Mantis or Pistol???

[AndyF]

Help me please..... I'm not sure what I have in my tank! There are three shrimp about 1 inch long putting holes all over my live rock. I can't see them clearly enough to ID other than they have stripy bodies and use a small pincer to break the rock. From what I've managed to see I think they are pistol shrimp but I thought they only live in the sand which makes me think they might be mantis shrimp. Any ideas?

 

[bribo12]

Help me please..... I'm not sure what I have in my tank! There are three shrimp about 1 inch long putting holes all over my live rock. I can't see them clearly enough to ID other than they have stripy bodies and use a small pincer to break the rock. From what I've managed to see I think they are pistol shrimp but I thought they only live in the sand which makes me think they might be mantis shrimp. Any ideas?

Pray they are not mantis. By the way you describe it sounds like they are pistols which are fine. Are you hearing a clicking noise? Mantis shrimp(actually not a shrimp but a stomatopod) do not have pincers but clubs they use to break shells and rocks to Make burrows.

 

[AndyF]

Pray they are not mantis. By the way you describe it sounds like they are pistols which are fine. Are you hearing a clicking noise? Mantis shrimp(actually not a shrimp but a stomatopod) do not have pincers but clubs they use to break shells and rocks to Make burrows.

Thanks for your reply.

Yeah I am hearing clicking noises. They have little pincers with a little white on the tip. I saw one of them using it yesterday to break a bit of rock. It's so hard to see them cos all I actually see is them scurring through the tunnels they have made. If they are pistols, will they bother my micro hermits?

 

[bribo12]

Thanks for your reply.

Yeah I am hearing clicking noises. They have little pincers with a little white on the tip. I saw one of them using it yesterday to break a bit of rock. It's so hard to see them cos all I actually see is them scurring through the tunnels they have made. If they are pistols, will they bother my micro hermits?

They might if the hermits get to close to their burrow. I also doubt they are mantises because you would be losing inverts and they would probably dwindle down to 1 eventually.

 

[AndyF]

They might if the hermits get to close to their burrow. I also doubt they are mantises because you would be losing inverts and they would probably dwindle down to 1 eventually.

Ok. Thanks very much. I haven't lost any yet and my peppermint shrimp haven't been bothered either. I won't then get into panic mode and start ripping out my live rock. Thanks.

 

[bribo12]

No problem good luck!