Ordering lots of Fiji live rock. I'm terrified!

Kennyboy1984 · #1 06/18/2006, 08:30 PM

Are mantis shrimp common hitchhikers on Fiji live rock? I am in the process of setting up my 125 for a future reef tank but I am terrified of there being mantis shrimp in my live rock. I still need to order more shipments of live rock. What are the chances of getting one as a hitchhiker? I haven't heard any clicks or sounds coming form my tank yet. Is that the only indication that you have one?

BLockamon · #2 06/18/2006, 08:45 PM

The best indication of a mantis is missing snails.

I would imagine that hitchhikers are pretty rare in Pacific live rock (because of the travel time), but they do happen. I haven't had any in my 120 lbs of Tonga rock. Do a quick high salinity dip (or fresh water dip) to flush them out before adding the rock to the tank.

Kennyboy1984 · #3 06/18/2006, 09:27 PM

thanks

AngeloM3 · #4 06/19/2006, 10:27 PM

Best thing to do..............

get a bucket of water and have it at a REALLY HIGH salinity... i'm talking like off the chart!

take a rock or two... put it in bucket for a couple of minutes... no more than 5min

take rock out quickly! so nothing can scurry back in........

you'll be amazed at what comes out of the rocks!

EricM · #5 06/20/2006, 10:28 PM

Mantis are usually a problem with the Caribbean (TBS or other) rocks.

Never had a problem with Pacific Rock.

Thurge · #6 06/21/2006, 02:45 AM

If you are getting Walt Smith Fiji live Rock, I am pretty sure his facility keeps their rock under spray bars. The idea being that the spraying action drives the hitchickers out of the rock.

ezcompany · #7 06/21/2006, 07:48 PM

i had green palys as hitchhikers on my Vanuatu

dead beat reef · #8 06/28/2006, 11:04 PM

Cycling the new batches of live rock in a separate container
will make it easy to find and remove unwanted pests. With
new live rock there is a certain amount of die off it just happens.
That die off will cause problems in your 125 gal. Cycling l/r in
a 20 or 30 gal container till its cured saves time and money.
Its not just mantis shrimps lots of bad things can be in l/r. dbr

Gonodactylus · #9 06/29/2006, 09:29 AM

Some small gonodactylids can survive most methods to flush them out of their cavities, but hitchhikerss in Fijian rock are relatively rare and most that arrive are small species that never get larger than about 35 mm and typically don't both anything but the smallest crustaceans and snails. In fact, they typically feed on particles that float by such as fish food. Relax.

Roy

R33f3r · #10 06/29/2006, 07:39 PM

FME, it's pretty rare to get any good or bad hitchikers from Walt Smith. You will get sponges, and some corals....although I know a guy here that got an octopus. How it survived for so long out of water who knows? But most of their rock is "screened" thoroughly for critters.

chrisstankevitz · #11 07/01/2006, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BLockamon
Do a quick high salinity dip (or fresh water dip) to flush them out before adding the rock to the tank.

Is the fresh water effective? Fresh water dip certainly is easier for me. I buy my salt water from LFS and I don't think they sell "high salinity." I guess I could microwave 1.025 and boil away the fresh H20.

Chris

Gonodactylus · #12 07/01/2006, 02:54 PM

I'll say again, you are probably going to do more harm than good dipping in either fresh water or hypersaline. Many of the small species of stomatopod that may be hiding in tubes are reluctant to leave and can spend minutes or even hours in a fresh water dip. They have the ability to block off their cavity an retain some salt water. Even leaving the rock out of water is not effective. I've had gonodactylids survive over 24 hours with the rock completely out of the water. Al they have to do is keep their gills moist to breath and there is often enough water in the bottom of the cavity to do that.

There are a couple of techniques that will work if you know where the animal is. We capture small stomatopods in the field using dilute solutions of clove oil. It is one of the few effective stomatopod anesthetics and they don't like it. I have also tried carbonated water pipetted into a cavity. That will bring some animals out.

Roy

thor32766 · #13 07/01/2006, 04:32 PM

good tips!

noschmo · #14 07/02/2006, 06:30 PM

Terrified, puhleeeeezzzz. Lets just say you are concerned. But don't be as the little mantis guys are not the bad guy some who have us believe. In fact, I am encouraging everyone to take a mantis schrimp into their homes, just another of Gods little creatures.

55semireef · #15 07/04/2006, 03:51 PM

You mean natures little creatures.

bkmorris · #16 07/05/2006, 06:43 PM

i second that, 55semireef.

DensityMan · #17 07/06/2006, 02:51 PM

I think "God" or "nature" work equally well in that sentence actually; no need to 'correct' anyone there...

/ditto on the comments against hypo or hyper salinity. You may in fact get a few unwanted creatures off the rock, but you'll also be doing more damage / causing more stress to the organisms for which you bought the rock in the first place.

Screen the rocks before adding them to the cycling container or tank and then watch and listen throughout the cycle for anything you might want to get out.

Good luck.

55semireef · #18 07/06/2006, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DensityMan
I think "God" or "nature" work equally well in that sentence actually; no need to 'correct' anyone there...

God is a theory. Nature is a fact. A mantis is part of nature. Simple as that.

Frostyeel · #19 07/06/2006, 09:18 PM

I think I'll have to go with Densityman on this, plus didn't god create nature so even if mantises are nature's creatures they are still God's grand-creatures? Just a thought.

55semireef · #20 07/06/2006, 10:40 PM

I am pretty sure religion is not apart of this forum. So I am stopping but last comment for me.

God is only a theory. Some believe in him and some don't. You can't prove that a God really exists but you can prove nature exists. Its in your tank.

Point of the matter is, keep your beliefs to yourself. If you think a god created nature, thats fine, others don't.

By all means I am not trying to start an argument.

mjdlonghorn · #21 07/07/2006, 08:54 AM

55semireef I sense a lot of disdain coming from you. Usually its angry people who like to bash others for having faith. Humans are not capable of understanding what god is. Of course people can not prove what god is, otherwise there would be no use for faith. Try not to be so angry with life.

30mini · #22 07/07/2006, 08:57 AM

Okay guys... let's stop the religion talk here! 55semireef is a teacher, and from the looks, he is a BIOLOGY teacher. Don't get me wrong, I believe in a higher power, but I still have my doubts. So, let's just drop it?

gobygoby · #23 07/07/2006, 08:59 AM

nevermind...

Wocka · #24 07/07/2006, 02:23 PM

Be scared be very scared.. ull probly get like 5 mantis. ARg /sarcasm off

55semireef · #25 07/07/2006, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mjdlonghorn
55semireef I sense a lot of disdain coming from you. Usually its angry people who like to bash others for having faith. Humans are not capable of understanding what god is. Of course people can not prove what god is, otherwise there would be no use for faith. Try not to be so angry with life.

Thanks for knowing who I am. I am sure you know all about me.

Okay guys... let's stop the religion talk here! 55semireef is a teacher, and from the looks, he is a BIOLOGY teacher. Don't get me wrong, I believe in a higher power, but I still have my doubts. So, let's just drop it?

I agree lets drop this. But I am definately no teacher. Pre-med is more like it.