How to Humanely Kill Mantis Shrimp?
 

Judging from the hitchhiker FAQ, we have a mantis shrimp living in our acropora. I've got a plan to get it out of the acro, but want to kill the poor devil once it's out. I'd appreciate any ideas of how to kill it without having it suffer in the process.

TIA.

My advice, don't kill it. There's probably someone who'd be interested in keeping one. Give him a chance; it's not his fault he got captured and is living in your tank. (*Yes I am a bleeding heart.. :cool: )

Okay, then, who wants a mantis shrimp? Pick up tonight, only, between 6 and 8 pm :neutral:

Use a nail, a pair of scissors, or something sharp and skewer it. Humanely and Kill don't go together too well...and the methods described above are very close to the methods used by mantis predators in the wild. Otherwise, trap it out like most people do and give it to someone with a species tank. Interesting though, Mantids don't usually find homes in Acros, as far as I know. There are a number of Alpheid spp. shrimps that are commensal with acropora's...they can make a snapping noise and are not dangerous. Can you elaborate what other evidence you have that this is a Mantis?


Stephen

confirming that someone is certain to want him. don't kill him! heck maybe an LFS will take him off your hands.

if you can hold onto it for a few more weeks somehow (maybe in a very small plastic tank within your larger tanks), i will take him. he'd do fine in my sump, i'm sure. :confused: if bev can't hold on to him, can anyone else?

Here's a photo of it:

http://www.lostmymarblz.com/42-acroshrimp.htm

Really, I'm not sure what the heck it is. I hate to kill any living thing, but if it's going to be dangerous to my reef, I want it gone. One fish has already mysteriously disappeared, and I have no idea how it happened :frown:

Opinions, please.

That is NOT a mantis shrimp. It looks like a crinoid snapping shrimp and is harmless. Please do not kill it.

to see real mantis shrimp, go to this site.

http://www.blueboard.com/mantis/

Could also be a juvenile pistol shrimp, again, not a concern. Buy a prawn goby to live with it!!

ah thank goodness. no need to be killing anything, regardless of what they do to your fish. :biggrin:

Thanks for the link. What we have is not a mantis. I'll carefully try to put him back where he came from. There will be no killing here today. Thank goodness!!!!!!