Weirdest thing we saw

[Xtremedave67]

I was looking in our tank, benn up 7 weeks now. and under a crevis beneath a rock in sandy bottom. Some weird green thing was looking out with 2 tiny eyes on short tenacles. it moved under rock when we had flash light and best description I can come up with is!!!!!
it looked like a combination between a grasshopper without the big legs and a big bug larvea. it scampered pretty darn fast.
couldnt get a Pic yet. but what in the heck is this thing?
wife swears it is a bug and want tank gone LOL (she is not serious just creeped out) LOL

Im gonna scan over the ID pages but I assume it is some invert that I have NO idea how I got

 

[Xtremedave67]

I am considering watching a rerun of MIB, I am certain I can ID there

 

[Greyhound]

...could have been a Mantis Shrimp.

That's my guess.

 

[Xtremedave67]

I was just looking at them in the gallery section....didnt look as colorful as pictures this was definately green, as green as my Culupura....maybe after molting? or a juvenile

 

[edwing206]

+1 on the Mantis
Does it look like this?

 

[edwing206]

Also, if it is a mantis and you want to remove it be CAREFUL. There's a reason they are nick-named "thumbsplitters".

 

[Xtremedave67]

well, not quite the leave like things on its face....eyes were tiny white and if you look closer you can see tiny black slits in eyes that opened and closed.
fleeting glimpse of whole body I couldnt really tell. but maybe an inch long and pretty thick maybe a half inch diameter.
oh and did I mention really green? LOL

 

[Xtremedave67]

how would I catch a thing like this?

thumbsplitter?

 

[estoniangirl]

+1 on the Mantis
Does it look like this?

That is "nasty" and scarry alianated looking...oh and creepy too...Good luck removing that thing :lol: sorry, i'm just glad it's not in my tank....

 

[Xtremedave67]

How in heck would I get one in my tank?

 

[estoniangirl]

where did you get your rock from? could it have gotten throu that or did you add anything new lately?

 

[Greyhound]

It came in on your live rock... ...and so your rock obviously came from the moon.

 

[Xtremedave67]

Rock is only explaination I can come up with. what an ugly little thing. wife did find one picture in a thread that has one pic that makes me pretty sure we have a mantis.
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-03/jf/feature/index.php
I guess some people want these things...Blah.....if I can get him out,someone can have him

 

[krisfal]

How in heck would I get one in my tank?

Likely came in with your live rock, not at all uncommon. The ones that come in the rock typically are not as fancy and colorful as the one shown in the pictures posted on this thread. The one I had was just plain brown, but your description of the eyes makes me think it is a mantis.

To catch mine I had to wait until it holed up in the rock and then removed the rock, put it in a bucket and then convinced the mantis to come out of the rock with a stick.

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38523

 

[Xtremedave67]

contacted the guy I got my LR from...he said Yep he had one, but though it had long been gone, hadnt seen it in forever
So I guess I am the adoptive parent of a bouncy baby green ugly alien submersible bug LOL

 

[estoniangirl]

LOL good luck on that one. atleast the adoption wasnt too expensive

 

[MGDMIRAGE]

Wow wish i lived near i'd take the mantis! Amazing creatures with very high intelligence and perhaps the most advanced eyes there is!

 

[Xtremedave67]

he creeps the Wife out, she is threatening to sleep in other bedroom LOL. and since they are not reef safe, as a newbie to the hobby, I dont need an external factor in learning to keep corals LOL. I am hoping to not kill any all by myself (kidding)

 

[Xtremedave67]

So, by direction of some thread, we made a soda bottle trap, with some brine.

so far I have caught one of our Aptasia eating peppermint shrimp about to enter the trap.

should I start a thread renting the aptasia eating little guy out??LOL

 

[Xtremedave67]

Make that 2 peppermint shrimp officially trapped LOL. well that covers 2 out of 3 known shrimp in this tank, but no ugly green shrimp shipped straight from nevada area 51 LOL