Hi,
We recieved a box of LR 2 days ago
The rock is full of life, which is great, but we also found a Mantis Shrimp..
Now the options were limited, dispose of it ( not an option for me ) or set up the nano we had the clowns in.. os he is in the 38lt nano with some LR.
Now I would normaly do my reseach on the fish first for some time before getting the fish.... not this time.
Can someone tell me what they eat and how much, how often??
The Mantis Shrimp isn't actually a shrimp it's a Stomatopod - and not only do they tend to be highly aggressive - they will eat just about anything - thier name in the salt water community is "thumb splitters", becuase they will often go after aquariust cleaning their tanks - as my friend unfortunately found out. I have been told that they can crack glass aqauriums with their powerfull claws?? - the bottom especially as they look for food - they are burrowers. They can also get quite large over time 8" or more. I would do significant research on reef web sites before you actually consider keeping this animal - most Mantis Shrimp come on LR as very few aqauriust choose to buy them.
Depending on the species, spearer or basher, depends on your main food source. Bashers will eat primarily crustaceans, while spearers eat primarily fish. It might be a good idea to go to the reef central website as they have an entire section of their forums devoted to stomatopods.
Thats ok Lucy,
Now I think we have 1 in the DT... I put some LR in the tank, did a WC, and I could hear some clicking ... sounded like something tapping on the glass..
spearer, basher, thumb splitter?
Hypnox, didn't you just get one of these?
(Sorry Pete, I don't mean to hi-jack)
Yep, I did recently adopt one of these guys as a pet. A gonodactylus platysoma species that stays relatively small. I spent about 6 weeks seriously researching stomatopods before adopting one. However, in cases like this, you get one with your LR and don't have the option of a ton of research. If we can identify it through a posted picture or Peterpiper IDing with the provided website then it is possible to give better advice on the care of that specific species. Just like every species of fish is unique, so are stomatopods.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Peterpiper
Thats ok Lucy,
Now I think we have 1 in the DT... I put some LR in the tank, did a WC, and I could hear some clicking ... sounded like something tapping on the glass..
This could be a stomatopod, however pistol shrimp can make this sound as well as they click their larger claw together.
Rock on dudes and dudettes, lets get this little guy ID'd and give him the best care possible.
I know its not the best pic, thats why I didnt post it before.
He looks to be doing will, we put 1/2 a white bait ( small fish used for fishing around 3" long ) and he ate it. He has made his home under the LR, and can see his head and tail come out every now and then.
I found a couple of amazing videos on YouTube that shows how dangerous some species can be. The first one is from a couple of years ago and I've seen it a few times. The second is newer. You can actually hear the mantis shrimp attacking a crab. Amazing video!!
So ya...the lesson?? Keep your fingers away from any mantis shrimp.
Ok so I wont be moving things in the tank by hand.... as I need them to hold my beers!
Was thinking about getting some feeder shrimps for him, would they be ok?
Hey i just find out by pete's very useful thread that i have a REALLY SMALL one of those black shrimp in my tank. So far i havent been nipped but he is so small he couldnt hurt m,e if he tried.
if you find a mantis always flush it down the toilet
Please don't do that - one man's trash is another man's treasure. There is an article in one of the mags on keeping mantis shrimp and how cool they are.
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spearer, basher, thumb splitter?
