Mantis Shrimp??

[Fido]

Hello all, this is my first Saltwater tank and wouldn't ya know it, I'm afraid I have a Mantis Shrimp (actually, more than one) in my live rock. I only noticed him a few days ago and he has yet to come out so I can see him fully, and anything resembling a bright light scares him (can't even flash a light on him for a quick glimpse). He has taken to living in a central piece of live rock, and seems to have cleaned out his burrow (grey dust on his doorstep) and even put something in front of his hole. The few times I've seen any part of him I saw two white/grey appendages bobbing around out of his hole in what looked surprisingly Mantis-Insect-Like manner. Now, I haven't heard any 'popping', and the tank doesn't have anything else in it (besides whatever came in on the live rock), but I described this to the guy at the LSF (no, really, he's a knowledgeable guy...he just happens to work for the LSF), and he said it might be a Mantis and to keep an eye out for him to see if I can get any more identifying features. The thing that worries me is that on another piece of live rock in a different part of the tank, I see two more areas that have that grey dust buildups...So, is this possibly a mantis shrimp?

At this moment I'm not too worried about it being a mantis shrimp because there's not much else in the tank, but you know...The sooner he leaves the better...

 

[ginntonic74]

Could be. Use a flashlight with a red lense on it. It wont scare away the critters. Try looking at your tank when the lights have been off for an hour or two. He should be roaming around the tank. If you have one get a trap from your lfs. They are pretty cheap. Good luck.

 

[Fido]

Well, I put some red plastic over the lens of my flashlight and it doesn't scare him as much. Today I got the best look at him ever. I believe him to be brown, and still quite small, probably not more than 1/4". His Antenna/Front Legs were waving out of his hole from all angles. They appear to be gray, or some other lighter color. He actually has a 'door' (a flat piece of sand, LR, or something he found/made) that he put up in the entrance to his hole after I was staring at him for awhile to block out the light (I guess). Do Mantis Shrimps blockade themselves in holes in LR and make doors they can put up and take down?
I'm going to try trapping him with a glass snapple bottle and a piece of cocktail shrimp (suggested by someone I met today who has used this method to success, says to lay the bottle flat with the cap and wrapper off in the bottom of the tank with a piece of shrimp or something in the bottom, make sure he can get to the opening, and by the next morning he'll be inside unable to climb out on the sloped glass to the exit )

I'd love to get a picture of the guy, but since he will hardly come out it's difficult. I'm going to try tonight with the red lense flashlight after dark. I'll know if he's still in his hole if his door is up

 

[Fudo]

red light

red light

Some mantis shrimp see red light better than we do, don't they? I thought they could even see into the infra-red. To really sneak up on it you will need to cover yourself entirely in seaweed, be VEWWWWWY QUIIIIET, and move very slowly. Try and sway back and forth like you are in the surge. Then GRAB his little chitin-plated butt. :lol:

 

[lburns]

If your tank isn't too well established just take the rock out and pour a little bit of carbonated water into his hole. He will come flying out.

 

[Gonodactylus]

Many species such as gonodactylids, odontodactylids and lysiosquillids can see red light quite well. I don't know of any that can see any further into the far red than we can. Infrared - no.

Gonodactylids often use a pebble or piece of shell to close their entrance at night. Often they will re-use it. They certainly select objects that are the appropriate size, but all of my square peg into round hole experiments have failed.

Roy

 

[Fido]

I eventually got whatever the guy was. I tried freshwater dip and spraying directly into his hole with a turkey baster. No effect. Eventually I got fed up and shot near boiling water into his hole.

I won.


(At least I haven't seen him since then, and have yet to loose anything. Well, I haven't seen one of my two scarlet hermit in nearly a week, but I do have TONS of rockwork, and he is normally pretty reclusive anyway...)