4-inch yellow tang disappread and found!!

[archie1709]

Last Saturday, this vibrant 4-inch 2-year old yellow tang of mine was swimming happily.

Then Saturday night (I sleep in the living room coz it's cooler - climate wise - than upstairs), I heard the irritating clickity-snap of this nuisance mantis shrimp that I have yet to find. It is irritating and loud.

Sunday, no yellow tang. I said, "well come feeding time tomorrow, the fish should show up"

Monday, feeding time, no yellow tang. Tuesday, I called in sick just to find out where the heck the tang was. Wednesday, finally, I found evidence... this:



Rest in peace...

Anyone can help me lure a mantis shrimp out in the open. I have quite a tightly set rock work with corals. I do not want to have to tear it down to look for a darn mantis.

I hate mantis...sorry for mantis lovers...I don't mean any disrespect. It's just that I had that tang for two years as a companion of some sort, if you may. So it's like losing someone important and what not.

[kimm]

OMG that sucks! I have no experience with Mantis shrimp but I hear they are really smart litter buggers! I thought I've read before of Mantis traps. Good luck!

[happyface888]

Now that really sucks, sorry for your loss. Try using a trap with food to lure it in to the tube or box. You can put that mantis in your sump or sell it to your LFS.

[drummereef]

Stupid mantis....

[dodgersfan25]

wow took a day off for your tang, now thats dedication. hope you catch the culprit and soon

[xtm]

yikes. Time for an inverted bottle trap

[Frick-n-Frags]

mmmmm, smells like shrimp on the barbie at the bunker residence...

[archie1709]

Thanks y'all. Yellow tangs are such amazingly cute companions-in-the-tank. They're not shy. They have such inquisitive nature for a fish. Or maybe they just want to insert their beak to anything that may have green algae to graze on.

I have read a few threads regarding the inverted bottle trap. Will that work for probably mantis shrimp that are hiding behind rockwork, possibly next to the back wall, by any chance?

Any stories of success catching mantis?

[RichConley]

A mantis isnt going to kill a tang. Smashers wont even go after fish like chromis, let alone tangs.

A spearer would, but you wont get a spearer in rock. You have to buy them.

[archie1709]

I read some articles about spearers that you mention and they are probably one of the largest species, if I am correct?

Well, this one definitely does not show itself. It must be hiding somewhere and was definitely a hitchhiker. How small do these things start off? Can they possibly hitch hike as babies?

By the way, my hermit crabs are slowly disappearing. My nasarius snails hide under the sand and are ok because everytime I drop feed for fish, these nassarius rise out of the sand like zombies.

Anyone has tried the inverted bottle, by any chance?

[RichConley]

whats your salinity? What are you testing it with?

Whats your alk? What kit are you using?

Whats skimmer are you using.


Look, you may have a smasher, I dont know, but you dont have a spearer. Spearers dont click either. Mantis tend to make lairs, and drag everything back to them. There'd be a pile of dead stuff in front of the hole.


I really think your yellow tang dying has nothing to do with mantis shrimp.

[hicmndr]

I lost a Tang (and a couple other fish, a clam, some soft corals, etc.) in a similar way and swore it was a mantis shrimp. I heard clicking, but never saw the shrimp, and could never catch it. I began noticing snail and hermit crab shells piling up near a rock.

I ended up finding and catching 2 really nasty looking gorilla crabs from under that rock. Ever since I removed the gorilla crabs I have had zero losses.

I still hear the clicking coming from my tank, but I haven't lost any livestock since I removed the crabs, and my Project DIBS snails are reproducing like crazy.

I ended up using the inverted bottle trap with some shrimp in it to catch the crabs.