profiling the mind of a killer

[Anonymous]

so, i am not certain but i may have a mantis.

something is killing snails for sure and now the hermits are going quick.
i bought twenty snails less than a month ago and they are all MIA or dead.
at night i hear snapping. usually in twos...just like finger snapping
the catch is, the shells look fine. there is no visible marks of attack.

does this mean a mantis is unlikely?

 

[Jolieve]

It could be a mantis, it could be a pistol shrimp. I'd keep a close eye out.

J.

 

[Anonymous]

The shells look fine? I'm incredulous about the mantis, then. "Mine" chewed up the T. derasa's shell, but good. However, I thought pistols would use the sound to stun fish, does it work with snails?

 

[Anonymous]

Have you considered a trap, Pod?

 

[cdeakle]

Is there a known mantis trap that works?

 

[Anonymous]

The truth is out there!

 

[Anonymous]

Have you considered a trap, Pod?

no, i am not convinced there is anything to trap.

 

[Anonymous]

Your mind is like a trap. 8O

 

[Anonymous]

no, i am not convinced there is anything to trap.

How do you get to that point? Look after lights out, perhaps?

 

[Anonymous]

no, i am not convinced there is anything to trap.

How do you get to that point? Look after lights out, perhaps?

i have seen no overwhelming evidence that there is something to trap.
all i have is some snapping noises at night and some empty snail shells.

from what i have read, the mantis has very keen eyesight... i don't know that you could easily sneak up on it.
before i buy a trap i want to be sure it is in there.

i am going to pull my rock out again ( :evil: :evil: ) and when i do i may dunk a particular rock in some freshwater and see what comes out.

 

[Anonymous]

Please keep us in the loop on what happens!

 

[RustySnail]

Put a soda bottle trap in there with some shrimp inside. You will catch whatever it is that's eating your snails.

-Russ

 

[Anonymous]

Put a soda bottle trap in there with some shrimp inside. You will catch whatever it is that's eating your snails.

-Russ

i think i would catch my peppermint shrimp :lol:

i will give it a shot once i pulll him out though

 

[Anonymous]

OK....

1. Your victims are all snails and hermits, right?

2. This all started happening at once, right?

3. You have a peppermint shrimp, right?




A mantis would't have suddenly started eating snails and crabs in droves. A mantis would have picked one or two off now and then and started taking more as he grew.


I had a peppermint (not a camel back) that suddenly started killing things left and right. In a matter of a few weeks I witnessed first hand (forget the other stuff that dissapeared without me noticing) that peppermint killing and eating many turbo snails, 2 or 3 trochus snails, a blue linkia, a peppermint shrimp, a skunk cleaner, and maybe a few other things I can't recall. It took me a long time to trap him. Didn't lose any more after he was out.


Another thing could be a water quality issue or a disease that is taking inverts rapidly. I lost every snail in a tank all at once (about 15), but didn't have any other kind of animal die. Water quality was great and all corals, fish, and other inverts were fine. I waited a few weeks and added snails again; they are all fine.