Hermit crab eating bug

[Bifferwine]

Hi,
At night my fiance and I usually take a look at our tank under the lunar lights, and tonight we saw a blue legged hermit crab being held upside down (without a shell) and was being eaten by something in one of the live rocks. We shone a little flashlight into the hole and it appeared to be a clear white bug thing, between 1/2 and 1 cm long. It was eating the crab and after we shone the light on it, it dropped the crab and retreated into its hole. Sorry I can't describe it better, it was holding onto the dead crab with something (arms? tentacles?). Any ideas? I tried the Melev's Reef ID page with no luck... Thanks.

 

[bkv1997]

sounds like a smasher type mantis....they love to eat snail/hermits.

Do a search on google for 'Mantis Shrimp Pics' look around and see if any of those look similiar. Basicallly they look kinda like a little praying mantis in the front shrimp in the back. Most likely the pics you will see are of the Peacock Mantis as its has amazing colors and people keep them to watch them kill things. Look more at the body shape and see if they look similiar colors vary greatly.

Also watch that hole its most likely his home and you will notice him sticking his head out often.

Just remember always use caution when dealing with unknown animals in your tank.

 

[Bifferwine]

I had a suspicion that it may have been a mantis shrimp. I did do a google search, and the front kinda (?) looked like the clear kind, but I was thrown off by all the pictures of colorful ones, which it definitely was not. Should I buy the "mantis trap" they have at my LFS or take his home rock out and do a freshwater dip? At least I know where he lives, what do I do now? Thanks.

 

[jhnrb]

Either way, which ever works best for you. using the trap requires patients, the freshwater dip may be quicker, also you can just expose the rock to the air and keep it moist. good luck keep us posted.