critters

[tspfish]

Just was wondering if anyone else is having a problem with finding a lot of bad critters. I just caught my forth mantis a few minutes ago and then I thought I heard another snaping noise. I went to see if I could see another mantis but instead I found about 7 crabs with black claws, most likely gorrilla crabs. I cannot put one valuable thing in this tank untill I catch every one of those vandels.

I was thinking a few days ago when I heard all the snapping noises in my tank that I would not worry about it much. Then I noticed that all the feather worms were getting cracked off the rock. It took some serious investigating but I finally found the mantis that was doing it. He was one of the smartest I have ever seen. He was watching me look for him from underneath a rock and would not go into the rock for the longest time then finally he went into the rock and I snached the rock up and put it in a tub and shook it around till he came out. Then I saw one of the crabs snipping at the rock too.

Does anyone else have a ton of gorrilla crabs?

 

[RunnerFL]

I've pulled out 3 gorilla crabs so far and I'm pretty sure #4 is in the tank.

 

[HowardW]

In the 2 shipments I got so far I have not seen any gorilla crabs at all, and only 1 tiny crab (smaller than a dime) in 50 lbs. of rock. I wouldn't even have seen that 1 tiny crab except he came out of the same tunnel as a mantis when I flushed him out with a syringe.

As far as mantis shrimps, I caught 2 of them in my first shipment, a large emerald green one and a smaller rust colored one.

I think I may have 1 more mantis in there somewhere that I got in the 2nd shipment because I still hear the clicking noise especially late at night and also when I approach the tank sometimes. I know there is probably also a pistol shrimp or 2 in there because I also hear the 2 quick clicks in a row sometimes too. I netted a tiny lime green looking bug that was making a loud clicking noise when I first put the 2nd shipment in the tank, and I really couldn't make out what it was because it was so small but it even clicked loudly in the net out of the water!

My 2nd shipment of rocks didn't really have any networks of holes or tunnels in them where the mantis usually are found, and I checked them all pretty closely before putting them in the tank, however I still have this feeling there is a mantis in there somewhere. Another reason I believe this is because I seem to count 1 or 2 less blue leg hermits as each day goes by, but they could also just be dispersed throughout the tank and I don't see them all.

 

[RunnerFL]

I pulled a rust colored Mantis out of my first shipment as well. He has his own 10 gallon tank at the moment.

 

[HowardW]

By the way......I really can't stand those darned mantis shrimps, LOLOL! I would pay TBS $12.00 a lb. for rock if they could somehow guaranty me NO mantis shrimps!

 

[flameangel88]

One mantis from the 1st shipment which I caught in about an hour. Netted one from the 2nd shipment which I thought was the end of that but 5 days later I saw one poking its head out of the tunnel from the base rock which I'm not about to take out. This one doesn't made any noise and seldom comes out.

After seeing the hermit crawling all over the rocks the last two daysall of a sudden the tiny feather dusters are not coming out.

Started out with 2 cucumbers but only see one now and have no idea where the other one is. Hope the mantis did get a hold of the other one.

Can't wait to put fish in there. Do you guys have any fish in the tank yet?

 

[HowardW]

Well I think I may have a couple small gorilla crabs in there after all, at least I think they are.

Was looking in a few of the smaller holes in one of the large rocks the other day with a flashlight and saw these grey hairy legs and what looked like the body of a small crab. I took a wooden skewer and poked it into that hole and a small hairy crab came out (slightly smaller than a dime) and quickly ran into another hole. I was also surprised to see TWO of my little blue leg hermits come out of that same small hole at the same time.

I have a feeling those crabs are gonna be a real PITA to catch, LOLOL.

 

[Jocko]

I think I've caught about 6 or 7 gorillas over the last year from my 40lbs or rock. Last one was just a couple weeks ago. There is still 1 or 2 in the main tank. I put the caught ones in the refugium and now there is only 1 in there. He is about 2" across now. No mantis. Although after about 6 months I started to notice holes dug under the rocks. Turned out to be a little pistol shrimp. He's almost 3" long now.

 

[Safir]

I pulled 3 gorillas out over the weekend - I've got a mantis in the tank and i don't think it's coming out, as I pulled the rock and tried everythign in my power to get it to evcuate the rock, with no success. never seen it, only heard it and seen the dead hermit carcasses around it's rock.

for the gorillas, whenever my wife spots one near the top of the tank she calls me over, i pull that rock out, and "flick" it into a conainer of tank water with a feeding stick, then dump it in a tank we've got dedicated to such things. not sure what i'll do with them from there.