Mantis or Pistol Shrimp?

nats · #1 08-11-2008, 11:52 PM

I have a small pistol shrimp in my tank. It is always moving the sand around to make his burrow. He sometimes piles the sand up pretty high and changes location often. Have you seen rocks or sand collecting up in piles?

Oscar · #2 08-12-2008, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nats

I have a small pistol shrimp in my tank. It is always moving the sand around to make his burrow. He sometimes piles the sand up pretty high and changes location often. Have you seen rocks or sand collecting up in piles?

No nothing like that.

Although when I got home last night I discovered a crab molt. I have not ID'd it yet, I will try to post a photo tonight. No idea I had a crab in there. And then this morning I discovered the 3rd lobster molt in 2 months.

So at least 2 of the critters are feeding well.

And I heard more clicking this morning.

Oscar · #3 10-16-2008, 07:11 PM

Well I still hear the occasional clicking but other than a molts a few months ago no sign of a pistol shrimp. I removed a hitchhiker crab a few weeks ago.

I do have one suspicious pile of sand in one corner of my tank that has been there a few months. I have changed the water flow thinkig it might be a "dead spot" but it is still there. Looks like an ant hill with no real opening.

Before I add a shrimp goby to the tank I would like to confirm I have a pistol shrimp in residence. Will dismantling the ant hill tell me anything
? Any other tricks?

Snaz · #4 10-16-2008, 07:20 PM

I have a heard a clicking for 3 months since I inherited a 12g nano and never seen a molt or anything to suggest what it is. Always two fast clicks together, "cliclk-click!".

No missing inhabitants, no empty snail shells so I think it is a pistol. I have looked everywhere and being only 12g I should have seen something by now!

Whatigot · #5 10-16-2008, 08:19 PM

there are so many different types of pistols, and thy are not all of the same temperment.
I assure you that some pistols are capable of killing fish and may even prefer fish to anything else.

When I first set up my tank, I literally had between 10 and 15 pistols that came with the 70 lbs of cuban LR I bought.
I didn't feed my tank at all for the first couple months as it cycled etc.
As soon as i dropped fish in there (a gramma and a clown gobie) the clicking really started and I noticed these shrimp for the first time (although I had heard SOME clicking before, this was concentrated).
It took about 3 days for both fish to dissapear.

I feed my tank now and that helps, but if a fish gets too close to a pistol lair (the kind I had hitchike are not sand burrowers, they live in the LR) SNAP.

People always base their opinions on their experience and the tiger pistols (I actually bought one of them and hate his burrowing now) along with the other LFS varieties don't seem to be anywhere near as aggressive as the ones I recieved as a LR bonus, this is my opinion based on my experience.

Oscar · #6 10-16-2008, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whatigot

When I first set up my tank, I literally had between 10 and 15 pistols that came with the 70 lbs of cuban LR I bought.

I feed my tank now and that helps, but if a fish gets too close to a pistol lair (the kind I had hitchike are not sand burrowers, they live in the LR) SNAP.

Pistols in live rock...That might be what I have since other thant the "ant hill" I do not see any burrowing. But I do have a couple of snails that have gone missing. I have had 2 clowns since July but even in my small tank they do not wander very far.

What do you feed your hitchikers or do they just feed on fish food that was missed?

Whatigot · #7 10-16-2008, 08:41 PM

I just feed my tank a revolving door of mysis, brine,blood and coral frenzie with salifert pellets every now and then.

I talk a little about it in my tank journal as I was pretty concerned for a little while as I thought my tank was unable to host anything but pistols.

If you didn't hear them click, you would never know they existed other than the odd piece of LR that they have pulled out of their cave to enlargen it and left mysteriously on the substrate.

These guys will actually attack snails and my kent want when too close to their respective piece of LR.
They also appear to live in colonies as I have seen at least 4 in one piece of LR in my tank at one time.

They seem to be happy to scavenge at night though as I haven't lost any more fish and they click way less now that their is a better food source.

hey snaz, did you get your pod' from a member here?