Question on Mantis Shrimp

[Genetics]

I don't have any TBS rock in my tank, I believe its all Fiji. Anyways I had 5 clams in the tank and three weeks ago I started hearing mantis clicks. Now 2 of my clams passed away. They were healthy the day before they both died. Could a mantis cause this? I can't find any real reason why they would have died otherwise.

Good news is that I haven't heard any clicks since I pitched the last clam, so maybe if he was causing the problem he got pitched with it.

 

[Genetics]

Anyone?

 

[Vili_Shark]

The clicking can be also Pistol shrimps.
You should check at night what you got in your tank.
Put a trap at night after not feeding the tank the whole day.

Did ya see any signs on the dead Clams?

 

[Genetics]

The bottom looked odd, there was a whole in it but I figured that might be from it starting to degrade.

What do baby pistol shrimp look like??

 

[Julio]

traps dont work too well for mantis, you might want to attach a silverside to a string in one corner of yoru tank when the lights go out and check it a few mintes later to see which kind of shrimp it is. If a mantis is in there then try and catch it as the can do some damage to clams by cracking their shells.

 

[Snail Guy]

Did both clams have a hole? If so, this may indicate the presence of a predatory mollusk, such as a muricid. (Other snails may bore holes too but are less likely in an aquarium.) After a meal, they may not be hungry again for several weeks. So, if you see any questionable snails lurking about, isolate them and post a picture on Dr. Ron's forum.

Cheers,
Bob

 

[Genetics]

I haven't seen any odd snails within the tank. I will continue, though, to look for anything suspicious like that.

Thanks for the info guys
Nate

 

[Shinobi9P]

How big were the clams? Generally mantis shrimps grab the food and carry it back into their "lair" where they break open the clams and eat the foot and other contents, I don't think a mantis shrimp is the culprit in this case, unless the clam shells were broken, etc. The clicking sound may be from a (club) mantis, a pistol shrimp, or countless other things, don't instantly blame the mantis.

 

[Genetics]

Yeah that's what I have started to think. I just remember having a mantis from some rock way back in the day and how much work that was. I stumbled across a forum that was talking about Manits eating clams and it was coinciding with the time I started to hear the clicks again.
The clams were 5 inches and 4 inches and died within 5 days of each other but my other three are doing fine. Could it be my lighting? I have a 250w 20k xm with 150w atinics on my 29g tank (i have a 40g rubbermaid refugium to help keep it cool). Both were at the bottom of the tank on the sand. Could it have been the lights getting old? The XM is only 10 months old and I thought they were good for 16?