Mantis Shrimp?

[mattmku]

After placing some new live rock in my tank about 5 days ago I looked down and realized I had what i thought could be a mantis shrimp. I'm not exactly sure if it is a mantis or a pistol and I haven't seen him since that first day. Today i was by the tank and i heard some popping/clicking noises. It wasn't rapid clicking, just a few random clicks and then it stopped. I've read that random clicking is what the pistol shrimp does.

Is this true, and what other ways of identifying this shrimp is there?
I know it isn't good to keep mantis shrimp but is a pistol shrimp ok the keep?

Thanks
Matt

 

[XXFirefighter]

Both are bad and good...
What do you want to keep in the tank?

 

[jamal-188]

I have a couple different pistols in my 110g reef and they have never harmed anything.

I also have a 5" mantis is a little tank and wouldn't trust him with anything. He is pure evil

 

[mattmku]

Right now i have a yellow tail damsel and green chromis. No chorals. I have a 20 gallon tank now and i'm planning on using it as a quarentine tank in the near future.

 

[EL Diablo]

how much live rock do you have? Cant be much in a 20. You could do a dip.
that would take care of that. Might also kill things you want on the Rock.

I've got more than one Mantis or Pistol in my tank. whichever it is, he never comes out so I have never seen him. I did catch a Mantis in the bag the LR came in.

I have 3 small chromis in my tank now and I guess I'll see if anything happens.

If the Mantis is small I dont think your fish will have much too worry about until it gets bigger. They will kill your crabs and I am guesing snails.

I have crabs and snails and no one has become a victim as far as I can tell. I am hoping my popper is a Pistol.