red mantis shrimp

[lmh11706]

i have a red mantis shrimp that arrived with some nice carribean live rock i got back in april-it is now about 2 and a half inches and is freely coming out to the front to be visible but is also eating a dead mexican turbo snail

it leaves everything alone-fish,corals-even bottom dwellers like gobies and my mandarin but is it feeding on my cleaning crew??

should i get it out-if i can?-or leave it alone and just replenish the snails and crabs

[christpuncher]

This thread may be better on the mantis subforum, but here is my 2 cents. I would only leave him in there if you are comfortable taking a 50/50 risk that he may kill your fish. I.e., if you leave him in there, you can't be disappointed or frustrated if he kills your most expensive fish. It's his job.

[Vitaly]

The way I would think about it...is that "It leaves everything alone for now." However, it is a predator, and given enough time will take down your livestock (Goby, Mandarin, etc). If it were me, I would move him into a dedicated tank or trade him to a local hobbyist who wants to Mantis tank.

Don't get me wrong, they are very interesting to keep and I have been planning a Mantis tank, but they really need to be in their own system.

[block head]

i love my mantis, but i have a tank set up just for it. kinda like having a serial killer in your tank. they can get along great and then one day just snap.

[m2434]

Good excuse to set up a new tank IMO :D

[lmh11706]

ill have to get it out-somehow-i think it took out my copperband butterfly which lasted days only-but was eating and seemed strong-but its slow moving compared to the others-although im looking each day for the mandarin-and so far so good-hopefully ill see him come out to work on something otherwise i dont know how to get him out-it can hide anywhere-and its pretty fast-do i actually have to strip down the tank and start over

[tothjames]

Just to let you know 3 years ago I ordered the "package" from TBS aquacultured Florida rock. With it came a 2 inch clicking red Mantis.

I tried to catch the thing with traps, glass jars, pulling rock and spritzing with club soda, all the tricks. The thing simply was smarter than me. I finaly said the hell with it and just let him be.

I'd say in the three years I've had him he's killed maybe 3 of my smallest snails I haven't added any snails and I've only got 10 of my originals. All 3 of my original hermits are still doin just fine. All my fish haven't been touched (Two clowns, Mandarin, Baggai, and Yellow WatchmenGoby. My fire shrimp is As big and RED as ever. 5 Hitchiking Porclean crabs all doin fine.

My Mantis shrimp though usually secretive and unseen, lets me know when he's hungry every couple of days by beggin for food at the entrance of one of his many tunnels. He's worse than my dog, with his alien eyes boring into me and his "crusher" loaded for action ready to wallop the feeding stick. He's become a real favorite, really found a way close to my heart and I'm glad I kept him in the reef.

For me a reef is a reef. I enjoy the corals, live rock, shimps, crabs, pods, algae (as long as it's under control), bristle worms, and even the dreaded RED ACRO BUGS. My Acros a growing like crazy, Full Polyp Extension, and all colored up to my liking. (don't worry I don't trade, sell, or give any of my frags to anyone without lettin em know that I'm infected.)

I guess what I'm trying to say is when I started I panicked over every little thing like Mantis Shrimps, Cyno, Hair Algae, Bryopisis, Bristle Worms, Aptaisia, and on and on. When I finally stopped tweakin and worrying so much all my problems just kinda went away. Clean water, Adequete Lighting, Good random water flow, (Vortechs are sweeeeet ):D and B Ionic keep corals and My Mantis Happy :strooper:

Good luck with your Mantis adventures; they'r realy a cool animals.

[m2434]

Hey, good info from the newbie :D


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