be a mantis? Can they have similar colouring to the blue legged hermit?


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## darkangel66n (May 15, 2013)

There are dozens of different colours. Put a piece of shrimp or something on a wire or tongs and wave it in front of the alien and see if it does anything.


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## Norman (Feb 13, 2011)

darkangel66n said:


> There are dozens of different colours. Put a piece of shrimp or something on a wire or tongs and wave it in front of the alien and see if it does anything.


Nope. Just got home and turned the tank light on. The corpse is in pieces. The tank is very quiet. It's impossible to find any signs in the sand because the clowns are forever picking up sand and dropping it all over plus both of them like moving the sand around with their bodies.

I have some green bubble algae popping up and need to add an emerald crab but I'm anxious about doing so because the last time I found the shell in pieces. Could this be the work of my oversized blue legged hermit that's lost his way?

The sounds of my pistol shrimp is not the same as the sound I heard last night in the clown tank. Last nights sounds were rhythmic. Click, click, click... My pistol is louder and no real rhythm. If that makes any sense..,

That's a beautiful mantis do you keep it in an acrylic tank?


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## darkangel66n (May 15, 2013)

No he is in a glass tank. He does not make rhythmic sounds. It is possible it is a fish you are hearing.


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## Crayon (Apr 13, 2014)

Norman said:


> How did you catch the mantis Crayon?


Yeah, well....I have had 4 hitch hiker mantis in my tank, all ugly, nothing like DarkAngel's cool one.
First 2 I found before they went into the tank, on rock or on corals.
Third I tracked down, saw it go into a rock, pulled the rock out and got it out of the tank.
Forth one was in a rock that I was moving and was totally accidental that it happened to be in the rock that I pulled out and put in a bucket while I was adjusting things. Did a happy dance for that one!
Until later that day John decide to be nice, and was adding some water into the bag it was in...........and it jumped back into the tank.
True! You can ask him how much of an idiot he felt like when it happened.
That was 6 months ago, and I've been trying to catch it since.
I've tried traps, watching for it, sharks with frikking laser beams.


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## Norman (Feb 13, 2011)

darkangel66n said:


> No he is in a glass tank. He does not make rhythmic sounds. It is possible it is a fish you are hearing.


Is he big? I was under the impression that they could break a glass tank?

The only inhabitants are the two clowns. I think I read that they are capable of making sound but it really seemed like the sound was coming from the corner in the tank... Hmmm...


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## Norman (Feb 13, 2011)

Crayon said:


> Yeah, well....I have had 4 hitch hiker mantis in my tank, all ugly, nothing like DarkAngel's cool one.
> First 2 I found before they went into the tank, on rock or on corals.
> Third I tracked down, saw it go into a rock, pulled the rock out and got it out of the tank.
> Forth one was in a rock that I was moving and was totally accidental that it happened to be in the rock that I pulled out and put in a bucket while I was adjusting things. Did a happy dance for that one!
> ...


LOL! Sounds like something that I would do! How big are these thing? I just have a little 40 gallon tank. Wouldn't I see some evidence of its existence by now? The tank has had the same rock since I set it up over a year ago....


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## darkangel66n (May 15, 2013)

He "could" break the glass, but I am hoping he does not.


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## Norman (Feb 13, 2011)

darkangel66n said:


> He "could" break the glass, but I am hoping he does not.


YIKES! How big is he?


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## Crayon (Apr 13, 2014)

Norman said:


> LOL! Sounds like something that I would do! How big are these thing? I just have a little 40 gallon tank. Wouldn't I see some evidence of its existence by now? The tank has had the same rock since I set it up over a year ago....


I only hear mine, see no evidence. When I caught the last one it was 2"


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## Norman (Feb 13, 2011)

Crayon said:


> I only hear mine, see no evidence. When I caught the last one it was 2"


Do you hear it often? My tank as silent last night...weird considering the night before it wouldn't stop... Are there traps on the market to try to catch the little bugger or are you trying the pop bottle DIY method?


