[pocketgirl]

I was so happy and proud of myself for being able to wait so long for my tank to cycle. Yesterday, I got the okay from my LFS to start putting livestock in the tank. Lo and behold, I must already have some.... I put a false clown and a coral banded shrimp in yesterday. I was so happy to finally have something to look at!

This morning, my husband and I noticed the shrimp was missing a limb. We called the store and they said it was normal during molting. Okay, no big deal, we're cool. Later this evening, the shrimp is D-E-D dead . Something had grabbed it and pulled under the rock and was having itself a good ol' feast. It's funny, because I swore I saw something pull the limb under the rock earlier when I was surveying the scene of the crime, but I put it off to current in the tank. Nope, I was dead wrong.

So, what in the world could have done this? What would be the best way for me to deal with it? If it's something that could hurt me in the process of removing it, I don't want to be too hasty and just stick my hand in there to yank all the rock out. Should I just turn off the light and grab a flashlight and wait to id it?

Any ideas as to what the hell this stupid little poop of a thing is?!?! I don't want to keep putting stuff in just to have it eaten.

[Jay03GT]

probably a mantis shrimp from what I've read. Try to get your little clown out if you can, he'll be next. They make a trap for those suckers, probably have one at your LFS for 15 bucks or so.

[jvharding]

Could be a Mantis Shrimp. That is my first thought do you have any hermit crabs?

[pocketgirl]

I was thinking the same thing... I nearly had a heart attack when my husband decided to stick his hand in there and move the rock. We still haven't seen the culprit yet, though.

I might look into getting or making a trap... I'll call the LFS tomorrow.

I do not have any hermit crabs as of right now. Why? would they get eaten as well, or fight it off?

[e_baer]

well, what i would do is get everything living in the tnak out, exceot the mantis. then let the mantis go for a few days. then add a small peice of chopped fihs or something as bait. and set that in a trap for a little bit. the mantis will smell it and come get the food. and when it does, you caught it.

[Jeremy0322]

How big is a mantis shrimp that you dont see it when it is on the LR yet it can kill a fish...am i missing something here.

[msbdiving]

What else is in your tank? Before jumping on the mantis band wagon, it might help to list everything. I had a six-line and before that a damsel that made short work of some peppermints and skunk cleaner shrimps.

[pocketgirl]

All I had were the coral banded and a false percula. I know it wasn't the percula, obviously. I saw antenae last night when I was lurking around with a flashlight. I still haven't actually seen the mother effer in it's entirety though.

It can't be that big, at least from the antenna it didn't look like it's that big. I just don't understand how it has lived through my tank cycling, and a huge temperature drop (we went on vacation and it ended up getting really chilly in the house, now i have a better heater ). Either way, I'm going to call the LFS today and see if they can give me a good plan of attack. It sucks, I don't have a quarantine tank even set up right now, since I had just started the main one, so I don't know what to do with the clown.

As for Jeremy: The reason I haven't seen it yet is because it's living in a piece of rock. That means when it comes out, it just comes out long enough to grab it's meal and go. It keeps trying to drag the shrimp into his home, which isn't big enough. I left the dead shrimp in there trying to catch a glimpse. Mantis shrimps can take down prey more than twice their size.

[Jeremy0322]

I am new and just have never heard of anything like this and didnt know how it ended up in a tank...that is all. It just seems weird to me that something with the ability to kill a shrimp and a fish came in from a piece of live rock. As for being able to help you solve this problem, i would have no idea.

[pocketgirl]

Yeah, sadly it seems like I've been stuck with both aiptasia and now this from my LR... things that you didn't bargain for take a ride from the LFS to your tank... I'm actually cleaning out a 10 gal tank right now (i had it set up FW, but I moved them to my husband's 80gal FW tank) and setting it up as a temporary home for the clown. Or maybe I should just move that piece of rock to the 10 gal? Any thoughts?

[Jeremy0322]

If you are sure what rock it is i would just take the rock and leave the clown alone. I dont know much about this stuff yet but i am assuming that would be the best option. From there just QT the rock and starve the little FER to death. Then clean the rock out and set it back in the tank. I am just guessing though, if there is a flaw in this plan let me know...

[Tonz of fun]

Jeremy one of the resons you wouldnt be able to see a mantis shrip is because they hide all the time. Removing the rock will not get rid of the shrimp. If it is a shrimp. The mantis shrimp is one of the fastest strikers in the animal kingdom. Even when small the have been know to slice a humans finger down to the bone and break the glass in the tank.

Now moving forward, lets first find out what the problem is before you start jumping to conculsions. If you can fairly painlessly you can take the clown out. Put him in the QT tank. I would leave the rock in your tank. I tell people that once there tank is cycled to try to never mess with your aquascape. Once the clown is out of there and in the QT tank you will have to check the peramiters of the 10g tank regularly and do water changes when nessicary. Now as for the shrimp you can starve the hell out of him. Then in a week set up a trap with some silversides in it. If nothing comes out within a minute you dont have a mantis shrimp. Then go from there. Watch your tank at night see if anything comes out. It will all be okay its no big deal.

[pocketgirl]

I set up the 10 gal with water and a piece of LR from the 30 gal, and got the clown in there. He seems perfectly content in his new temporary home. I'm going out later tonight to get a replacement filter cartridge for the POS hang on that I have in the 10 gal. It should be sufficient enough until I figure out what exactly I have in the 30...

I'm going to make a trap tonight (good thing my hubby works in the seafood department at the grocery store, I get free bait!) and set it in and see what happens. He didn't make a full meal out of the coral banded shrimp, probably because he couldn't pull him into his hiding hole. Hopefully he's still hungry. If not, I'll keep trying.

I called the LFS and they kinda acted like I was being stupid.... Oh well. I think once I catch it, I'll go in there with a water sample and I'll put the mantis right into the container and be like "hah! told you so!"

If I get it, I'll take some pictures to put up, that way if any one else has this problem, they'll know what to look for!

[thelastmucci]

HOLY Crap....rip to the bone...are you serious. Great and all I thought I had to worry about LR was aiptasia...now I gotta worry about something mortally wonding me...jeez.