possibly mantis?

[Unfair Advantage]

Just saw this thing go shooting out from some rock to the top of a powerhead. Sat there long enough for me to take a few pictures and then ZOOM! gone back behind the rock.

I was afraid right away when I saw it that it was a mantis, and had half a mind to just suck it outta there with something, but didn't...

It's maybe an inch, but I'd say not quite even. I have never heard any "clicking" from the tank. I'm doing the reef thing, so I suppose if it is a mantis, I should get him outta there. I've read up on traps, and guess that's what I'll have to do if it is, as well. Any suggestions are welcome (I won't be removing rock, however as the piece he's in is about 15lbs and cavernous/wonderful and I don't want to bust it up and the idea of shooting fresh water in a hole and hoping he comes flying out an end I'm not on is not appealing =/ )

If it's a mantis and anyone wants it, once caught I'll send it out.

http://tyt-priv.recongamer.com/maybemantis.jpg

 

[Unfair Advantage]

...on second thought, can I feed it to my BTA?

 

[MERCEDES]

MANTIS

MANTIS

I would not feed it to your BTA unless you kill it first. These things are nasty! We had one that wreaked havoc on us for over a year. Watch for holes in hermit crab shells. We had this, ours turned out to be a "smasher" type. Which can actually crack glass and break our bones. NICE HUH?:mad2: You need to get it out before it gets real big. I know you said you don't want to take the rock out but this is the best way. When our tank leaked we pulled everything out and the rock we thought it was in we just put it in an old salt bucket and waited. After a short time which seemed like forever, with GLOVES on I picked up the rock and there it was! Running around in circles at the bottom. We put it in a 10 gallon and after 2 days of watching it, amazing but MEAN little buggers, we took to our LFS and fed it to some Triggers. They definitely enjoyed it. It was not a colorful one so they did not want it to sell. We tried the traps, spent hours at night waiting with a little spear and tweezers all to no avail. They are smart and so fast! Everytime we tried to get it the mantis would go to a different rock. Sorry this was so long, we are still wonder when putting our hands in if your going to get attacked. They are kind of like the Reefers own JAWS! :wavehand:

 

[dwarfatize]

That is a cute little mantis. I would keep it and put it in a little 2 gallon or so. They are awsome pats and require very little work.

 

[Drew_P]

Definetly a mantis, looks like Haptosquilla trispinosa. Although im not 100% since its small and the pic is kinda blurry, it could be any species.

I would try luring it out with some shrimp or something, if that doesnt work.. try a trap.

 

[Unfair Advantage]

I made a trap out of a liter bottle with a hole cut about 3" from the bottom and dumped a cube of frozen brine in it. I'm hoping he'll go for it... If that doesn't work I guess I'll try a commercial trap.

When you say "try luring it out w/ some shrimp" are we talking about one I can buy from the grocery store or what?

I don't want to keep it. It's not my kind of "pet" =/ .

 

[Drew_P]

Yes, I buy shrimp from the grocery store and use tongs to feed my mantis, they come to the front of there tank and take it from the tongs.
If i need to move them, I put shrimp in on tongs and net them when they come to eat.

HTH.

btw just realized your in columbia, if you have nowhere for the mantis to go i can probably take it.. i was just in columbia last night its about 20-25 from here.

 

[Unfair Advantage]

If I can catch it, you're more than welcome to come and get him

 

[lilswanwillow]

sheesh, why do so many people have vendettas against mantises...?!?!?!

mine was a smasher, and lived in a nano with fish and snails and hermits

if you keep them fed, they don't do ANY damage, except to the occasional snail.

after the nano, he went into my 29, which had shrooms (no hard corals yet), clown gobies, and a scooter... he never attacked anything, and was great!!!!

I go by the theory, if you feed him, he'll be FINE!!! and since they are SO abundant on reefs anywhos, its not that big of a deal...

now spearers, I wouldn't trust around fish, and smashers you only have to replace snails and hermits, and maybe any small crabs you have

 

[lilswanwillow]

and they won't purposley smash the glass... most are WAY to small, theres only a few spp that do that, look it up on here using glass smasher as your search words...
small hitchicker species can't physically smash glass

 

[Unfair Advantage]

sheesh, why do so many people have vendettas against mantises...?!?!?!

Well, I suppose it's because of their reputation. I'm glad you are happy with yours and haven't had any problems. However, I'm not sure if that's entirely the norm. Based on the information I've seen, it's pretty clear they should be kept in an aggressive only style of set up.

...and it won't stay small like that forever. I'd rather not have him get any bigger

I guess to sum it up, I'd rather not take the risk.

