What the H&$@ is this critter

[Becki67]

I found a new critter in our tank that we DID NOT put in there...I'm afraid it's a mantis shrimp. It's scaring the crap out of me and causing nightmares.

How do we get rid of it? My BF wants me to get it out by hand, but I'm petrified of it. He's out of town and I can't stand it being in there.

Is there any way to get rid of it without sticking my hand in there and moving everything out? I hear that they're evil things.

 

[jkeating2005]

without a picture, it is hard to identify, but many things can hitchhike into your tank from rock or sand that you have added.

If it is a mantis shrimp. you should definitely remove it. you can try to bait it but i doubt that will work. I had to remove all of my rock to get a pistol shrimp out of my tank. keep an eye on it, it may not hurt anything!

 

[Becki67]

So, they're not always dangerous to the other creatures? I watched him pull a small snail into it's hole last night. I have a couple of emeralds in there and a bunch of hermit crabs and other shrimp...I don't want anything to happen to them. He hangs out under the same rock as the yellow watchman goby...will he eat him?

I wonder why I haven't seen him before. We're always aquarium watching late at night.

It gives me the willies.....

 

[mng777777]

Check out Yote's post on the subject: Yote Goes Hunting I think you are going to need a bow and some camo to get that thing out of there. If it is a mantis, you are definitely not going to get it barehanded. You need to trap it. You could try the soda bottle trick Fish Trap, or use Yote's method as posted above. Good luck! Post a pic if you can and it'll be a lot easier to figure out what to do.

 

[Becki67]

I just read that trigger fish kill them...should I buy one? Will it eat my other shrimp?

 

[dustin_P74]

if it is not a pink tail or blue throat trigger itll eat everything in your tank as far as inverts and coral goes

 

[jkeating2005]

i wouldnt go with a trigger if it is a reef tank! it isnt reef safe and it will eat your other shrimp too!

 

[dustin_P74]

i wouldnt go with a trigger if it is a reef tank! it isnt reef safe and it will eat your other shrimp too!

not all the time, there are some reef safe ish triggers, like i said pink tail, blue throat and crosshatch are all reef safe ish

 

[jkeating2005]

i have to agree with Dustin!

 

[Fastlight]

You said he hangs out in the same hole as the yellow watchman goby? Are you sure its not a pistol shrimp? I know that pistol shrimp and goby will form as a pair. I dont know if the mantis shrimp does that? If its in the same hole as the goby id look better at it and see if its not a pistol shrimp.. Then again i dont think pistol shrimp eat snail either...

just my 2cents

 

[dustin_P74]

+1 fastlight

 

[yote]

You said he hangs out in the same hole as the yellow watchman goby? Are you sure its not a pistol shrimp? I know that pistol shrimp and goby will form as a pair. I dont know if the mantis shrimp does that? If its in the same hole as the goby id look better at it and see if its not a pistol shrimp.. Then again i dont think pistol shrimp eat snail either...

just my 2cents

Agreed.If the goby is hanging out with,its not a mantis.A mantis would have the goby for a late night snack.
So I'm guessing its a pistol shrimp,which is pretty much reef safe.Even for snails and hermits.It probably found either a dead snail,or an empty shell and pulled it in.

 

[daugherty]

do you hear a clicking sound comming from the tank?

 

[Becki67]

You know, we do have a pistol shrimp in there....but this one doesn't look like the one that I see in pictures....it's dark colored. My emerald went right by him as he was sitting in his hole and he didn't do anything to him.

I hope it's a pistol shrimp.....

 

[ccCapt]

The only thing that makes any trigger reef safe is they don't eat coral. Snail, shrimp and clams are all on their menu. Besides, your tank is too small for a trigger. I know a guy with a 180 who had to get rid of his crosshatch because it got to big and aggressive.

They are many different species of pistol shrimp. Some can and will take out snails and hermits. I had a pistol shrimp hitch hiker a few years ago and I had to take all the rock out of my tank to get it. I watched it ambush a few snails and hermits.

 

[mng777777]

Since you know where he likes to hide out, why dont you try luring him out with some strategically placed food bits when you feed. It may help you get a better look at him, and if you figure out which food he cannot resist, you'll have the hard part of your trap done.

 

[yote]

+1 Justin.
Thats how I ended up catching my mantis.Only had to run him back out into a net by running a plastic stick in from the other side of the rock.

 

[Bifferwine]

It's in your best interest to get a better look at the guy to ID him. Nothing in your tank is safe if it's a mantis, and that includes your larger fish. If I were you, I wouldn't just assume it's a pistol shrimp.

Is the rock that it lives in accessible? If it is, you can remove the rock and keep it in a bucket. You can then try flushing it out by squirting some freshwater into its hole using a turkey baster.

In any case, do not get near its rock with your bare hands. Some mantis shrimps are known as slashers because they can do a great deal of damage to their prey (and you) with their razor-sharp pincers. Handle the rock with tongs.