I Think I Have A Mantis Shrimp

[JOSEPH SAWAN]

I HAVE A 92 GALLON REEF TANK WITH ABOUT 100 POUNDS OF FIJI LIVE ROCK. EVERYTHING LOOKS GOOD. THE ONLY PROBLEM I HAVE IS FISH DISAPPEARING. I HAVE LOST EIGHT FISH IN THE PAST THREE MONTHS(2 JAWFISH,2 FIREFISH ,1 FLAME ANGEL,I ROYAL GRAMMA,2 BANGAII CARDINAL). I HAVE NOT SEEN A MANTIS SHRIMP, BUT I DO HEAR CLICKING SOUNDS. DO YOU THINK THAT I HAVE A MANTIS LIVING IN THE ROCKS OR COULD THE FISH VANISH THAT QUICKLY FOR ANOTHER REASON. ANY SUGGESTIONS

 

[slylie]

is there nothing left in the tank? like dead fish i mean.

 

[JOSEPH SAWAN]

of the eight fish missing, six were missing without a trace. the other two were found dead,getting eaten by scavengers. i am also missing a few snails ,hermit crabs,emerald crabs/and a peppermint shrimp

 

[traveller7]

Seems like a more systemic problem. What are the water parameters and how long has the tank been set up?

 

[JOSEPH SAWAN]

i'm not sure of all the parameters. I have 16 fish that are doing fine. I have 18 assorted sort corals all doing fine. 2 sea cucumbers,1 sea star, 6 emerals crabs,many snails ,blue leg hermit,two red flame scallops. The fish are clownfish,firefish,pj cardinals,neon gogy,three blenies,two wrasses,hippo tang,royal gramma. I set up the tank with help from local fish store owner,who comes once a month to check the tank and clean. All appears well aside from the occasional missing fish. temp at around78-80 degrees. I have seen three worms of good size,from what I can see. The only other notable thing that happened was when the royal gramma died it was encapsulated in a mucus bubble. Maybe that normal part of dying,sluffing off tissue. I dont know. Still very new at this.

 

[brekurboy1]

do you have a protein skimmer on this tank? hmmmmm. It's gotta be a pretty big mantis if it is a mantis. It takes a hefty mantis to take out a fish as big as a banggai cardinal. Let us know

 

[traveller7]

i'm not sure of all the parameters. .......

It would be good to locate an aquarium club in your area. This one is in Boston:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=116

You'll gain access to significant information on local fish stores in your area and folks that would be willing to help diagnose the problem onsite.

You'll need to get the water parameters checked soon. Possibly a local fish store in your area will perform the tests if you bring in a pint of water?

In my opinion, it is not likely a mantis, but water conditions that are out of wack. "the sound" is frequently caused by snails that are shaking other snails and hermits off of their shells when it hits the glass.

Good luck.

 

[brekurboy1]

Yeah but homeboy has a hippo tang in there. When something goes wrong those are the first to die. That's why I don't think it's necessarily water parameters but maybe O2 content, if not a huge hitchhiker mantis.

 

[dmicro]

I had a similar problem(s) and maybee this will help.
My firefish jumped out, found them later all dried up in crevice of sofa (yours might have had same fate - as well as jawfish).
I also lost a flame angel and a couple others to what I believe was a Mantis because as soon as I caught it (1 1/2 inches long), all my problems with disappearing fish vanished.
A good clue to see if its a mantis is if you have small holes in your dead snails or clams.
I have never seen the Mantis eat a fish, but I have seen it knock a shrimp across the tank with one blow (and remember, it was only an inch and a half long ..Tiny). I think that it's just protecting it's home. The worms and pods made it disappear.
As far as catching the mantis, I removed the "clicking" rock from my tank and he jumped out after 5 mins. Check out my gallery for a picture of him.
Good luck.

 

[Vamplestat]

If it is a mantis it has to be one BIG sucker. Keep us posted

 

[JOSEPH SAWAN]

It seems like the fish are missing 2-3 at a time, then nothing for 2-3 weeks. I usually shine a flashlight each night to look for any unwelcome guests. So far I've removed a large rock crab,thinking it was doing the damage. The deaths continued. I have seen several large worms,but I dont know if they are killers or scavengers. I really enjoy the aquarium with or without the vanishing fish. My kids love it. I'm obsessed eith finding the "mantis shrimp", if there is one.I might secretely buy one and catch it to tell everyone that I hunted it down. Sounds more exciting than poor water quality.

 

[traveller7]

That would be exciting, but IME it does not fit the profile for a mantis.

It does fit the profile for tank cycling, declining water conditions, or even more likely a common marine parasite called "ich".

It would really be best to get the water parameters checked out, and take a look at some of the frequently asked questions here:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=87

Good luck.