HELP!!!!!! MANTIS SHRIMP (1 Viewer)

[charles]

I thought the darn thing was gone. I haven't heard it tapping for 2 months now. I was gone for the weekend and my clam was gone. I am going to take each rock out and soak it in fresh water. I was wondering how ling to saok the rock? I was thinkng about 15 to 20 minutes!?!? Will this this be long enough or go for longer or shorter time? Thanks in advance!!!!!!

 

[Cakepro]

Goodness, that's a little extreme. Only soak your live rock in freshwater for 15 minutes if want to effectively kill everything beneficial about your live rock.

Are you absolutely sure a mantis shrimp killed your clam? If it were my tank, I'd just be watchful until you have positively identified that you have a mantis shrimp in your tank.

~ Sherri

 

[charles]

I am sure that is what it is. The number of lost hermit crabs and snail are terrible. Also the shells had large hole in them. The only other reef inhabitants are: yellow tang, blue cromis, coral bradid shrimp, serpent starfish, and a purple reef lobster. I cant see any of these individuals being the problem. If I am wrong let me know.

 

[Trey]

Hello Charles,

Before you tear down your tank and risk everything beneficial on your live rock, you might check into a mantis trap. Below are a few links that might help. These are just a few hits from a quick google search of "mantis shrimp trap." You might also check with your LFS. Some rent fish traps and might also rent shrimp traps.

Good Luck,
Trey

www.seahorse.org/library/ articles/DIY/diyMantisTrap.shtml
www.northcoastmarines.com/TRAPS.htm

 

[charles]

I am not even sure where it is. I saw it once but it jumped out of that rock. That was 2 months ago. Sice i didn't here the tapping sound and i havent bought hermits or snails i thought it died. I tried the bottle and it didnt work. What next?

 

[Trey]

Hello Again Charles,

I hate to wax philisophical but, if at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Reefing is a passion that breeds patience. I would definately spend more time trying to trap the little devil before I went for the more extreme route. Your call though. Only you can make that decision.

If you dismantle your rockscape, you might try the process quoted below, supplied by one of the on-line rock suppliers. I think this would be much safer for the beneficial organisms.

Before (or after) curing your newly arrived live rock, you can submerse the new rock into a bucket filled with saltwater with a specific gravity of 1.035 to 1.040 for one minute. Any invertebrates including: mantis shrimp, bristle worms, and crabs, will quickly evacuate from the rock into the bucket of water. Bristle worms still attached to the rock can be removed with a pair of needle-nosed pliers or tweezers. After removing the live rock from the bucket, you can then sort through the invertebrates in the bucket that you will want to add to your system, and discard all of the unwanted pests.

Good Luck,
Trey

 

[Guest]

I would try to locate the Mantis first....isolate it in a certain rock or a couple....Then dunk those rocks......You can try the traps, but they are one of the most intelligent of the little sea critters, and once the trap misses them, they will not be succeptable to trapping again.

I saw the beady little eyes poking out of a rock in my aquarium, so I took out the rock, set it in a bucket of cold RO water for about 5 seconds, and he shot out like a bullet. HTH.

 

[HolyBanana]

If you take the rock out of the water and leave out of the water for about 20 minutes it should also get the mantis out. At least that way you dont lose other life forms on the rock due to a mantis.