- Location
- Albany, NY
In helping to rescue live rock and coral from another reefers tank that was failing, live rock went into my tank without quarantine which was the only way to save so much rock as my quarantine system was too small to deal with a crisis this large. It seems I now have a new guest in the tank, which I am in the process of attempting to catch. It appears I have a Mantis Shrimp, likely from the Caribbean, which appears to be about 4 inches long and about one-half to 3/4 inch in diameter. I first spotted it darting at very high speed from one part of the tank to another, and then hiding under a pagoda coral. It actually wrapped itself around the base and was staring at me while I was trying to look at it. It is so unusual looking that I purchased an Innovative Marine Aquarium 16 to dedicate to keeping it once I have caught it and removed it from my big display tank. It moves faster than any other creature in the tank, and has the most unusual eyes. Once caught will post pictures as I am excited to actually be able to see it clearly. I am using the inverted bottle method which was originally baited with 2 emerald crabs, but now has also captured 3 peppermint shrimp, which I am temporarily relocating till the Mantis is caught.
For those unfamiliar with a Mantis, they are incredible hunters and purportedly will eat virtually everything but corals in a tank. They tend to either smash their prey or spear it with an unusual appendage arrangement which at quick glance tends to look somewhat like a praying mantis. They can strike a target so fast, that they create an acceleration equivalent to a .22 caliber bullet being fired. Because of the speed, they literally heat up the water around the attack and create a shock wave. Their eyes are one of the most complex of any creature on earth. So worth learning more about.
For those unfamiliar with a Mantis, they are incredible hunters and purportedly will eat virtually everything but corals in a tank. They tend to either smash their prey or spear it with an unusual appendage arrangement which at quick glance tends to look somewhat like a praying mantis. They can strike a target so fast, that they create an acceleration equivalent to a .22 caliber bullet being fired. Because of the speed, they literally heat up the water around the attack and create a shock wave. Their eyes are one of the most complex of any creature on earth. So worth learning more about.
