Possible Mantis problem

[anjiro]

I think I have a mantis shrimp.......
I had a porcelain crab which I found completely hollowed this morning, Now I've never been able to keep nass snails they just all seemed to disappear, and I've lost about 20 hermits, but I never really attributed it to something else in the tank. I'm beginning to wonder if I have a mantis..... I've also lost a peppermint shrimp sometime in the last week......
Any Ideas?
I did set a bait trap using a water bottle and I'll see what i catch, but does this sound like a Mantis' M.O.?

 

[aceguitar1]

I'm no expert by any means, but what kind of fish do you have in the tank? Think it could possibly by one of them?

 

[fretfreak13]

Listen at night and see if you hear any clicking. Also, when it's lights out take a flashlight to your tank and see what you find.

 

[btldreef]

That sucks!
However, it's unlikely that it's a mantis, but you never know. You should be able to hear the mantis killing it's prey. I doubt it's one of your fish killing everything as someone stated above. Your fish shouldn't be eating your Nassarius snails....
Turn all the lights off in the tank and the room one night and look around the tank, into every crevice with a small flashlight that can really pinpoint exact locations and not shine light all over the tank.
We had disappearing fish/inverts for a while in our 40G and one night I finally found burning evil red eyes staring at me, it was a Xanthid crab in some live rock we had bought months before. What an evil little crab!
Good luck!

 

[anjiro]

Well agreed there is no clicking when I'm home, but I work nights so its hard for me to really be able to check it in the dark, but I came home early tonight for that very thing... Aw well, the search continues