lets play Guess Who

[abernier]

Clues:

 

1. some times i hear a single poping noise

2. 3 of my fish have jumped out of my tank(six line,royal gramma, hi fin goby)

3. im not missing any snails

 

all the clues except 2 lead me to belive that it would be a harmless pistol shrimp. when i was laing in bed i heard a POP and then heard the noise of my hi fin goby jumping out. OK so that would mean that it cant be a pistol becuase they are good together. But it cant be a mantis because i am not missing any of my snails.

 

i am really at a loss to what it could be. PLEASE HELP ME!

[allen63]

I don't know much about the pistol shrimps, but if it's a spearer mantis rather than a smasher it may go after your fish and leave the snails alone. But I would think you would be able to see a mantis poking it's head out from under the rocks. Maybe you could lure it out with a silverside on a feeding stick. Were you able to save your jumping fish?

[abernier]

ya i saved it, but then i went back to sleep and it jumped again.

[abernier]

bump

[Caesar777]

Step #1: get a lid for your tank. The fish are jumping because the popping spooks them. Those are all rather jumpy fish, especially the goby. Note on the pistol: may very well be a pistol, since gobies and shrimp pair up only around 50% of the time (according to what I've seen and read). They may just not "like each other".

 

Good points on the spearer mantis--may very well be.

 

How about setting a trap? Mantises can be wily, but it's worth a shot. Pistols aren't so much, I hear, and it very well may be.

[abernier]

what kind of lid do you suggest? i did make a trap, so i will see what happens.

 

Should i put the trap in now or at night?

[Caesar777]

Type of lid...Hmm...Glass? Maybe non-metal screen that would allow air flow--if that exists, heh. Or just get a nice wooden canopy.

 

Anytime is fine, but it may be more effective to put it in at night, since most nasties are nocturnal.

[rissaroo]

You could use the plastic grates(I think they are called light filters, which can be purchased at home depot or lowes.) used to cover office lights cut to fit the inner lip of your tank. Good luck and let us know what you catch.

[Caesar777]

Yeah, that plastic grid stuff. They (or at least we reefers) call it "eggcrate".

[Six]

"They" call it light diffuser.

 

I've seen a spearer mantis eat an urchin. A hard outer covering wont stop any mantis, IMO.

 

Remember there are different locations where gobies and shirmp live, not every species cohabitate in the same area, let alone the same ocean. Some simply aren't compatable. (Think how Pacific clowns don't normally host with Atlantic anemones. Of course, there are ecceptions, but that's the normal rule.)

 

GL