Mantis or Pistol?

[Wood_Dog]

Hi all, I'm new here and am still learning...so please bear with me. I have just found a new critter in my tank. I was alerted to him by loud clicking sounds from somewhere in the tank...very loud. I assumed it is a mantis shrimp and waited around to catch a glimpse. Finally saw it and confirmed it is a shrimp...even got a pic this morning. I am surprised how big it is because I have not seen or heard it until now and it has been at least 3 weeks since I last added lr. Anyway, I have heard pistol shrimps also make these noises and are relatively harmless. How can I tell which shrimp this is? And should I remove it to be on the safe side anyway? I only have 2 fish so far, a clownfish and a damsel. Thanks in advance

[Fluff]

It is a mantis. Removal is up to you. If you feed it, it doesn't pose much threat. Most people remove them though since they can't really be trusted and will play havoc on your snail population as well as possibly taking out your other decorative mobile inverts. Lots of people keep them in small nano tanks though. They are very intellegant and actually make nice pets.

[Wood_Dog]

Thanks for that...I will more than likely take it out...if I can catch it. Any ideas? Whats the best way?

[Fluff]

Well, there are several ways you can try. They sell commercial traps for catching them and there are homemade traps made from soda bottles. I'm not sure exactly how to make the homemade bottle trap but a search on here should gain you some other threads on it. http://www.petsolutions.com/X+Termin...-10254-C-.aspx

As a last resort, you could find out which rock he is in and quarantine it in a sperate tank. When he leaves the rock in search of food, remove it.

[StripesTheEel]

Thats a neat pic capture, i have either a pistol or a mantis (most probably mantis) in my 75gal, but have never seen him to get an I.D. or catch him.

[Wood_Dog]

Thanks for the advice Cindy, I will probably try to make a trap and remove it.

Thanks Matt, I could see the mantis ( not very clearly ) behind a rock late last night. My wife saw it this morning and took the pic, so really I haven't seen it properly either...definatly heard it though

[mykpoz]

if you were in the US I'd pay for shipping on him

[Wood_Dog]

mykpoz -I'd ship him to you for nothing...if I could catch him. Starting to think he is smarter than me 8O

[DragonForce]

Wood dog, if you do catch him, please find him a good home.

Many people on here would gladly take him off you hand. Better yet, you could setup a small 5 gal tank for him for really cheap. They make great little friends.


I think its a Gonodactylus smithii, one of the coolest mantis to keep next to the peacock and wennerae

And a little info on the guy:

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthrop...name=g_smithii

[Wood_Dog]

Yeah thats him...thanks for the info. I have had people offer to take him, cant seem to catch him though. Actually starting to think I'll just let him be as long as he doesnt cause too much trouble...which so far he really hasnt.

[DragonForce]

The smithii doesnt get too large and they can be really interactive if you try and offer him some silversiders with a feeding stick 2x a week he will start to come out and say hello to you.

Do you know where his hole is at all? If you feed him silversides from a long wood bbq skewer a few times a week he should leave your snails and other things alone for the most part. I really recommend keeping him, they can work your sand bed similar to a pistol shrimp.

[Wood_Dog]

Havent found his hole but I will try to and will try the feeding
Thanks for the info

[Wood_Dog]

I will keep him if I can get him eating and he leaves the snails etc alone.

[Wood_Dog]

An update for anyone interested. Finally caught the mantis shrimp today after a very long time of trying. He had been trying to get at a turbo snail and then backed under a rock when I saw him. I pushed down on the rock and was able to trap him, I then slid a net under the rock and managed to net him...briefly. He got out of the net and went straight to a hole in one of my rocks. I pulled the rock out of the tank and he dropped into my bucket. Caught

[flanque]

Originally Posted by Wood_Dog

Thanks for that...I will more than likely take it out...if I can catch it. Any ideas? Whats the best way?

I had one that kept darting in and out of a hole in my rock. I didn't know what it was so I just picked it up and threw it out.

Probably a dangerous thing to do in hindsight.

[Wood_Dog]

yeah,lol, lucky your not missing a digit or two You must move pretty fast...no way I could catch this fella by hand. He was super quick

[flanque]

He darted in and out of a hole for like a minute so I just timed it as he came out and grabbed him.

[Wood_Dog]

Well done, probably a bit slower in Sydney hey? Just kidding mate