Yikes I found something.......

[supersmile]

I just started up my 40 gallon saltwater tank and it has been running for over 3 weeks now. I have live sand, 40lbs live rock, chocolate chip star fish, 2 clowns, 1 royal gramma, cleaner shrimp, snails, hermits and a big crab. Just today I noticed this long black thing come out of my live rock. it is about 3 inches long and has beady eyes and a tail almost like a shrimp. I am doing the best I can to describe it as I only saw it once for a quick second and it went very quickly into the rock again. Any ideas about what it could be and what to do with it?? Is this thing harmful do you think?

[justinl]

bit of a vague description, could be a lot of things. How wide was the body relative to the length? Was the overall shape shrimp like? Where did you get your rock from (store or established tank)?

[Delphinus]

Sounds like a mantis shrimp ... not necessarily a good thing in your tank as they're voracious predators of pretty much anything (fish shrimp snails etc.) but the good news is that if it is indeed a mantis, you'll have about 100 offers to buy it off you. See if you can get a picture maybe..

[supersmile]

I bought my rock from aquarium enthusiasts. I would say the thing is 0.5 inches wide. He sometimes sits in a little hole in the rock and just stares at you. Why would people want to buy it so bad??? How do I get him to come out??? I have only seen it once for a brief second. Can Mantis Shrimp be black with other other coloration on it's back?

[Der_Iron_Chef]

Can Mantis Shrimp be black with other other coloration on it's back?

Absolutely. Check out THIS (http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthropoda/crustacea/malacostraca/eumalacostraca/royslist/) link...there are several that match your description.

[justinl]

Not all mantises are evil manfested. Ive heard of a couple of people who set up a reef just for their mantises.

to catch: take a standard drinking WATER bottle (ie no soap or any other contaminants) with an opening that the mantis should be able to fit through. cut the top part off, invert it and stick it back in the bottle upside down. Now you should have a rough cylinder shape with a funnel going into the bottle at one end. You can put some glue around the rough edge to make it stick better. Tie a string around the top so you can yank it out fast. Now just throw a piece of thawed frozen shrimp in and throw the whole thing in your tank. Now wait and watch. This may take a couple of tries and plenty of patience but it has been the most successful method out there.

the reason some people love these guys (me included) is because they are just so cool. for example: they can "hit" with 1400 N... same force as a .22 caliber rifle bullet at muzzle velocity. Many species have the ability to show polarized light signals and are the only known organisms on earth that are known to do this for communication. Humans have three colour pigments in our eyes... mantids have at least 16 and are undisputed in having the most complex visual system in the animal kingdom. in short they are highly evolved hunters and many are quite intelligent and interactive. If you don't want it, someone else will.

post a pic if you can get one

[supersmile]

I caught it. I took my rock out and put it in freshwater and I caught it with my tongs. It is for sure a mantis shrimp and now I have him in a plastic bag flaoting in my tank. How long do you think he can stay in there?? I am going to go and post it for sale now!

[Der_Iron_Chef]

Some LF stores will buy them from you, too....or give you store credit!

[Delphinus]

Wow that was fast work :lol: Can you snap a picture?

[supersmile]

I tried taking a pic of him in the bag but it wasn't clear at all. But I was just looking at a bunch of mantis shrimp on the net and it is for sure some kind of mantis shrimp. How much do these guys usually go for?

[justinl]

Ive heard of mantises escaping from plastic bags. If you have a glass fishbowl or some kind of rigid container, that would be better. Even an ice cream bucket well cleaned using freshwater would do well. If you think it will be in there for a while put in some small pieces of LR and sand.

the price is highly variable by species. If you can get a pic I might be able to ID it. Usually they go for anywhere between 10-50$. Rarities much more.

[supersmile]

I just called Big Al's and they are selling theirs for $60. he said he has never seen a black one before. The ones they are selling are Peacock.

[justinl]

overpriced unless its a rare species. You probably won't get many buyers at 60 bucks. It's not the worst ive ever seen though. Ive seen a few peacock mantids (common in the mantis trade) go for 100$US. Usually stores have no idea what species of mantis they have and just give it a random price. Ive even heard of one guy who ordered a pricey mantis and drove 4 hours to pick it up. when he got there it ended up being a pistol shrimp.