Help ID

[litlfisher]

Bought some live rock today and found this.
Can someone identify it?

 

[AJT]

Manta Shrimp??

 

[hdtran]

Put it in the hitchhiker forum. That said, it sure looks like the dreaded out-of-focus Mantis shrimp!

What the heck it's doing out in the open getting its picture taken, I don't know, for the dreaded out-of-focus Mantis shrimp generally hides in a rock cranny, making it impossible for you to remove...

 

[litlfisher]

Is that a bad thing?

 

[hdtran]

Well, the dreaded out-of-focus Mantis shrimp makes you wear glasses 8)

Seriously, do an internet search on "mantis shrimp." There's a very amusing collection of articles on, I think, blueboard.

I don't think small ones (say 1" or less) would do great harm, besides eating an occassional barnacle, snail, or hermit crab. But larger ones can do some serious damage to your tank inhabitants...

 

[AJT]

I would pull it out of there ASAP. You will regret it later when you can not find him. They will eat shrimp, & small fish. The larger they grow, the larger the fish they can kill or injure. Watch your hands around them they can inflict some serious cuts. The 2 front claws pop forward like a preying mantis & can make a popping sound. BAD TANKMATE!

my .02
Andy


Andy

 

[litlfisher]

I did get him out about a week ago. I took out all of my rock and didn't find when returning the rock he fell out of the second rock that I originally took out . I put him in his own 10gal. and enjoy feeding him. Not such a bad guy buy himself :twisted: .

 

[Anonymous]

Stomatopod...fwiw, we've had one for years in a 135 gallon reef, with other shrimp, snails, small fish, etc. It's only about 3-4" long, and probably full grown. AFAIK, it isn't killing anything.