How do you know if you have a mantis shrimp in your tank? (1 Viewer)

[toefu]

I've always had this worry that I have a mantis in the tank, this is why:

For some of my smaller and more fragile fish:
firefish, royal gramma, bicolor blenny, and even Copperband now,
All went missing, even though they were eating very well, in the last 12 months.

Why i believe it may be a mantis,
corals are doing wonderful, I do hear OCCASIONAL rock clapping noises in the night.

Why I can't really verify that i do have one:
my yellow tang, 2 perculas, sixline wrasse, mandarin have been with me for a year and a half now with never a fin tear or anything along those lines. I've never seen a mantis shrimp in my tank. My snail population does not seem to drop, I can't find a "graveyard" of shells or bones anywhere.

In my tank I also have a breeding group of serpent stars, plenty of hermit crabs. I just can't put my finger on the problem. what do you think? Thanks for any help

 

[cparka23]

can you think of anything that might account for the rock clapping noises?

 

[Guest]

So since your fish went missing ( I know the feeling, we only lost a Bi-Color, but yet to find anything, and we know he didn't jump for I have looked everywhere outside the tank, and have taken all the rock out of the tank, still no skeleton) so that would be a spear.

Rock clapping, that would be the popping of snails from a banger.

So which one is more likely?

Nathan

 

[DonnieKim]

Green serpent stars are known to eat some fish, at least that is what I've read.

Donnie

 

[Guest]

Smashers will eat fish to. Where did you get your LR from? Try to locate the rock with the sound. or set a trap and see if you catch the mantis. Oh and if you have one I want it!!

 

[Guest]

try this and see if you catch anything. http://www.seahorse.org/library/articles/DIY/diyMantisTrap.shtml
It shouldnt hurt to put it in for a day or two to see if there is any thing.

 

[Rick]

Kim,

I saw your comment about the green serpent... I have some brittle stars in my tank, will they also cause a problem?

 

[djreef]

Common rule of thumb - sea animals are like 1 year olds - if it will fit in their mouth they'll try and eat it. Take a peice of shrimp the size of your smallest fish. If the biggest star can get it down, then you have your answer.

DJ
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[Guest]

djreef, not always true. I have 4 gobies all about .5 or smaller inches and my leaffish wont even give them the time of day. The shrimp the leaffish eat are the same size or bigger.

 

[Rick]

DJReef,

Sent you a PM somtime last week about collecting some gobies near your home... I'm not sure my PMs are going through, Kim told me mine didn't get through to her either. I'm still interested in collecting one day if you've got the time.

Thanks
Rick

 

[incysor]

Green serpent stars are pretty well know fish killers. I lost 3 fish before I figured it out. I ordered them online and they were marked reef-safe...Guess that just means they won't bother your corals. :-o

The brown/red or grey one's seem to be much less agressive. I've had 3 of these in my tanks with no problems at all.

 

[Rick]

The brittle stars only come out at night... Not the greatest addition to my tank, never see them in the daytime. I think they're reproducing though, I saw something in my tank that looked like a little star during the day (about as big as the last appendige on your pinky finger), what brought my attention to it, was that it was spewing out this yellowish colored die or something, and it was standing up on all it's legs. Very strange, it crawled into a whole and have'nt seen it since.

 

[incysor]

Hmmm...My serpent stars come galloping out whenever I feed...They're not as fast or as pretty as the green ones I had, but my fish feel safer.

 

[Guest]

*gulps* Green brittles = bad ????? Hurms...maybe that explains my missing tiny yellow goby's. X-( Gah! And I feed it tons of seaweed, why on earth would it want my fish too? *la sigh*

 

[toefu]

hmm, thanks for all the replies. here goes:

My serpents can take down large large shrimp. Back when i was feeding my anemone's shrimp, everynow and then a piece would escape the anemone (cause my clown was crazy and would knock the shrimp out of his home) and the serpents would hurry and grab them right away.

Mine are regular brownish/red serpents, not a pretty fancy color.

I would try the mantis trap, but i fear that the cleaner shrimp would take it out. I also find it strange that one of my cleaner shrimp is now missing.

I hate to individually remove rocks and test them but seems i have no choice.

 

[Guest]

And I feed it tons of seaweed, why on earth would it want my fish too? *la sigh*

Don't you like to have a main course with your salad?

 

[incysor]

*gulps* Green brittles = bad ????? Hurms...maybe that explains my missing tiny yellow goby's. X-( Gah! And I feed it tons of seaweed, why on earth would it want my fish too? *la sigh*

Actually that was the 2nd fish I lost to them. I also lost a catalina goby, and a very stupid false perc.

B