Mantis or pistol

[jmh]

Ive checked dozens of ID threads of different sites. I have not found one shrimp that looks like the one I have. He is dark green in color, very small about 1/2 in. length. Very long antenae which is the only thing you see out of the hole and it bends sort of feeling around to make sure everything is OK. He has since moved on to another hiding place since I started trying to catch him. Ive seen him hit my snail but he could have been "snapping" therefore making him a pistol not a mantis. The sound usually pops once or twice in a row. This is all I really know about him, at first I was convinced it was a mantis now Im not sure. Does anyone have characteristics that I may be able to compare, a pic will be impossible. Sorry. Any further help on the topic will be great.

 

[noodleman]

have you noticed any cracked shells or fish missing?

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

The pistols that I have seen have one craw much bigger than the other.

 

[jmh]

Some hermits are gone, the shrimp is so small right now it cant hurt much of anything else. The only other theory is that the blue legs are killing each other, they seem to be fighting non stop past 2 weeks.

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

Some hermits are gone, the shrimp is so small right now it cant hurt much of anything else. The only other theory is that the blue legs are killing each other, they seem to be fighting non stop past 2 weeks.

The blue leg hermits I have seen are all evil.

 

[tosiek]

I haven't had a problem with my hermits since i started feeding them when i feed my sun polyps and dendro. I just drop a little mysis/cyclo in 2-3 areas so they don't attack each other for the food territory and they are fine. Haven't had a dead hermit yet since i've been doing it or any brawls. Plus they haven't been attacking my nass snails as much which is a big plus.

 

[Harif87]

If you know what it looks like, here is a good site to ID a mantis: http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthro.../eumalacostraca/royslist/index.html#directory

 

[jmh]

awesome link thanks. Im still trying to deny it, but Im 99% sure that its a mantis, some of those species had very similiar antennae to the one I have. hope I see him again and find where his new crib is cause Ill just take the rock out.:tank:

 

[techreef]

weird. all of the mantis shrimps i've had and caught in my tank (6-8 of them) have pretty short antennae. like if the shrimp is 2" long, the antennae on it are 1/3" long. my pistol shrimps on the other hand have very long antennae.

 

[noodleman]

how about you get like a chopstick or something similiar.....play around near his home and lure him to attack you, maybe you can get a clearer look

 

[jmh]

Its been done I had him where I wanted him but I was staring at him through a 1/2in hole. I should have cemented him in. But I thought that was wrong so I tried to lure him out and all he did was hit my net. Ive only seen about 1/4 of his body. Im just trying to see if Im driving myself nuts going hunting every other night for a pistol shrimp and not evena mantis.

 

[noodleman]

all you need is get a look at his claws....if they're pinchers then you got a pistol

 

[techreef]

yeah, if it was whacking your net, i bet it was a mantis. my pistols are pretty timid. the mantis i've caught beat the heck out of whatever i wave in front of them.