Ug... mantis shrimp larvae...

[achu]

I'd noticed a bunch of little critters around 4 weeks ago that looked vaguely like the pictures of mantis shrimp larvae pictures on the mantis shrimp website. I didn't think much of it... I mean, they weren't copepods or amphipods or anything that I recognized... but, I figured that there are lots of critters that all look like that...I was wrong..

 

Well, my suspicions were correct. This morning I saw them fighting (they've also grown a little larger than they were 4 weeks ago...) They pull out these relatively large set of pinchers and aggresively "poke" at each other with them... and then retract them.

 

I have a ton of them in my nano. I would like to keep my nano peaceful. What are the chances that they will survive to being adults if I just let them be? I get the feeling that without any predators (like fish) to eat them, I will probably end up with a very scarey tank!

 

So, since they are all still tiny mantis larvae, will it be enough to get an ocellaris clown to eat them? I have enjoyed the stability of lots of copepods and amphipods keeping my tank looking great, but I REALLY don't want those mantis to grow up!

 

Any ideas?

 

achu

[FamousGuy]

since no one else answered i'll take a stab at this..

did you have an adult(s) mantis in there before? how long has the tank been set up? I've noticed pods "poking/chasing" each other before...i wouldnt be too worried personally. My clown only eats the really small copepods off the glass, he wont touch isopods/amphipods. If you are really nervous about it set up a trap, or even borrow a six line wrasse or hawk from someone, they'll clean 'em up (but might kick the clowns ass also)

[gobies]

fyi, no one has succeeded in raising mantis shrimp in captivity...and it's been tried by the best... (as in Dr. Roy Caldwell....)

[reefitis]

funny, i had the same problem, when i first started my tank, i went ahead and bought a rock from the LFS, after a week or so, i noticed many larvae of some kind swimming around in the tank, looking newly hatched. in awe, i let them be. then after about three to four weeks or so, i noticed small shrimps appearing out of everywhere, crawling around with a curled tail. after a few more weeks, i notice molting by the shrimps and some even big enough to see their clubbers which led to the conclusion that i have a mantis tank...hopefully they'll just die off (if raising mantis shrimps in captivity isn't possible???), but i dunno, cuz i still see many of em just crawling in and out of my rocks crevices. i dipped a few of my rocks in high salinity saltwater, but there's still a lot in my tank...my decision? screw it and just leave em

[Metznreef]

borrow somtething alond the lines of a dotyyback to get rid of them. it will decimate your micro fauna population if left in their for long term but it will be effective against the shrimps.