rmalone Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 I have a mantis in a 9 gallon, they are definately a trip. Very interesting to watch them dismantle a snail, brutal is the best word I can find. And yes the eyes, whats weird is that they seem to have cat eye type pupils. Mine will come right out in the open and stare me down, particularly when hungry, thankfully it has been respectful of my fingers while I am cleaning. Link to comment
Nanobuds Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 i am gonna get a mantis tank once i get my nanocube all good and stable. mabey sometime this fall. Link to comment
Cytosol Posted February 24, 2009 Author Share Posted February 24, 2009 Yes, cat eye pupils, thats the best way to describe it.. Just crazy! I wouldn't dream of getting rid of this thing, it's insane. I am thinking of buying an 8G Biocube just for this guy to live in. I am also thinking of a 3G Pico. At its current size, 3G would be plenty since I doubt its more than an inch long, but how long do they take to grow up, and how big do they get? Also, are they reef safe? I know they don't like livestock, but will he pick at corals? Link to comment
BustytheSnowMaam Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 You can offer him a piece of shrimp at the end of a BBQ skewer, he should come out and take it. If he hasn't bothered anything, I'd just leave him alone. I have a mantis in a 30 with 3 other fish and he's never bothered them in the year or so I've had him. He eats little snails and bits of food I offer and that's it. I think it's cruel to pour boiling water and whatnot- a reef tank means diversity, so deal with it. Link to comment
Cytosol Posted February 24, 2009 Author Share Posted February 24, 2009 My means of dealing with it was to squirt boiling water at it! I didn't want to kill it, just get it out of its hole so I could safely relocate it. I will definitely try the shrimp skewer thing though. Link to comment
Alicia Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Speaking of nightmares... ! Link to comment
Clavius85 Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Speaking of nightmares... ! Oh my god. I didn't need to know that they could get that big! Link to comment
Atlantis Reef Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Bah I want the mantis Link to comment
MGDMIRAGE Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 LOL i was sooo waiting for something horrible to happen in that whole video... scary. Link to comment
Ron99 Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Congratulations...you've definitely got a mantis! God...they give me nightmares! I've had clicking too...but nothing missing, so I am assuming it's just a hidden pistol. Goodluck getting the beast out. I heard some clicking in my tank a few times. Turned out it was one of the hermit crabs walking along next to the glass. As it moved it's shell bumped into the glass and made a little clicking sound. So that could be another possibility if you haven't found evidence of a mantis or pistol shrimp. Link to comment
05XRunner Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 i got clicking sound to... no snails, crabs or anything is missing..so i am hoping its just a pistol..I am trying to find it though. if its a mantis I am pulling it out Link to comment
pimp4cheddar Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 Well as I said earlier...I have heard clicking sounds...and even heard them yesterday. So far...3 dead (2 hermit crabs, 1 snail) I found 3 empty snails within the past week. Yesterday I actually found half of the crab's body...something is in my tank and I want that b1tch out Link to comment
Atlantis Reef Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 If it is a mantis I will take it Pimp Link to comment
pimp4cheddar Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 I'll keep you in mind...you'll be the first on my list. I'm thinking of doing the "shrimp in a pantyhose" trap...I really don't want to pull every piece of rock out and look/inspect it... Link to comment
Spickerson Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 I'll keep you in mind...you'll be the first on my list. I'm thinking of doing the "shrimp in a pantyhose" trap...I really don't want to pull every piece of rock out and look/inspect it... What is the "Pantyhose Trap" I have something in one of my rocks; more than likely not a Mantis from the purple/blue shrimp like claw it has. Link to comment
Nosey Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 After seeing that video I now want one... Link to comment
perculaclownfish Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 Definetely a mantis shrimp Link to comment
Cytosol Posted March 1, 2009 Author Share Posted March 1, 2009 A few days ago this guy was clicking like mad crazy. It was LOUD too, like 5 times as loud as when I first heard it.. He went on clicking constantly for a while, and now I haven't heard or seen him for the last 2 days.. What do you guys think? Maybe he molted or something? Link to comment
pimp4cheddar Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 What is the "Pantyhose Trap" The pantyhose trap is where you take a piece of raw shrimp and put it in a piece of pantyhose...tie the pantyhose and leave it in the front of your tank. The shrimp will come out after the lights go out and try to eat the raw shrimp...it will then get stuck...HOPEFULLY! Link to comment
Atlantis Reef Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 Keep me posted! And good luck Link to comment
Mercuryne Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 CYtosol, a year ago i was in the same situation you are in now.. knew i had a mantis .. and wanted him out of my new setup, but couldnt seem to catch him.. after buying two traps at the LFS and watching him defeat both i finally built one with a regular plastic water bottle. it took my mantis about ten seconds to go into the trap after the piece of shrimp i had inside the water bottle trap. if you go to page 8 of my thread you can see how i did it. pretty simple really. after i caught mine i kept him in a bucket for awhile.. no powerhead, no heater.. nothing. and he survived. then i put him in piece of gladware, ducktaped the lid on it and overnighted him to a kid in the midwest. cool idea to start a pico and keep him... had i not been such a beginner i might have kept mine too. Good luck on catching yours. Link to comment
jds Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 Ok I want to thank everyone for this great thread. I have lost 2 snails and 4 hermits in the last week and just tonight after a water change I see this creaping out of the rock! Any idea on what this is? I saw a pincher/claw at some point but didnt get a pic. He is kinda hairy too! Link to comment
Cytosol Posted March 1, 2009 Author Share Posted March 1, 2009 Thanks for the advice, Mercuryne. Can you please post a link to that thread? I tried the bottle technique but was unsuccessful.. However, I will definitely give it another try. The problem I am having is I am unable to entice this guy to come out of his hole with any food. I guess he has plenty of whatever it is he is eating. I have not lost any hermits or snails yet (that I can see) but he still seems to be healthy and poppin' away. jds: Are you able to take better pictures? I can't see for the life of me what you are looking at.. Can you circle the area that you are curious about? Link to comment
ajmckay Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 Hmm... If I'm looking at the right spot on the pictures it looks hairy... which means it's a crab of some sorts. Link to comment
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