I recently purchased liverock and have heard a clicking sound in my tank. I thought it could be a pistol shrimp but this morning i found my clown goby dead on the bottom. It was contorted and looks like it took a pretty good lick. I would like to make a new tank for the shrimp but still have no idea how to catch it. Any ideas? Thanks guys and gals.
Mantis shrimp problems.
- Thread starter mikienhecker
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ritter6788
Coral Fraud Private Eye
If you have one it will be easy to spot soon. They aren't really shy and once they get used to you and the tank it won't be hard to find especially at feeding time. If you can find a rock it darts into and remove the entire rock is the easiest way. Put the rock over a bucket of saltwater and it will sometimes jump out into the water. If you're setting up a tank for the mantis just move the rock over to the new tank. If you can't remove the rock then you're going to have to make a trap of some sort and try to bait it in. A plastic container with some food inside would work.
Mike J.
2500 Club Member
I've have a small 3 1/2" mantis in my reef tank for four years. Luckily it has never killed a fish. I do, however, have to restock 50 snails every six months or so. So far it hasn't given me a reason to go to extreme lengths to catch it.
It's favorite food.
It's favorite food.
JAWS 32
Active Member
I've have a small 3 1/2" mantis in my reef tank for four years. Luckily it has never killed a fish. I do, however, have to restock 50 snails every six months or so. So far it hasn't given me a reason to go to extreme lengths to catch it.
It's favorite food.
That's so cool! Do you know what kind of mantis it is? I have an ultra small one in my fuge that I never ever see. This was from early October.. This is him:
P.S. -- sorry for the hi-jacked thread!
Mike J.
2500 Club Member
My Mantis Shrimp is a Gonodactylus chiragra, it came in on live rock I had shipped from Vanuatu.
Mantis Shrimp
As the link says it is very shy. We hear it clicking all the time, but we also had a hitch hiker pistol shrimp. Didn't know for positive that there was a Mantis in there for a couple years. We've only seen it a few times. Lately though it has taken to sitting half way out in the open. I didn't know until just now that it was the meanest of all the Mantis and that it could break my tank! It came in on live rock I had shipped from Vanuatu.
Mantis Shrimp
As the link says it is very shy. We hear it clicking all the time, but we also had a hitch hiker pistol shrimp. Didn't know for positive that there was a Mantis in there for a couple years. We've only seen it a few times. Lately though it has taken to sitting half way out in the open. I didn't know until just now that it was the meanest of all the Mantis and that it could break my tank! It came in on live rock I had shipped from Vanuatu.
Last edited:
JAWS 32
Active Member
wow! you got lucky he didn't do anything to your tank! It just goes to show you, that you can never assume behavior in this hobby! I got my little guy from the LFS.. he hitchhiked in on their rock and they had him in a little tank for sale... glad they gave him a chance, rather than just killing him...
ritter6788
Coral Fraud Private Eye
Do you know what kind of mantis it is? I have an ultra small one in my fuge that I never ever see. This was from early October.. This is him:
P.S. -- sorry for the hi-jacked thread!
Was it a hitchhiker? If so where is the rock from? Majority of hitchhikers you see in tanks are N. wennerae from Florida live rock.
ritter6788
Coral Fraud Private Eye
Wow! A G. chiragra hitchhiker? That's crazy. Watch your fingers! :xd: I don't think there is ever much risk of tank breakage though.
JAWS 32
Active Member
He was a hitchhiker to my LFS.. they had him for sale, so i bought him.. they get their live rock from indonesia... i have no idea what type he is though... i am thinking some type of spearer though, because he has really elongated eyes and when i first put him in the tank, he tried to bury himself in the sand... i would love to id him though.... i have had him since, September and i have only seen him 3x... he lives in my fuge w/ an unidentified flat blue crab and a bumblebee shrimp..
iretthepirate
Active Member
I never get any cool hitch hikers your lucky. My mantis just died after 2 1/2 years woe is me. Look for holes in rock might be in one look for a cluster of little rocks or shells stuffed in a rock to they like to plug up their caves
ozmosis7
Active Member
This is a lot how I captured my first mantis, long ago. I was sitting there drinking a beer and he popped out of his hole and looked over at me. Talk about a frozen moment. Anyway, I tried all the devices, but he wouldn't come out. In the end, I took out the rock and set it in a bucket with water. Then I dropped in some squid and waited. When he came out, I yanked away his home.
That one, I kept in one of those tiny all-in-one eclipse tanks for along time. When he died, I picked up a 7 inch Peacock. But he wasn't as personable. This one I have now is only about an inch and is quite active. You can check out pics on my tank website below. I keep him in my mini-fuge and he seems pretty happy. They make great pets, but boy can they wreck a tank. That first one took out all of my fish and most of my snails before I got him.
mikienhecker
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Well its been a couple weeks with no clicking. I think i killed it. Wish i could have caught it but it had to go. Tanks for the addvice everybody, the method i used was: I searched every rock to my satisfaction untill i got to the last two big holey rocks i had left. Didnt have much life on them so i soaked them in hot tap water over night. Never saw a body but hopefully he is history.
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