is this a pistol or a Mantis?

[NanoReefWanabe]

little bugger was found hitchiking on ym rock now after about 3 weeks..didnt hear a or see a peep of him until i introduced the cleaning crew..

sounds like what i have been told is a pistol shrimp but man he has his claws right up my Astrea snails butt in this photo...

definate juvenile...as it is only about 1" - 1 1/4" long..

also should i let him be or some how take him out??

i plan to eventually have a couple clowns and a watchman goby in this little 20 gallon of mine..plus a bunch of zoa's shrooms..and other softies will it bother them? will i just have to listen to the very annoying click everytime someone nears his rock?


any fish i can put in there that will eat him? i think he has a friend in a nother rock on the other side of the tank too...

 

[DaveAngie79]

looks like some sort of a mantis but not sure

 

[johnski]

it looks very much like the pistol shrimp alpheus leviusculus

 

[LeslieH]

It certainly does. Unfortunately there's a number of alpheids with the same color pattern so without any information on what part of the world it came from and a specimen it's probably impossible to know what species it is.

 

[saltwater4life1]

i dont know all the types of mantis but it looks more like a pistol shrimp to me just because he has a big claw and a small one IMO,
Hopefully everything works out and you don't lose anything.
Best of Luck,
Nick

 

[graveyardworm]

My vote is pistol shrimp, to the best of my knowledge mantis do not have one large claw.

 

[NanoReefWanabe]

good to know..the rock is Fuji..thanx everyone for easing my mind..

 

[BigRiver]

Post this in the mantis shrimp forum...
Dr Roy will thell you in a jiffy!

 

[dc]

As most others have said, it's a pistol.