Captured an incredibly deadly mantis shrimp

[plancton]

So it all began about 3 years ago, I had 15 hermits and slowly disapeared one by one. 3 years later I introduced a royal gramma and was never to be seen again, then another one and never to be seen again, and another one, and the last one I kept it in the fuge for 2 weeks cuz I thought maybe I was buying them sick.

How can a mantis kill something a bit bigger than its size?, and do it everyweek, how can something so small eat so much?, or they just munch a bit and throw the rest?, that´s what I used to think.

3 years ago when I got that rock, I captured 3 mantis, just finding their rock and removing it. But this last mantis I just never saw it, I would just hear it at night clicking in the biggest rock in the tank, smart guy, I wouldn´t dare to remove that rock since it was huge and had my RBTA attached to it.

Then 3 months ago I lost a lemon peel tang, I saw him injured with cuts one day, as if attacked by something, it got better after 2 weeks, and 1 week after that it was gone.....

So I bought an X-terminator trap, and put shrimp in it. Captured 3 gorilla crabs, about 1.5" big, I thought maybe they were guilty too.

I could never capture the mantis with it and continued hearing the clicks.

Then I bought a couple of coral banded shrimps, lived in the fuge happy for 1 week then moved them to the main tank, the day after one had lost its claws, and the biggest one was missing one.

Then I was happily looking at the tank and suddenly saw the big banded shrimp kind of anxious, looking at its surroundings and alert, suddenly the damn mantis comes out of a rock and attacks it, the banded shrimp tried to defend itself with one of the claws but the mantis was continuosly hitting it, I watched in horror how the mantis slowly pulled him towards a hole in the rock while the banded shrimp was resisting.

So I started to move the rockwork and had to take the huge rock out with everything and anemone, broke it in half and put it in freshwater with the anemone not touching the water, but nothing came out.

Then started to look at the rockwork, and like a miracle it seemed the mantis was changing home and also wanted his pray back and was ready to pull it back to the rockwork, I kept removing rocks but the mantis kept changing rocks until, after an hour it got deep into a rock and I pulled it out quickly and it just came out of it when the rock was out.

It was to dangerous to be kept alive, so I smashed it with a hammer, that was the end of the dark lord.

We will all remember this day as the hero banded fighter gave his life in order to save the reef from the dark lord mantis.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y131/avillax/mantis.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y131/avillax/shrimp.jpg

so the mantis about 2" killed:

15 hermits
4 royal gramma
1 chocolate lemon mimic tang
1 coral banded shrimp.

[odyssey1]

WOW what a story you should write a book on this!!!

THANK GOODNESS you had a Hammer!!! lol

[plancton]

I was about to grab a book and say the conjurations and the magic formula in order for its children never to rencarnate in my tank, but there was no time for that, I had to kill it as fast as possible.

[odyssey1]

Maybe if there were others in the tank they saw what horrible things you did to this one and they commit suicide!

Not likely but one can hope!!

[sikpupy]

Man, if you had a sump, you should have put him in there. I feel a worthy opponent should be kept around, even if it is in exile, lol.

[plancton]

no no that is crazy, it took me more than an hour, teared the reef appart, lost fish money, I had to kill him right away.

[Tangalong]

I seriously doubt that little Stomatopod killed much more that the hermits to eat..it was probably only defending it's burrow from the Coral-band. Personally, I have found the CB's to be agressive themselves and wouldn't have one in my tank. JMO

[colorfan45]

thats pretty crazy. That thing must have been hungry.

[SNAKEMANVET]

I am with Tangalong.CB shrimp will eat fish, unless they are big.I have had a N Wennera( mantis shrimp) in my tank for about 2 years.He does take out my small hermits.And gorilla crabs will catch fish that sleep in the rocks at night.

[snorvich]

+1 with Tangalong and snakemanvet

[plancton]

I had a CB long time ago in another tank, at times they might be agressive but way to slow to capture kill any fish, they only live about 3 years and mine although got large it never got large enough to be able to capture a fish with its claws, I had a royal gramma back then and the clownfish and they never got attacked.

I highly doubt they kill fish, I´ve seen them peacefully in other tanks too, and sometimes they clean fish.

Anyways after watching the mantis in action I can only think it was him the one who killed everything, way to fast way to deadly, it wasn´t defending itself, it took the CB back to its hidding place that´s where I found it, and then it escaped and so I placed the dying CB as bait and it started to come out of one rock looking for the CB, he wanted to eat, I bet he killed everything and the gorilla crabs just ate the dead fish.

How do you know its the gorilla crabs taking down fish?

[noahm]

Bummer you killed him. They may cool sump pets. I feed mine off a skewer. I have a green wennerae and a two brown ones in diff sections. They become quite friendly and are very intelligent. Oh well, I can understand after all the trouble. You need a 'prison tank' after your cuke incident so you have time to evaluate. :)

[abrian]

I just started another thread about disappearning small fish in my reef tank. I am suspecting my Sally Lightfoot crab of taking them out. I have a Sally Lightfoot, emerald crab, fire shrimp, peppermint shrimp in the tank, and have lost a royal gramma, maroon clown, and blue chromis over the last two weeks. I was suspecting a mantis came in on some rock, but havent heard any clicking noises and my other inverts are doing fine, so I am rethinking that possibility. Right now the Sally Lightfoot is the prime suspect.

If I do eventually find a mantis, I certainly will subscribe to your hammer solution. I know he would just be a predator doing what they do, but after losing all those fish and the money the cost I will need some closure.

[plancton]

Now I´m hearing clicking noises, don´t know if its my imagination though, the clicks are similar to the mantis but very weak and not often heard, I´m thinking it could even be the acrylic cracking or something.

