DrStrangeLove
New member
A couple of weeks ago I finally started up a 120gal reef tank. :beer: I ordered my live rock (& sand) through Tampa Bay Saltwater. :thumbsup:
Having had several tanks over the years using live rock only as filtration, I have to say that I was blown away
by the quality of the live rock. Tons and tons of life on the rock...corals, sponges, feather dusters, an anenome, crabs, etc.
The good hitchhikers far outweighed the bad.
Speaking of bad...it looks like I have 3 or 4 mantis shrimps in my tank. At first I was hoping that the clicking noise was a pistol shrimp but then I caught one bashing a barnacle looking thing and ripping out the insides. I can't tell if I have 3 or 4 'cause they move around quite a bit.
They vary in size...the biggest (and meanest one) is around 2 1/2" inches long. The other two (or three) are smaller...between 1" and 1 1/2". They all are the same species. They are reddish in color and have green / blue "bashers".
I accidentaly caught one of them (he decided to see what was on the other side of the overflow...this one ain't real bright.) I wanted to catch them and send them to the ocean via the local wastewater treatment plant but my wife has grown attached to them. She even named the big guy "Mantei the Mantis" after Matt Mantei (a reliever on the Diamondbacks baseball team)!. Yes...we are both Diamondbacks fans but that is another story. My point is that she doesn't want me to kill them and wants them to "go to a loving home"!
Sometimes I wish she never got into this hobby with me 
Anyway, we live in Matawan, NJ (which is near Sandy Hook on the Jersey Shore) but am willing to ship them anywhere as long as I don't have to pay for shipping. Looks like there is plenty of advice in this forum on how to ship them.
I have not caught them yet and am not sure how long it will take me. I am going to try the ol' plastic water bottle trick tonight to see if I can get a couple of them. If anyone has had better success with another trap...please let me know.
I will also try and get some pictures but this is easier said than done.
Cheers....
Having had several tanks over the years using live rock only as filtration, I have to say that I was blown away
by the quality of the live rock. Tons and tons of life on the rock...corals, sponges, feather dusters, an anenome, crabs, etc.The good hitchhikers far outweighed the bad.
Speaking of bad...it looks like I have 3 or 4 mantis shrimps in my tank. At first I was hoping that the clicking noise was a pistol shrimp but then I caught one bashing a barnacle looking thing and ripping out the insides. I can't tell if I have 3 or 4 'cause they move around quite a bit.
They vary in size...the biggest (and meanest one) is around 2 1/2" inches long. The other two (or three) are smaller...between 1" and 1 1/2". They all are the same species. They are reddish in color and have green / blue "bashers".
I accidentaly caught one of them (he decided to see what was on the other side of the overflow...this one ain't real bright.) I wanted to catch them and send them to the ocean via the local wastewater treatment plant but my wife has grown attached to them. She even named the big guy "Mantei the Mantis" after Matt Mantei (a reliever on the Diamondbacks baseball team)!. Yes...we are both Diamondbacks fans but that is another story. My point is that she doesn't want me to kill them and wants them to "go to a loving home"!
Sometimes I wish she never got into this hobby with me Anyway, we live in Matawan, NJ (which is near Sandy Hook on the Jersey Shore) but am willing to ship them anywhere as long as I don't have to pay for shipping. Looks like there is plenty of advice in this forum on how to ship them.
I have not caught them yet and am not sure how long it will take me. I am going to try the ol' plastic water bottle trick tonight to see if I can get a couple of them. If anyone has had better success with another trap...please let me know.
I will also try and get some pictures but this is easier said than done.
Cheers....
