I KNOW I have a Mantis

[d4a2n0k]

Ive had a Mantis in my tank for over a year now. For the first few months I heard clicking but couldnt see anything. I've never lost any crab,snails or cleaner shrimp so I thought it was a Pistol Shrimp.

A few months ago, he finally made himself visible. From pictures Ive seen here, it looks to be a N.Wennerae (sp).

With about 200 lbs of rock and the fact that I havent lost anything yet, is there any reason I have to remove this guy? Am I in for a disaster down the road? He is about 2.5 inches right now and is always out and about. He doesnt like to sit still but if you watch the tank for any amount of time, you see a blur as he runs by you. Very interesting creature that why I dont want to get rid of him. Plus the fact that I dont have the room for another tank for him.

Can I just leave him be?

 

[Gonodactylus]

Yes! It won't get much larger (3 inches is the maximum size for this species) and with that much rock its getting all the small crustaceans it can catch. That doesn't mean that it won't kill a fish, snail, or crab, but if it does, it will probably be an isolated case.

Roy

 

[d4a2n0k]

Thank you! Thats what I wanted to hear. People make these things out to be the devil and that is obviously not always the case. Sort of like Sharks.

My False Perc. Clown sleeps on the sand and he is only a little larger than the Mantis so either hes been lucky or the Mantis has plenty of food as you said. The Clown has been in the tank as long as the Mantis has so hopefully the trend will continue.

To tell you the truth, I would miss the clicking every night while Im on the computer (tank is in computer room) so Im glad he doesnt have to move.

 

[pisces77]

Most smashers would much rather eat a snail or a crab than a $40 fish anyway. Congrats on your find.

 

[mrbncal]

Hey pisces 77 I've seen your avatar around this forum alot along with gonodactylus, and I'm convinced you guys know what your talking about. While I see the appeal of amntis I'm on the other side of hte fence because my LR hitchiker has taken out a number of very long term residents of my reef. I upgrade from a 30 to a 75 fifteen mos ago and brought him in( unknowingly ) on new live rock. Well any way a pair of edible size fire shrimp, 3" friedmani, a tiger pistol and yellow watchman goby and 3 brittle stars(a bright red, a purple and an orange) have all contributed to what has become an elusive (only seen one timein 15 mos) and much louder clicking. AAAHHHHHH ! Not trying to take over this nice persons thread but any suggestions on how to get this homewrecker? I have tracked holes through out the LR and can even tell when hes been in a certain rock( it always pushes an acro frag out of a hole in the rock), but when removed and fresh water is pumped in the hole hes never there. DOH! Help me pisces 77...your my only hope...

 

[Neo-Fight]

Have you tried a trap? You can buy one called an X-terminator. You can find them at Drs Foster and Smith, as well as many other sites - just do a froogle search for "Mantis Trap"

 

[pisces77]

It's a pain, but I usually try and isolate their lair (usually they have a prefered spot). If it is in the LR, remove the whole rock and put in a tub with tank water. Lift the rock above the water and pour soda water into the holes. This usually convinces them to leave their hole and go into the tub. Tracking down the lair is a bit hard in a reef because you probably don't want to move everything, but the traps (mentioned in an earlier post) work much better if they are placed close to their hideout. They are smart and cautious but eventually you should get him. Another trap can be made from a 1L soda bottle. Cut the top off and flip it around so it would act as a funnel into the larger piece of the bottle. Seal it with aquarium silicon, and put a few shrimp pieces or something it may eat. When dealing with mantises, use tongs as they can give you a whack. 2 of mine I bought through my LFS, and both nailed the poor kid trying to bag it for me.

 

[mrbncal]

Thanks ya'll I'll keep tryin.

 

[T-T-Trigger]

Removing the rock that you happen to see it in is the best method, 'usually' when you grab the rock they will hide deeper in it, rather than flee - this is a good thing for aiding capture.

If feasible I (have only had to do it three times with hitchhikers) like to just chisel out the opening a bit (LR is quite fragile) and shake him out in a bucket of tank water.

good luck, and BTW, if you are experiencing such large losses of livestock you may have more than one, just a thought.