Mantis?

[fender]

Last night I was taking a look at my tank with a flash light and saw some pretty cool stuff.If you haven't done it yet,<dr evil voice> it is really quite breathtaking, I suggest you try it</dr evil voice>.
One thing I saw that I have some questions about is a small green shrimp/lobster looking fellow that was hiding in the rock. He never came all the way out so I could not get a real good look at him. I would say he is maybe an inch long, has two lobster like claws that were fairly small in comparison to his body. He was very shy. Whenever the light was fully on him, he would dart back in.
I have had some mysterious disappearences in the past but none in the last couple of months. Could this be a mantis?
Should I yank him?

 

[salisbury a d]

Poke him, smash him, crack his shell, boil him, chuck him. Do what is takes to get the

[hr]
out. You do not want to take chances they can crack the glass with one blow.
Have fun.
Adam

 

[fender]

Does he sound like a mantis tho? I don't want to pulverize him if I don't know what he is.
On the other hand, I don't want to lose anything.
hhhhmmmmmmmm.
To crush or not to crush.......
If I knew for a fact it is a mantis I have absolutely no qualms of sending him to the fishy afterlife.
uhhhgggggg.
I think I'll just yank him...

 

[salisbury a d]

Is it green is it long does it have big ugly eyes. If the answer is yes then for fishes sake Kill him. It is a mantis.
Look it up and find a pic. I think this sight sells one look under shrimp in the shoping section.
Adam

 

[scy]

Hello,I never kill anything that comes out of my rock,i would find someone that would take it,or you could put it in your sump or set up a 10gal tank to put it in.I have had mantis shrimp in a 10gal.tank with no problems. scy = scyllaris

 

[bluewater]

It sounds like a Mantis, if you can afford like
another 5 gallon salt water tank, I would put
it in there. Plus, it's an extremely hardy
species and fascinating to watch as a stand
alone pet. I met this guy over the weekend,
and he has a Mantis as a pet. 5 inches in
a 5 gallon tank. He only measures salinity,
and nitrites. feeds it goldfish and crayfish
2-3 inches big. Plus, they are expensive
to buy. $30-60. Maybe you can try to get
some credit at a LFS or something.
Just to let you know... they can slice fish
in half at the speed of swining a flyswatter
pretty much. So right now, you've got a stalker in your tank. Get it ASAP if you have
fish.

 

[burnnspy]

Lobster-like claws would indicate a pistol shrimp not a Mantis shrimp.
BurnNSpy

 

[fender]

Yes it has lobster like claws and I have heard that mantis move very quick, this guy moved pretty well but not any faster than your garden variety shrimp. I thought pistols were orange tho..

 

[fender]

My wife just said that one claw was bigger than the other, which also may indicate a pistol. I can't find any stupid pics of one tho....
Very frustrating......