Cheap Mantis in Miami

[miamivette]

I finally caught the homicidal bastard. The defendant is 1 1/2" and red in color. He loves to make snapping noises when the tank is fed. My fish victims wanted him executed but as governer of my tank I will grant him a pardon if someone would pay $20.00 for him to cover the loss of my oriental sweetlips and emerald crab he killed.

 

[miamivette]

Snapping Noises

Snapping Noises

Well now that he out I continue to hear snapping noises when I feed the tank. I don't know what a pistol shrimp looks like or have seen any wierd shrimps in my tank.

 

[Kara]

You might never see your pistol shrimp.. They like to tunnel in sand. Some will hide in rock holes. The only reason I see the one in my main tank is because he's paired with one of my gobies. Still, he won't come out of their tunnel unless the goby does.

Here are a few links of pistol shrimp pictures I found.

Here you can find photos of two kinds.

Red Pistol Shrimp

Red Banded Pistol (this is the kind I have)

There are TONS more.



BTW, did you get my private message?

 

[slylie]

If pistol shrimp are never seen, how come they are three times the price of a coral branded?

I want to get one but don't want to pay $40 so I can hear snapping noises at night.

 

[kennerd]

Some of them pair up in a symbiotic relationship with certain gobies, and are seen more often.

Sounds like you've got pistols. I have one in my 65 that gets all excited during chowtime, too.

Difference in the sound: the pistols are a "popping" sound, opposed to the mantis actually striking the rock, or a "cracking" sound.

 

[salt101]

shrimp

shrimp

i have a tiger shrimp which is a kind of pistol that is paired with a gobie and i see him when feeding and early morning and late evening. During the day he stays under the rocks and moves my sand around. i like the little dude. he was not that expensive so purchased him. my gobie stays out more now that he has a friend behind him.
but i have seen him fight with my emerald crab. but only once the crab learned a lesson

 

[kennerd]

My pistol is constantly moving the sand bed around. Also gets ticked off at hermits or snails when they gett too close and he fires away at them and then shoves them across the sand away from his cave!