I think I have a mantis!!

[crazy8]

I need to know anything you guys can tell me about what these guys are capable of. First, do they use crab shells occassionally? Also, the one I have looks small, but can it kill cleaner shrimp/CBS/as well as snails and crabs?
Any info would be great. The object I found appears to have mostly black legs with white spots, but from what I have read, this is more than likely a green color that just appears black. But it has red antennae.

 

[sandman12]

there r some pics in the photo forum just keep looking through the pages, the dont use crab shells they have there own shell. It can kill what u have, but if u feed it it should leave them alone but i would get it out

 

[steven the fish]

If i were you i would get a trap,
the mantis shrimp will kill you're cleaner
shrimp. Its only a matter of time.

 

[sandman12]

dont buy a trap those r a waste of money IMO no offense just do a fresh water dip to the rock u think he is in and he'll come runnig out

 

[crazy8]

Okay...lets make it easy.....tell me what this is? I have only ordered scarlet crabs......so how did HE get into this shell? I have no idea what this is, just has the colorings of a peacock but who knows. I have not heard clicking at all and have no other suspects at the time.

 

[crazy8]

oops....guess the picture would help

 

[steven the fish]

Dose not look anything like a mantis shrimp to me.
More like a hermit of some sort. If you look in the dry good section
of saltwaterfish.com scroll down to mantis trap and it should give you a pic.

 

[crazy8]

I agree....doesn't look like anything I have seen. Not red enough to be peacock. Not dull enough to be regular mantis. And then again maybe I have water problems, although all of my fish seem to be doing fine.

 

[the claw]

Not a mantis as far as I am concerned.
Pick it up and if it cuts your hand off, then you'll know for sure.

 

[fishman830]

His strength is about the match of a twenty two calibre bullet, so i hear

 

[fishman830]

well a mantis anyway, that looks liek a kind of hermit

 

[steven the fish]

i heard that a nickname for the mantis was the thumb spliter,
for obvious reasons.

 

[the claw]

Well, I haven't shot myself lately, but I can attest to being nailed by one of them I didn't know I had. My finger has finally grown back.

 

[fishman830]

heheh