Need Help!!! Mantis or Pistol? How to remove?

[gugo]

Hi all,

I have a 100 gallon tank that I have some soft coral and some fish in.

The fish included a mandarin fish, an wartskin angler, a blenny, and still have a maroon clown. I have a bunch of hermit crabs, 4 emerald crabs, 1 sand sifting star, 2 cleaner shrimp, 1 coral banded shrimp and 1 fire shrimp.

About a month ago i started hearing clicking sounds once the lights went off (actinics still on or off). Not frequent, spaced about 3 seconds apart the closest. Almost sounds like the tank is cracking.

Then its started....

Lost the blenny, the mandarin, the angler. I managed to see the angler's body, seemed to have some fins missing. Could not get it out due to rockwork and the current moved it behind the rocks. Star has only 3 legs now (had 5). Clown was behaving weird, not eating for about a week, hiding in mushrooms, now its eating. Oddly the shrimps are all there so are all the crabs.

So I am lost... I have not seen 'it' yet. Can not really see any burrows either. I understand that both pistols and mantis could cause this.

Now for the question part:
1. Is it a pistol or a mantis?
2. Please describe the bottle trap if possible? Include where to make the cut? Will a 500ml water bottle work? What to use to glue the inverted part?
3. What else should I do?

Thanks a whole bunch in advance!

Gugo

[justinl]

Ive posted my description of te bottle trap in another thread "bad hitchiker!!!!!!"

You'll probably want to get a visual of it yourself before deciding whether its a mantis or a pistol. IMO i don't think a pistol is capable of that kind of danage in such a short time is it? Try to get a pic if you can. Try sitting beside the tank at night to see if it comes out then if you don't spot it in the night. Don't bother with the "red light trick" because a mantis just won't care.

[gugo]

Thanks!

I got the idea.

On the downside, I was next to the tank for about 4 hours last nite. Did not see him at all. Problem is that my tank is 1 sided, i.e. it is a custom tank mounted in a wall, so I have visible access from the front and top (not much use at staring down the tank when the wavemakers are going).

Maybe I will see/catch it soon. Even have a tank ready for 'it'.

Gugo

[DanInSD]

Anglers should be in specimen tanks. My guess is that the angler ate the blenny, then ate the mandarin and died (the mandarins are toxic). Opportunistic feeders (shrimp, crabs) ate off the "easy bits" of the angler.

Why do you suspect a mantis/pistol? A pistol certainly wouldn't disturb an angler.

Dan

[gugo]

I would agree with you, but I had a dwarf angler that was about 1.5 inches, blenny and mandarin over 2 inches. Angler was the first to go, then blenny then mandarin over the course of several days.

Gugo

[Thurge]

I'm not convinced you have a mantis. If you did I would bet that you wuoldn't have any shrimp or crabs left. If you don't have a booming Pod population that would explain the Blenny and Mandrin, as I have recently read reports that even if they are eating frozen mysis, without pods they will starve. If you weren't target feedign the Angler if probably wasn't eating or eating enough. While their ability to eat a fish just about as large as they are is one reason to keep them in a species only display, another reason is so that you can easily feed them. Being ambush predators it's an unusual Angler that will actively persue food in the water column.

[gugo]

Can you explain "booming population"? I look at any area of the tank and within 30 seconds I see a few pods. Is that considered booming? I would really like a clarification on that, as I would love to have another mandarin there.

What about the clicking noises? Could it be a pistol shrimp?

Gugo

[justinl]

Pistol shrimp do make the same noise that smashing mantises do. a mantis will "punch" and the movement is fsat enough to vaporize the water and cause a cavitation bubble which collapses and provides huge force (same thing that pits boat propellors). Pistols make cavitation bubbles by closing their oversized claw fast.

[Aliie]

Where do I go to ask about the blooming population on the pods?

If you know I'll listen. I have so so so so many in my nano because it's where I held the manderin for a while. Now I have alot. Are they going to damage my corals? Or just die off?

[Thurge]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9249978#post9249978 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gugo
Can you explain "booming population"? I look at any area of the tank and within 30 seconds I see a few pods. Is that considered booming? I would really like a clarification on that, as I would love to have another mandarin there.

What about the clicking noises? Could it be a pistol shrimp?

Gugo

Depending on how long you had your Blenny and Mandrin, I would say you have a booming population. My thinking is that if you had them for a while and you still have a good number wandering around they didn't eat them all.

Pods shouldn't hurt your corals.