Anyone here keep Mantis Shrimp?

[Gealcath]

I know alot of people consider them pests, but does anyhere keep them without devising ways to kill them? Its one of the few SW inverts that can survive a complete aquarium cycle and still thrive (they are impossible to kill without using large steel objects or other cutting tools, they can survive 3-4 days out of the water)

[Grandmastr]

look at this

Mantis Shrimp
Divers call mantis shrimp "thumb splitters." The impact from a blow from the claws and head is only slightly less than the impact of a .22 caliber bullet.

Mantis shrimp can grow up to about ten inches in length and are fast moving. They eat crabs, anemones, and fish, among other things, and if kept in an aquarium with other fish, they will eventually eat them all. They dig burrows and live in crevices in reefs and rocks.



One bad A$$ shrimp

[OrionGirl]

There is a forum dedicated to them over on ReefCentral. Not sure who all here has them, but they are a popular species tank, as well as mixed with the appropriate fish.

I had one that lived in an overflow box for about a year. Not sure how it got in there in the first place--we knew it came in some live rock, but since it was in a coral-only tank, we weren't that worried. Then it showed up in the over flow, and there it stayed. We fed it occassionally, and it grew from less than 1 inch to about 2 inches. Bright, lime green--didn't have a digital camera at the time, so no pics. It eventually found it's way into the main tank, and we had to remove it--it was a threat to the mandarin dragonette by then. If we'd had the space, I would have set a tank up for it--and plan to do so if another one shows up.

Not only are they tough as nails, they have one of the most complex eye structures of any animal. They can see way more than humans can. The strike is also one of the fastest things in the animal kingdom.