View Full Version : mantis??
rxdoc_85
03-23-2008, 10:53 PM
how loud is the clicking of a mantis shrimp?? i know it varies with size, but is it pretty definite?? i hear a clicking from time to time in my tank, but it's faily soft, and sporatic. i'm not sure what to listen for exactly, as i've never heard a mantis before...
duneenworywifit
03-30-2008, 2:25 PM
could be a pistol shrimp too!
Ya, could be, but from my experience pistol shrimp and mantis sounds completely different. Mantis are more of a quite, but much more often "clicking" type sound, where as a pistol is a very loud "snap" sound that is usually few and far between. If a pistol is getting harassed it will snap more, but usually one loud snap is enough to scare away anyone messing with a pistol and they usually don't go on the offensive like Mantis do.. a mantis on the otherhand will try and attack anyone pestering it, even going as far as killing.
journey0820
03-30-2008, 2:32 PM
Awww...I'm sorry. It's contagious this clicking sound hearing! I realized that my lights occasionally "clicked" as did my heater and timers. So did my snails when their shells hit against the glass of the tank. So, could be lots of things. Always better to be prepared for the worst but just keep in mind that it could be nothing.
rxdoc_85
03-30-2008, 4:12 PM
well, i'm happy to say that i think it was just my clumsy hermits falling all over the place and banging their shells agains the rock and glass. i haven't lost anything in the tank over the past week, and i have a blood shrimp and several small hermits that i'm sure would have fallen victim if it were in fact a mantis. and i don't think it's a pistol now, thanks to ace's description...it sure isn't a loud "snap," it's more of a click or a tap. thanks everyone for the opinions. i was a little scared there for a while.
journey0820
03-30-2008, 4:53 PM
Hooray!
alpha123
03-30-2008, 10:53 PM
but to be certain, you must turn off the light and stick your hand in there. I think it is called the Captian Hook method.
Sarra
03-30-2008, 10:56 PM
rofl
My pistol snaps the bristle worms that are infecting my tank frequently at night, usually about 12 good snaps.
rxdoc_85
03-30-2008, 11:04 PM
does the pistol actually eat the bristle worms? i might need to eventually get one because my bristle worms population is constantly growing...
salty420
03-30-2008, 11:19 PM
glad to hear it wasn't a mantis!
alpha123
03-31-2008, 1:01 AM
Peppermind shrimp is known to control bristle worms. Just make sure it comes from Texas or Florida, the Pacific/California variety won't touch b. worms - or so I was told.
In fact, I just got 2 this week for $1.99 each. And 4 tiny frags for $5 each from LFS. Got to love prices in Houston!
rxdoc_85
03-31-2008, 1:58 AM
grrr...alpha...grrr. those prices are amazing!!!! peppermint shrimp here in st. louis are 6-8 bucks each, and frags range widely in prices, but the cheapest i've seen is about 15 bucks. gotta love the heartland.
bowser7of9
03-31-2008, 1:47 PM
Peppermint Shrimp in my region range from $20 to $30, anything shipped to Canada is expensive. That would be just about evrything in this hobby that eats...
catpicklesdog
03-31-2008, 3:09 PM
I've got to admit I've never heard of Peppermint shrimp eating bristleworms:confused:
Sarra
03-31-2008, 10:53 PM
My pistol shrimp won't eat the bristle worms. I'm going to have to move my coral to another tank, then get an arrow crab temporarily. I don't think an arrow crab would be happy in a 10 gallon tank for long.
rxdoc_85
03-31-2008, 11:15 PM
i used to have an arrow crab, and he ate everything small enough for him to grab. he ate baby snails, worms, etc...but he never bothered anything that i'd purchased and put in the tank. he died one day, shortly after he molted. i came home from school and his body and legs had all separated...very strange. but they are very effetive at controlling bristle worms...they eat constantly.