Is it possible to have a mantis in your reef for a year and not notice?

[mandrin13]

I have a reef with about 75lbs of live rock.Its been about a year since i added any live rock,but today something happened that I think may have been done by a mantis.

I have a gold headed sleeper goby that has been very healthy.But within the last 2-5 hours he got a big puncture wound about an inch or two from his tail fin.It goes all the way through and its all red around it.

Could it have been done by a mantis?like a spearer,I have a dsb about 4 inches deep.I have nothing in there that could have done that(that I know of).Please help.

Oh,my mom thinks I put a mantis in my reef .Its because iv been looking into setting up a mantis tank and there have been two at the store.But who has a mantis in there 55g reef.

 

[Thurge]

I know of a gentelman that so fell in love with a monster Peacock, he put it in his 120 reef. He was going to kept it fed but if it took someone out, so be it.

Yes its entirely possible you could have a mantis for a year and not know it, though doubtfully a spearer.

 

[mandrin13]

Okay,he was doing extremely bad and my brittle star was going after him.he was thrashing around like he was possesed so I euthanized him.

I just have no idea what could have made a hole that big(1/4 inch) right thru him besides a mantis.

I have a trap out and if I ketch anything Ill probably keep it.It has some shrimp and frozen food like mysis and brine shrimp.

 

[dantodd]

I have something in my 72 also. I can't keep any benthic fish for more than a couple days. In fact, whatever it is will also kill and eat other sleeping fish too. It's been in my tank for atleast 4 years. I recently assumed it must have died since nothing in my tank had been killed in a couple years so I added a gold headed sleeper about 5" long 2 months ago. He didn't make it past his first night in the tank. No body no nothing in the morning. Nothing on hte floor, nothing in the overflow, nothing anywhere. Then about a week ago I noticed that half of my coral beauty's tail was simply gone. It's grown back now but I suspect he had to find a new sleeping location. Maybe someday I'll find out what is living in my tank.....

 

[Thurge]

Mandrin
I would possibly look into a bacterial infection.

Dantodd
You don't have a Big reen britle star do you? They are notorious predators when they get somem good size on them.
I would stake out the tank with some red lights and figure out what was killing off my benthic fish. You could be dealing with a Eunicid work.
Checkout the I found a hitchhiker mantis thread just a few threads down.

 

[mandrin13]

I put a trap out and guess what I caught?

about 50 blue legs 2 astreas and 3-4 bristle worms.No mantis.yet.

the guy at the lfs is almost positive its a mantis.I think Ill be out at night with some red lights to.

 

[dantodd]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7757247#post7757247 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Thurge

Dantodd
You don't have a Big reen britle star do you? They are notorious predators when they get somem good size on them.
I would stake out the tank with some red lights and figure out what was killing off my benthic fish. You could be dealing with a Eunicid work.
Checkout the I found a hitchhiker mantis thread just a few threads down.

Yeah, I noticed that thread. I guess the 20oz coke bottle trap I tired wouldn't be nearly enough for that THING!

I have no known predators in the tank. Just my mated clarkii, a yellow tang and a coral beauty. A few snails and a ton of xenia and shrooms make up the rest of the known 72gal universe.