I just foud at least 5 babies in my refugium

[bbuckmaster]

I just found 5 baby mantis shrimp in my refugium and that is just the ones that were right up front, so multiply that by at least 5. They are all less than 1/8" or so and seem to be content chasing down amphipods and mysis shrimp. I have a couple of questions:

1) Is their color at 1/8" typically representative of their adult coloration?

2) At what size do they begin to not tolerate each other in rather close proximity? ( they seem to be getting along famously now)

3) Is there any way to identify them at this size?

4) Anything else I should do or know?

the circled part is the raptorial appendage. sorry about the poor pic quality

 

[sdm]

that looks like an amphipod, dude

 

[bbuckmaster]

Do amphipods have raptorial appendages?

 

[bbuckmaster]

and eyestalks?

 

[bbuckmaster]

I guess they do, I just looked at the pictures in the amphipod article in the last issue of reefkeeping, and saw that they do indeed have raptorial appendages and what I thought were eyestalks. I very happily stand corrected.