If not.....what else can click?, or even if its another mantis is it for sure that all mantis will kill royal gramma? or just some of them become particulary good at killing fish and will stick with that activity?.

I´m at least sure that if I have one left I at least took the deadly one, most agressive, and the one who attacked the CB in front of me. So if I have one left, what are the chances of it killing CB and royal grammas?.

I´m also sure I have no gorilla crabs left. Can the tank live in peace now?

Hey man, I´ve heard the sally lightfoots are very deadly in terms of killing fish, so I would do everything youi can to take him out, in fact it would be quite easily compared to a mantis since those crabs are bigger and they don´t escape that easily from rock to rock, so just find the rock pull it out and dip it in freshwater.

[Drake1]

that tiny little thing wouldn't be able to touch a gamma, a mantis would rather eat left overs they find in the rock work, i have had ones 4 times that size that wouldn't eat/couldn't catch fish...sorry to say... where have you heard sally light foots attack fish? just did a search and can't find anyone that actually have seen one catch a fish, i have at 3 in my tanks at any given time for 6 years and never had a problem, they are really good cleaners.
jeff

[plancton]

Well it did touch an armed CB in front of my eyes, and very agressively and it wasn´t defending itself, it took it back to its hidding place with fury, and then wanted it back when I took it, it wanted to feed. If it can do that to CB I´m sure it can do it to royal gramma.

about sally lightfoot:
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=497+501+625&pcatid=625

"When large, it can become aggressive and catch and eat small invertebrates and fish. "

I also read that in wetwebmedia, in fact I heard that if you don´t have mantis but you´ve seen crabs, and the fish dissapearing then its most likely a sally lightfoot.

[DaveinKY]

I bought a Sally Lightfoot on the advise of others years ago with the thought it would be a great addition to my reef. I also had one guy that would post in every story about how a Sally Lightfoot would become a terror after it had grown. Sure enough, this thing got bigger than a half dollar in body size and would attack snails and hermits whenever it wanted to. I ended up loosing most of my snails and all of my hermits. The only reason it didn't kill all my snails is because several times I would see the crab start to drag another snail under the rocks and I would take it away before it could kill it. After I finally got it out, which took forever, I vowed to never have another crab in my reef and I've kept my word. Only snails for my cleanup crew.

[odyssey1]

No one can sy what a demenor any animal can have. Look at us humans!! Someone you have known for years could do something you would never think possible. Most all clown fish are peaceful however there are a few you will come across that are mean. I guess what I am trying to say is it is possible for any of these inverts to kill fish or eachother for that matter expecially since they are in a SMALL enclosed environment.

It is hare however to argue with plankton when he actually saw the mantis kill the CB. Do I think it is possible SURE!! I have seen worse things that I though wasent possible.

Do I think you Tank will have peace now? It is hard to say but I would suspect Yes because you removed the bully and most of the time that is all it takes.

Jeremy

[plancton]

Let´s not get into philosophy here. I am gnostic, and I know I should care for nature and to everything to preserve life, and by killing the mantis I´m creating karma, but seriously I´m prepare to absorve that karma than have my reef destroyed or find a home for the little assasin.

Besides the fact that we all want a reef its rooted in the ego, the ego wants neat things even if we destroy nature on the way. Many of my frags ara aquacultivated but I´ve had fish that were taken from the sea, and by using electricity for a selfish unecessary purpose such as having a reef you´re also abusing natural resources, etc.

The truth is we are all destroying nature and climate change is part of the karma we´ll have to pay. for more information on the topic go to www.gnosticteachings.org

[sikpupy]

Hmm, well, since you brought it up, I will just say.... Thats all fine and dandy, but, if you have the power to choose (cant choose NOT to have electricity and a reef), then why destroy if there is no real need? You caught the critter, give it to someone else, throw it in the sump.....you have/had a choice, nothing to do with karma as far as I am concerned.

We put ourselves above everything in this world when in fact we are basicaly no more than bacteria (in a third diminsional world if you will) consuming all around us to live and grow. Just like mold, fungis or a flue culture/strain we will kill the world around us and polute it until it is gone. It is what it is, it is true human nature, even nature in itself. What do you think war is all about? Its about thinning out the populance to keep room on this planet for the living. Its great were getting smarter but were not really learning. Thing is, we do have a concious choice before hand. I am not here to be on a soap box or say who is right or who is wrong. All I am saying is "lets be careful out there". :cool:

[plancton]

he was to dangerous to be left alive, here in Mexico I´ve never heard of people adopting mantis, and there´s an onlilne reef community large enough, not only that, but I use the fuge for acclimatation and I keep some rocks in the sump for my frags, He could have lived there and starved to death, but considering that I keep rocks that I use, he could get reintroduced to the main tank and cause havoc, or by miracle could go up the return pump and terrorize again.

So my choice was that he had lived long enough.

[sikpupy]

Hey, i am sure you had your reasons. :)

[atoa]

Hola plancton,

I also had to tear down my rockwork to get a mantis out of my tank. Hunting him down wasn't a picnic. A worthy opponent, I'd add. I kept the body as a trophy. He was very similar to the one in your picture:

http://www.netxar.com/atoareef/mrmantis.jpg

Saludos

-- Oliver

[plancton]

Que bueno.

Honestly mantis shrimp are not in extinction, you can get about 5 per big rock, in asia they eat them.

[GSMguy]

ive heard mantis shrimp is delicious like a baby lobster...

[sikpupy]

Especially with butter :)

See, there you go plankton! You could have eaten the mantis and saved a cow, seeing as how it was going to be sacrificed anyways.................. options! :lol:

[mattypw]

You should have sold it, they're expensive