 

[lilswanwillow]

different species stay small, mine died of old age at 2 inches.

if you find out the species, you can see how big they get... many do stay small if they are smashers.

its the spearers that get long... and those I won't keep in a fish tank.

if you have a mantis, and its a smasher, and its well fed, AND its in with fish at least twice its size

its safe.

there ARE many others on here that have done the same thing, but the minute that you let it go without food, it can get nasty, yes...

but, I will stand by certain guidelines to keeping them with fish.

 

[Drew_P]

If it becomes annoyed, this can as-well provoke it to smash your glass.

the common for hitch-hikers are p.ciliata.. since his is small it has a possobility of being numerous sp.

 

[lilswanwillow]

hmmm, yes, if it gets annoyed, it can smash the glass, but most aren't strong enough to break glass on medium to large aquariums... and small species are fine in small aquariums....

like I said, do a search in this forum, its been talked to death!!!!

 

[Unfair Advantage]

Well, I pulled the bottle trap out, didn't catch a thing in 2 nights...

I'll try getting some shrimp from the local Giant and see if that does any good.

I saw the little bugger out again today, lurking around one of my Astrea's...I tried (don't laugh) to suck it up with a large Pipette as that was the only thing handy (nets are downstairs w/ the QT ) and he just went into a hole and poked his wavy eyes out and looked to be laughing at me. So I squirted him and he decided to dash off.

 

[biomekanic]

you could also try feeding him either frozen (thawed 1st of course) or rehydrated krill. if you keep him fed, a krill or so everyday, he should be harmless. remember, it was his rock a long time before it was yours.

 

[Unfair Advantage]

haha.

haha.

remember, it was his rock a long time before it was yours.

You make it sound like there's a jihad going on in my tank...


I bought some shrimp from the grocery store, and dangled it in there w/ some tongs until my hand got tired. He didn't come out at all. Should I do this at night instead? Or does it/should it matter?

ME = US
MANTIS = IRAQ

Yes, it is his country (well, rock...semantics =p)! But his rock was harboring terrorists (shrimp)! I cannot stand by and allow that to happen! I created the DoRD (Department of Reeftank Defense- and elected myself as Dept. head honcho) and guarantee all members of this great nation (tank) safety and that we WILL hunt down and bring these terrorists (shrimp) to justice! First, I will bait the terrorist with smelly and delicious treats, which, after many hours of intense psychological research, is the supposed weakness of all terrorists (shrimp).

If that doesn't work, I guess I'll make peace with the little bugger and do some supply drops on his lands (we call this "Aid" in the DoRD).

In other words, yes I will keep it well fed and hope it doesn't get annoyed.

 

[biomekanic]

I had one in my tank for well over a year before I found him, I lost a lot more snails (margaritas) to falling off the glass and getting stuck overnight, than I did to him. I only found him when he came shooting out of the red when I fed some live, enriched brine to the tank as a treat.
I'm sure the DoRD will find that a treaty of cohabitation, will in the long run, be more advantageous.

 

[Unfair Advantage]

HAHAHAHAH!

HAHAHAHAH!

Well, it's 10:45AM this morning, and I roll out of bed thinking "oh, jeez I'm late feeding everyone!" in my 3 tanks.

Stumbling downstairs, my wife is cleaning the house, daughter is out back playing. I feed everyone, and go to take the morning constitutional on the john next to my office where the tank is...oh, I'd say about 5' away.

I look over at the tank, and ZOOM! Sir Speedy Mr. Mantis comes out from somewhere to land on the cord to one of my PH's. I jump off the john mid-stream, grab a net and ensnare yon shrimp!

My wife is still giggling after watching me, drawers half down, buttcheeks squeezed, take it to the sink and put it in a tupperware container.

SO...if anyone who posted before about wanting to take it is still interested, please contact me via PM and I'll give you the particulars. He's pretty tiny, and reddish. I'll try and get some pictures of him as well later (I've got to get off and go clean the house before my wife freaks out ).

 

[Terminalnetworks]

ok, guys.... first off, i am fairly new to reefkeeping whit that said i caught 1 mantis when i added my rock to my tank and gave him to the LPS, they inturn lost him somewhen in one of their tanks...LOL anyway i suspect that i still have a mantis in the prowl in my tank. I am not sure but the debris of crab legs and broken shell seems to be a tell tail sign that something is having my crabs for lunch. I do have a few pistol shrime in my tank and i was wondering if they may be the culprits?? I dont know what they eat and i hear them snapping away during the day and night. i have yet to see this elusive mantis so i am not sure is he exists.... maybe i have a rare breed of suicidal crabs???

any thoughts??
Chris