mystery monster

[skidog420]

I need some help, I have had a few pieces of polynesian liverock in my tank for about 7-8 months and I have a mystery animal living in one of the pieces. I didn't even notice it for several months until one night I came home and my dwarf fringed lionfish was stuck head first in a hole in the live rock, which is full of quater sized holes. he was bloated and dead and my first reaction was that he just stuck his head in the hole and due to his spines got stuck and died, but I thought that it was strang that when I tried to pull his body out that something seemed to be pulling back. since then afirefish and a coral shimp have disappeared. I have now seen the mystery animal, it hangs out just out of site in the holes. recently I came home from vacation and it was fully out. it is a crablike animal, it's legs don't extend ou the are tucked under it is oblong and about as big around as a silver dollar it is raelly quick and moves sidewaysit seemed to have two front claws and redeyes. I couldn't get a photo because he hid so quickly when I turned on the light. please help, before more fish lose there lives.

 

[yammer]

Sounds like a Mantiss Shrimp - very nasty.

 

[steamboat1569]

Yep, what Bill said. There is a thread in the classified forum with Mantis shrimp in the title. It has a good link with a lot of pics of Mantis shrimp. Take a look and see if one of these are it.

 

[steamboat1569]

Better yet, here is the link. www.blueboard.com/mantis/pics.htm

 

[daisy]

If I were you, I would make sure the "mystery animal" is in the rock it calls home, then *carefully* take that rock out of the tank (mantis shrimp can really, really hurt you, too. they are referred to in texts as "thumb splitters"). I don't know if you're willing to call that particular rock a loss, but mantis shrimp are the LAST thing you want in your tank.
Good luck!

 

[pa reef pig]

hey skidog,
look into the tips on mantis shrimp removal. If you do manage to catch him let m eknow because I would like to adopt the little guy.

 

[sterling]

Sounds just like the rock crab I captured a few weeks ago. Mine was about the size of a silver dollar, very elusive and quick, moved sideways etc. It took me 3 days to catch him and i finally got him by waiting for him to run back under a rock, I had to remove all the rock above him as he burrowed into the sand, i scooped him and alot of sand up in the net.

 

[bang guy]

Skidog -
If you can remove the rock from the tank try the following proceedure:
Mix up 2 gallons of club soda with a cup of salt mix, stir well and let it sit for a few minutes. Take the rock, drain all the wate rfrom it and set it in the club soda water. Any mobile inverts will abandon the rock as soon as the water enters the holes. Pick out all the keeper critters and plop them back into the tank. Put your monster in a seperate container with some tank water. As soon as the monster is out put the rock back in the tank.