Mantis shrimp question.

[chefinit]

I found a baby mantis shrimp in my overflow filter of all places.
it was really small [ ] <---about that big. I have added a few corals recently, but I have not added live rock for monthes.
My question is:
1.) did it hitchhike on a coral and I was lucky enough to catch it in my filter?
2.)do they hatch from eggs? should I expect more of them to pop up?
3.) because of its size ( I had to look under a magnifying glass to see the hammers.) how old do you think it is? and any way to tell if i have more of them? thanks in advance!!

 

[Gonodactylus]

Without seeing the specimen, I can't identify it. However, if it is over about 8 mm long, it is probably a postlarva or juvenile. Almost all stomatopods are that big when they settle out of the plankton. If it is only 3 or 4 mm as you suggest, it is either not a stomatopod or is a planktonic larva. All stomatopods have a free-swimming larval stage, so if this is one, it probably hatched in the past day or two and there are more. On the other hand, they cannot survive in your system for more than a few days, so don't worry. If you added some coral, my best guess is that there was a female of a small species (some gonodactylids as small as 15 mm can reproduce) such as Gonodactylellus affinis broading eggs. It takes the eggs three weeks to hatch and the larvae stay with the female for another week, molting three times before they become attracted to light and enter the plankton. Since the female can store sperm for a few months, she could have been in the system up to three or four months before laying her eggs.

Roy

 

[digitallinx]

well if one does survive aand you want to get rid of it, LMK...i'll pick him up

 

[chefinit]

Thanks for the response Gonodactylus...I am wondering why you say that they cannot survive in my system? I am hopeing I will not have to hunt them down..thanks!

 

[Gonodactylus]

With a planktonic stage of at least 1 month, I have never seen a stomatopod make it though in a reef tank. The proper planktonic food is not available and filtration systems will do them in. Typically they last two or three days until their yolk runs out.

Roy

 

[chefinit]

I have been hearing clicking from the tank today and yesterday..just a few clacks....every so often...I know it cant be from other small mantis...too small at this stage, the "hammers were very maliable on the one i found..I could not see one that small do any damage much less make noise..I am leaning towards a female/mother in the tank somewhere..I guess I need to give a little background in what is going on in my tank...I have many...many.. fresh hatched snails, I dose every few days with phytoplankton as well. (nanochloropsis, isochrysis,tetraselmis.) and zooplankton. can the mantis survive on this? mother/and or offspring? I am too new to want to try and keep them and will take up Digitallinx's offer to take any surviors if that does in fact happen or i find a parent mantis..thanks again for your responses..Don

 

[Gonodactylus]

Well, the food is probably there for larvae, but they still would have to survive the filtration and cannibalism. Given that a female can store sperm for months, that seems the most likely scenario. Stomatopods cannot store sperm past a molt, so usually they pull off only one fertile batch of eggs if isolated from males.

Roy

 

[chefinit]

Any suggestions as to what to do now...how to find if in fact i have a female..and or other larvae...Don