Mantis hitchhiker gone?

John3 · Dec 31, 2017

When I first setup the tank last Jan I got some Florida live rock. 3 months later I saw a small maybe 1” Light green colored mantis. I believe it was a spearing type because it did try to grab nassirus snails that would get close but they always got away. I’m sure it was a mantis because once I found his hole I could see Him for a Couple weeks. Then he just vanished. I haven’t seen him in 8-9 months now. I have a bunch of nassirus snails and some turbos and larger trochus snails. Bunch of smaller hermits and a couple peppermint shrimp as well. Nothing seems to be disappearing at this point. I did have a 6 line wrasse vanish a few months back but that’s about it.

What are the odds that the mantis died versus it is still hiding in the tank somewhere? The tank has been good and stable for 10 months now and honestly it survived some really bad conditions when the rock was curing.

AlexG · Jan 2, 2018

Its hard to say what happens with those small mantis shrimp. In my experience the really small mantis tend to be elusive and shy. I have added several around the 1" size to tanks before never to see them again. On occasion I would hear them clicking but never saw them. The burrow could have changed to a place out of sight or deep in a rock. The mantis could have died as that is always a possibility. If you want to try and see if they are around try putting small pieces of food out in different areas to see if they come out to eat. Rocks can also be rearranged to see if they are living in another burrow. Careful observation is needed in any case as they are always looking for food and if you are in sight they are likely to be watching you.

John3 · Jan 2, 2018

Thanks, I was hoping maybe it would show up again or then again maybe it’s good it hasn’t. It was really cool watching it for a couple weeks. I have about 10 nassirus snails which is about 8 too many. The moment food goes in they are in a frenzy, so that makes it hard to put a piece of bait out to find the mantis. I’m gonna move a lot of them over to a friends larger tank and then give the bait idea a try.