Baby Mantis on TBS rock?

[Mekong]

I got some TBS rock about a month or two ago, and I put it mostly in my newly setup refugium. In about two weeks I had a massive explosion of tiny pods. They have started to wain and now I see less of them. I thought this was just a natural wax and waine.

I have seen some quite large "pod" looking things but under closer examination one of the largest one almost looks like it is sitting up with tiny front arms folded almost like a mantis. I watched it and since it was soo small I couldnt really tell but it almost looked as if it picked up a smaller pod and was eating it.

Could this be a baby mantis? Its just under 1cm in lenght. I have seen it entering and exiting a pencil size hole in the rock. It has a brown back and clear legs. I belive I have seen more than one of these but there is one that is clearly largest.

I havent seen any gorilla crabs fortunatly.

Do pods get that big?

[Mekong]

I just got a really good look at him, it snatched up a smaller pod and ate it, it doesnt have the extruded eyes like a mantis, they are attched to the head, but it does have some mantis like front grabing arms....

[DanielMar]

Could be a Pistol Shrimp?

[Mekong]

I noticed that there are many of them, I think they might just be huge pods, anyone know of a good pod ID site?

[lukasnca]

I think that that's an amphipod. They have little claws that look like those on a mantis.

Pictures:
http://www.museum.vic.gov.au/crust/amphigal.html

[patrickb]

Those are amphipods. They're are good and are a sign that things are going well in your refugium.

[Mekong]

Okay cool, thats them, I was just unsure, thanks!

Its kinda scary seeing all thoes bugs runing about in my living room! Last time I had worms they hatched out of my cichlid tank and tunred in to flies!!! I had to put a towel over the tank and do a 99% water change.

This is a spitting image of it

http://www.museum.vic.gov.au/crust/images/crusties/amphipod1/j20449.jpg

[Mekong]

I just find it odd that a pod from australia is alover my florida and fiji rock

[lukasnca]

Its not necessarily a pod from Australia :) That's just the first pod gallery that I found. It could be a pod from almost anywhere else -- I'm sure that there are pods else where that look very similar.

Anyway Fiji is kinda not that far from Australia :)

[Qwiv]

Glad to hear the rocks are doing well Mekong. Definatly sounds like a pod to me. I have a number of pistols in my rock that are very small and a orangish color. They range from a grain of rice to a cm in length. You will know if you have them as they can make a very loud click even for their small size.

I still have one of the (2) mantis I caught in my rock and he is getting big and colorfull. They don't seem to effect the pod population as the tank he is in is full of them. He may eat the big ones.