Got the little bugger!!

[Silverfish]

Well, after a month of trying I finally caught the 1 1/2" mantis that has been terrorizing my tank!
I used a 1 liter Evian water bottle with the top part cut off and put in backwards held with hot glue.
A bit of silversides and krill in the trap and he went in. It took a month of on again,off again trying tho.

He is now residing in a 2 1/2 gallon hex tank till I can set up a more permanent home.

Whew! Glad to have that done! :D

[Delphinus]

Wow, how'd you end up with a mantis in your tank? In on some LR maybe? If so, where'd you get the LR from? (Just curious...)

[Aquattro]

Bruce, I hear you can feed them clown tangs!! They just love 'em!

Tony, the chance of getting a mantis in live rock is very good. I got two of mine from rock. Where the rock came from doesn't matter. I unpacked 5 boxes of rock at the LFS and found 4 mantis. Those were just the ones in the bottom of the box!! Always check carefully in any rock you buy.

[Delphinus]

Hi Reef_raf, thanks for the info .... but I was just kind of curious where THIS batch came from. Just curious, for no sake other than idle curiosity. Yeah, have heard lots of stories about mantis's over the years. I guess I've been lucky. I had lots of other hitchikers though... :D

[ 22 April 2002, 07:20: Message edited by: delphinus ]

[Aquattro]

Tony, I believe the rock Bruce got this guy in came from Marshal Islands via Seacare.org. Bruce can confirm/deny that. I also bought some of that rock and I have to say, it was the nicest colored rock I've bought. My first mantis came from Walt Smith rock and my second came from someone else's rock. I actually bought my third mantis. Great little guys!

[Aquattro]

Bruce I have a 5g tank if you want to put him in there. It's by the side of my house if you want to grab it next time you're driving by. And it's free!

[Delphinus]

I've seen 'em for sale sometimes ... they sure do look pretty cool.... :D

[One_Divided]

The rock bruce found it in was Bali rock (I'm pretty sure) and I have found one in a peice of Bali rock as well.. It is beautiful rock, but seems to be mantis insfested!

[Silverfish]

Dooh! Just bought a 5 1/2 gallon today for the little sucker! Thanks for the offer tho Brad :D

Tony, I am 99% sure that I got this one in on a piece of Bali live rock (like Adam said) from a large chain-type aquatics store on the lower mainland. ;) I got the LR quite a while ago, maybe 6 months or more, and that clicking sound I always heard made me wonder if I had a mantis. I was hoping it was a pistol shrimp, but then I saw it draging the carcass of it's latest kill into the rocks where it lived and I knew! :mad:

This guy has killed at least three fish that I am pretty sure of, along with uncounted snails and an emerald crab or two.

Anyways, the mantis is in his new home, peeking out from the $40 of live rock :eek: that I got in there.

I'm gonna fatten him up and see how it grows, or if it changes colors at all.

Cool! A little nano-mantis reef! :cool: