Uninvited guest, the mantis shrimp.

[HTNguyen]

This morning, the feeding time, with a cup of coffee on my hand and enjoy my tank, suddenly, I saw a light green small creature run from one rock hole to the other. It's a mantis shrimp. I didn't buy it. The shrimp is about 1" long. I heard, some time, that this creature can catch, and eat small fishes, and capable breaking tank glass. I think I like the shrimp, and hope the story I heard is not true. Need to know what I should do . Thanks

 

[reefman069]

they are very cool. they have a very nasty punch and can break glass tanks.

 

[kpiotrowski]

2 main types of "boxing gloves" they have ( look em up) not sure wich is more likely to break glass but I read WAY back when they could break 3/4 thick, which to me is unbelievable.

 

[BARRON]

The smashers can break glass, and I have heard the green ones are the ones that can cause more damage because they get bigger. I have a 4" peacock mantis in a glass tank and it hasn't been an issue. I've also heard it is really rare for them to break glass and haven't found a single case of it actually happening.

 

[NanaReefer]

However it is true that they can & do eat fish. You could try target feeding it some small meaty food.


Sent from my iPhone 4s via Tapatalk.

 

[HTNguyen]

is there a way to catch the shrimp?

 

[HTNguyen]

Is there a way to cach the shrimp?

 

[snoozer]

They are an incredibly cool little animal. But they are scary. There are smashers and stabbers. Either way, I would keep my fingers away from it. There are lots of YouTube videos on them.
I bet you could catch it in a simple fish trap made from a plastic water bottle. There are a lot of YouTube videos on DIY fish traps also.

 

[spieszak]

if you know what rock its hiding it, and you can get the rock out, apparently pouring soda water over the rcok will it come out of the rock...
at least i've read that before. they are smart, and they have better vision than we do, so, a bottle trap might work, or it might be able to see too well that its a trap.
if you do get it out, there are a lot of folks that keep them so, if you can throw it in the sump or whatever, i'm sure someone would take him off your hands.
i've seen some pretty amazing pics of what smashers have done to glass and acrylic alike. don't trust a bottle or a thin walled acclimation box to keep a smasher 'trapped' for long.

 

[spieszak]

oh, and off topic, but where did you get your live rock? haven't seen anyone local post about a hitchhicking mantis in a while...

 

[NanaReefer]

oh, and off topic, but where did you get your live rock? haven't seen anyone local post about a hitchhicking mantis in a while...

Great question! Definitely a need to know


Sent from my iPhone 4s via Tapatalk.

 

[Shane and John]

Florida Gulf Coast Rock is where many Reefers are getting Hitch Hiker Mantis Shrimp as of late. If you Catch the Mantis, and are not going to keep it, send me over a PM. I would be more than happy to give him a Quality Home

 

[HTNguyen]

I bought the hug rock with stony coral from Bainbridge island man who quit reef hobbie. The shrimp is living inside the stony coral.

 

[HTNguyen]

Thank you. I'll keep this message in mind.

 

[HTNguyen]

It's living in side the stony coral . can soda hurt the coral?

 

[HTNguyen]

I bought the rock from a Bainbridge Island man year ago.