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ReefdUp 
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 Topic: Found a baby mantis shrimp...now what?
Posted: July 21 2012 at 2:53am |
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Soooo, I found a baby mantis shrimp in my quarantine that must've come in on a coral and survived a dip. He's about the width of angel hair spaghetti and about a half inch long....really cute. How do I catch such a small booger so I can make a species tank for him?
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Will Spencer
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Posted: July 21 2012 at 8:25am |
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Wow! How cool. If it is that small I probably would not even have see it. I would definitely do a species tank for it.
I don't know how large your quarantine tank is or what is in it, but if there is any possibility you can net him you can get nets that are for straining Brine Shrimp. That might work on a guy his size. Also a plastic cup with food in it that has a string attached so you can pull it upright and out of the water might work.
Good luck. I think Mantis Shrimp are super cool as long as they are not in your reef killing things.
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Adam Blundell
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Posted: July 21 2012 at 8:49am |
Awesome. I'd try Will's ideas. But really, mantis? Being that small I wouldn't see it, nor be sure what I'd even be looking at. If you're lucky it is more like a snapping shrimp. But then again getting a mantis for its own little tank would be pretty cool as well.
Adam
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Quickness
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Posted: July 21 2012 at 10:21am |
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Lucky!! Any pics by chance??
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Molon Labe
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bstuver
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Posted: July 21 2012 at 1:10pm |
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I have been reading up on mantis as I was debating changing my tank to a species tank for one. They are super cool.
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Jackie Stuver
"wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart
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Nails12
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Posted: July 21 2012 at 1:59pm |
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If you do go with a species tank it should be acryclic, I have seen one crack glass... Just as a safety precaution.
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This is more than a hobby; its a lifestyle.
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ReefdUp
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Posted: July 21 2012 at 3:31pm |
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Oh, I'm 100% sure it's a mantis shrimp...about the size of two grains of rice laid end to end. I saw a molt a few weeks ago that made me think of a mantis shrimp, but I chalked it up to just a huge weird pod. Seeing him actually walking around the tank confirmed it...his beady little eyes were watching me while looking for food. He was easy to identify since he was just walking along the sandbed like he was king of the tank. Definitely not a pistol shrimp or anything else. No pics yet...I was a bit distracted trying to catch him.
Will - thanks for the brine shrimp net idea. I completely forgot I had one...now to find it. I don't think the plastic cup idea would work since I don't think he could get into it easily...but it did make me think.... I think I'm going to try the glass bottle trick with a mini-bottle. Just wish I knew where he lived.
Right now I'm planning to put him in a 2.5g glass tank since I already have everything for it. Considering I have some pods bigger than him, there's no way he could break the glass at this size. I'm looking for a nano for work, so I may put him in it if I get an acrylic one. My QT is just a fishless 20g tank, and I don't think he could bother anything but the smallest pods in there. He came out when I fed the corals some pellets, so he may be eating anything.
Thanks for the suggestions! Hopefully I can get him out soon and post pics!
Edited by ReefdUp - July 21 2012 at 3:36pm
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tfmreefs
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Posted: July 21 2012 at 11:40pm |
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Yea! Good luck and do post pics!! Does he have any color or is he light colored since he's still small?
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jwoo
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Posted: July 22 2012 at 6:19pm |
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That is awesome Nikki! Can you get a pic? I'd love to see it!
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None at the moment
Soon: 72 Gallon Bowfront
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ReefdUp
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Posted: July 22 2012 at 6:49pm |
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Ugh, I couldn't get the little bugger to come out today. I think I found his hiding spot though, so that's a start.
He's pretty much translucent, but he does have some stripes starting. I'm sure he's not a zebra, but that's the best he reminds me of right now. Also, I *think* he's a smasher. Hard to tell at that size.
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Will Spencer
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Posted: July 23 2012 at 9:35am |
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I was thinking a plastic cup laid on its side perhaps even dug into the substrate a little. You could punch a hole or two in the side at the top and tie a string to it so that once you saw him enter to get food you could pull it upright and out of the tank. Kind of like the Soda bottle fish trap idea some people use.
I hope you can catch him, I too would love to see pics. They are very interesting animals.
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