Question about mantis vs pistol shrimp...

[b3noodles]

Will a pistol shrimp eat the hermits and snails in our tank or does just the mantis shrimp? We have seen what we thought was a pistol but now our snails and stuff are coming up missing and we do hear popping..maybe clicking sounds from our tank. There are holes under our live rock in the gravel that all the shells are piled up by. We are wondering what is the best way to catch either one of these pests...Any suggestions??? Thanks Sue

 

[DragonForce]

Pistol shrimp are great community inverts. They will not harm your hermits or snails. Both mantis and pistol shrimp use shells for their burrows but if you said they are turning up missing you probably have a mantis shrimp.

You may want to try the tilted glass cup against a peice of LR to catch him.

 

[MantisFreak]

The tilted glass trick won't work for mantis. They can swim very well.

Pistols will decorate their dens with empty shells. They don't kill but they will use the shells.

Mantis will kill snails and crabs.

Are any of the shells broken?

 

[b3noodles]

yes there are quite a few broken shells. How do we know where to look for a mantis we know where the pistol is but never seen a mantis. The shells are on both ends of the tank and some in the back. Thanks again everyone

 

[theatrus]

I had to pull my rock with mantis in them and flush them out with fresh/seltzer water. The mantis came right out though