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## darkangel66n (May 15, 2013)

This is my mantis shrimps home. There is a 30 column outside waiting to come in as his new home. This is a 15. Everything I have found about them breaking glass is usually thin glass and the bottom pane. Looks like they think it is rock when digging and try and break it. I put a layer of eggcrate, sand to top of crate, then set all the rockwork in, then filled it the rest of the way with sand. No rocks can be dislodged and break the glass due to him digging, which is the other way they break glass.


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## Norman (Feb 13, 2011)

Very cool! Thanks for sharing!


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## Crayon (Apr 13, 2014)

Norman said:


> Do you hear it often? My tank as silent last night...weird considering the night before it wouldn't stop... Are there traps on the market to try to catch the little bugger or are you trying the pop bottle DIY method?


Nope, I might go a week without hearing it, and then snaps for a few days in a row.


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## Spicoli (Dec 11, 2012)

Looking forward to finding out what it is!. I know franks is pretty aggressive and makes a very loud sound.


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## Norman (Feb 13, 2011)

The tank has been quiet...the maroons have been happily stirring up sand...picking it up in their mouths and spitting it in another location. They love their anenomes to death and i can't keep an invert in there asides from a growing blue legged crab. Hmmm..could he be the killer?


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## Crayon (Apr 13, 2014)

Just for fun, here's another cool looking mantis, for someone else's tank, not mine......


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## Jiinx (Apr 5, 2012)

shudder. I don't think I could sleep at night with these creepy crawlers downstairs


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## Crayon (Apr 13, 2014)

So........guess what happened today. I saw something trying to cover itself in, in a hole in a rock. Wasn't the bi colour blenny that usually hangs out on that rock. Couldn't be anything else I have in the tank that I want to keep. Thought it might be my last of the 4 mantis we have had.
I pulled the rock. Left it dry in a bucket for 2 hours. Could see the f****er in the hole but it wouldn't come out. Squirted water into the hole. Nothing. Finally did a hot water blast, and......(drum roll)......










Gone! He's out! That's it, no more mantis for me!


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## Cichlidrookie (Apr 6, 2014)

*Flush??*

What do you guys do with unwanted pests?

Flush?

Smash?


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## Crayon (Apr 13, 2014)

Depends. Do you want the PETA answer or the truth. Of the 4 I have had, 2 went to new homes, and 2 were given their walking papers. I know someone who has a predator tank and the mantis are great play things for triggers and puffers.


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## Norman (Feb 13, 2011)

Crayon said:


> So........guess what happened today. I saw something trying to cover itself in, in a hole in a rock. Wasn't the bi colour blenny that usually hangs out on that rock. Couldn't be anything else I have in the tank that I want to keep. Thought it might be my last of the 4 mantis we have had.
> I pulled the rock. Left it dry in a bucket for 2 hours. Could see the f****er in the hole but it wouldn't come out. Squirted water into the hole. Nothing. Finally did a hot water blast, and......(drum roll)......
> 
> 
> ...


OMG that's GROSS! I will never put my hands into that tank again!! Lucky you got it out!


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## Midland (Jan 26, 2015)

Congrats Crayon! I know you have been battling that little @#$% for a while now. How long is he? Do they reproduce easily? (nasty thought I know)


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## Crayon (Apr 13, 2014)

I have no idea if they reproduce in a tank, and I really really hope not. This one was 2.5" long.
Can now finally get shrimp and replace all my crabs that got killed by the little s**t.


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## darkangel66n (May 15, 2013)

No idea why so much hate for these amazing creatures. LOL I saw this one today and wish there was a way to house more then one a tank.


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## Crayon (Apr 13, 2014)

darkangel66n said:


> No idea why so much hate for these amazing creatures. LOL


You have an odd idea of what is cool......but I'm really happy if you take them all!


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