Mantis or pistol shrimp?

[mooner]

Hi all,

I have heard a sound in my tank since it was a few weeks old that I will try and describe. I hear it every night about 3 hours after lights out. I don't mind the sound but I don't want anything dangerous in my tank.

It's not really loud or violent sounding but it sounds exactly as if someone were tapping an empty snail shell against the glass. Not real hard but just a steady tap. It usually happens 2 or 3 times in succession. "Tick, tick"

I have heard that the mantis can actually break an aquarium. My 44 gallon corner is not very thick and it wouldn't take a lot to bust it. I have never seen anything associated with the sound and I have looked several times to try and find it. Of course as soon as I go over there it's silent for the rest of the night. I have one of those LED moonlights but have never seen anything unusual in the tank.

I have a scarlet cleaner shrimp in there as well but nothing else in that catagory.

Any clues? Any way I can verify?

 

[reefsnreptiles1]

Here is an excellent article on mantis:

http://ozreef.org/reference/mantis_shrimp.html

Taken from that article:

"A distinction between the two can be made by the tendencies of pistol shrimp to only click in ones or twos, and mantis shrimp in multiple, rapid sets."

Hope that helps!

 

[mooner]

Good article. Thanks.

I am sitting here listning to my shrimp intruder as I write this. Seems he usually taps twice. I will have to concentrate on listening for three or four in succession. I don't recall ever hearing a "rapid set" of taps either. That's good.

This is pretty crafty (from the article):

"Place a powerhead on the bottom of the tank with a piece of seafood bait at the unshielded intake. When the mantis comes to eat the bait, and is within range, turn on the pump. A very gratifying technique, and supplies the reef with some food. "

 

[Anonymous]

Yet to see a mantis in person...I fear the day though..Knock on wood...Although ive had no personal experience with these obnoxtious creatures, ive heard all the tales...(except breaking glass?)...I do know they can tear up an aquarists hand pretty bad...

 

[reefsnreptiles1]

This is pretty crafty (from the article):

"Place a powerhead on the bottom of the tank with a piece of seafood bait at the unshielded intake. When the mantis comes to eat the bait, and is within range, turn on the pump. A very gratifying technique, and supplies the reef with some food. "

Ha! Yeah, I liked that also.

 

[mooner]

Yet to see a mantis in person...I fear the day though..Knock on wood...Although ive had no personal experience with these obnoxtious creatures, ive heard all the tales...(except breaking glass?)...I do know they can tear up an aquarists hand pretty bad...

I have heard that they can actually bust an aquarium if they hammer on it. I assume this is rare and the shrimp would have to be big. From reading the article it would probably have to be the "smasher" variety as opposed to the "spearer". I too never want to find out first hand.

 

[teevee]

Mantis shrimp get very large, ie. ten inches or so. At that point they can break glass. The one inch hitchhikers common in the hobby would have no hope in my opinion.

 

[MarkO1]

I agree with teevee.
I found 4 or 5 mantis in my live rock when I got into this hobby a couple of years ago. After capturing one of the buggers, I decided to test his strength with a small glass test tube (about 1/16 of an inch thick) and although he did hit it pretty hard, he never once cracked it. I think he was just too small (about 1.25")
I also (and still have) pistol shrimp in my tank. I found one one night when I heard the snapping of what I thought was another mantis, but the appearance of the two is drastically different. Pistol shrimp are a clear-whitish color whereas the mantis is a brownish red.
When I turn the lights out at night I usually hear the clicking of the pistols. Sometimes they will also respond to a noise in the house that makes a similar sound (at least it seems that way).
Hope this helps.
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[teevee]

Both pistols and mantis shrimps comes in many different colours. I had a mantis that was milky white with black spots once, and also a black one. I would judge what they are by the body shape/claws, not colouring.

 

[mooner]

I turn the lights out at night I usually hear the clicking of the pistols. Sometimes they will also respond to a noise in the house that makes a similar sound (at least it seems that way).

Hmmmm. I might need to create a "shrimp call" and try to locate him. Perhaps a few snail shells tapped together. "Come 'ere shrimpy, shrimpy. Come 'ere lil buddy." BAM!!!....one less shrimp in my tank.

Ha. Actually from the sound of it I will leave it be. Most likely its a pistol but if it's a mantis, it's small enough at this point to not be a problem.

Thanks for all the info!

 

[Modo]

Don't most Pistol shrimp tunnel? You might try looking around the base of your LR for evidence of excavation. I don't know if you can contort yourself to get a view of the back of the tank. But, it's worth a shot.

 

[Anonymous]

You know they have mantis shrimp traps(pistol shrimp too)...Im not sure how effective they are though...????




8)

 

[xclan]

Tonight i got rid of 3 mantis shrimps....just dip the rock in ice cold water for a few seconds and they will come running out and curl up .