Any Suggestions?

mapster · 04-10-2002, 09:58 PM

Hello all,

Ive been out of the loop for a while so this may run a little long (stupid job).

My tank has been up and running since early February. Last weekend I added my first fish (a pair of cinnamon clowns) and a urchin. 5 minutes after I added the fish I noticed a mantis shrimp chillin on the rocks. It was the first time I have ever saw it. In fact, I thought I got rid of it after I emptied the 165lbs of LR in dipped it in cold, high salinity salt water and had not heard it's clicking for two months. But sure enough, its alive. Its real small (less than an inch long) and must be pretty quick, because I turned my head for 2 second and it was gone.

My first round of questions is:
How serious should I take this thing?
I want to add some snails but will this kill them?
Is a cleaner shrimp safe?
It cant hurt my fish can it?
How big will it get? And how fast?
I have a "Exterminator" mantis shrimp trap but I am afraid my fish will get caught in it.

Also, in the three months my tank was set up w/o any fish or inverts, algea has become a small problem. I have dark green and brown patches on my sand bed and a little hair algea on my rocks. Also growing on my rocks are large bush like, fern looking algea plants (good description, huh) that have grown quite long. Another thing is that I let the algea grow on the back and left side of my tank. I like the look of it.

My second round of questions:
What is a good invert or fish to stir up the sand and not allow this stuff to grow?
I plan on getting a Flame Angel as my next fish. Will it eat the long ferny bushy algea or should I start yanking this stuff out by hand?
Bubbles are starting to form underneath the algea growing on the glass (and on the rocks). Was that a bad idea or will those bubbles go away with time?

Sorry to take up so much of your time.
My new fish seem happy in their new home. They are so cool. Im so glad I took the time to do things right and am so glad I found TRT to guide me. Thanks All.

tdwyatt · 04-10-2002, 10:24 PM

catch the mantis

don't buy any fish until you catch the mantis

don't worry about the algae till you catch the mantis

You will not sleep until you catch the mantis

set several traps to catch the mantis

the mantis will catch your fish unless you catch the mantis.

Hope this helps

did I mention that you need to catch the mantis???

is it white??? (Ahab asked...)

cyberchef · 04-10-2002, 10:49 PM

I think Tom is trying to give you a subliminal message to catch the Mnatis shrimp...

I've caught 3 out of my main tank so far , hopefully there are no more, and non of them hurt any of my fish that I know of nor did they hurt any of my other inhabitants. The largest was about 2" long and the other 2 were about 1" long. They have found a new home with someone who will take care of them, although I did keep them in a 10G tank for a while contemplating the thought of keeping them permamently. I decided I needed the tank for quarantine and hospital tank more so off they went to a new home... lol

Oh yeah, one last thing...

Catch the Mantis... hehehe

Calvinc4s · 04-10-2002, 10:52 PM

I have had a mantis shrimp for over 2 years. I have never seen it!! This mantis has,

1) killed a Bangii
2) killed a gobie
3) broke the jaw of a baby eel
4) put me on thin ice with the G/F, Every time I hear it late at night, im jumping out of bed with the red flashlight and it happens at the wrong time!!
5) friends all think im insain when I tell them about this invisable shrimp killing all my stuff.

I swear to you, I will have this thing lacquered and mounted to the hood of my car some day!!!!!

mapster · 04-10-2002, 11:59 PM

I've caught 3 out of my main tank so far , hopefully there are no more, and non of them hurt any of my fish that I know of nor did they hurt any of my other inhabitants.

Cyberchef,
did you catch them while fish were in the tank? If so, how? Im afraid if I use the trap, my clowns will get caught. they are not that big and could defintely fit in the trap.

cyberchef · 04-11-2002, 01:26 AM

Yes there were fish in the tank. I made some traps from PVC encaps (1 1/4" I believe) and clear tubing used for covering flourescent light bulbs. This allowed me to make various lengths so That I could custom make them to fit anywhere I wanted them to. I also used them to catch crabs and to catch my peppermint shrimp that were in the main tank to move them to the refugium. I got one of the mantis shrimps this way. The others I got by being able to find the rock they were in and removing that piece of rock and using RO water to flush them out. Luckily every time they were in a piece of LR that was either by itself or only had one piece on top of it and was not a support piece. The nice thing about the homade traps were they could be cut to any length and because they were clear you could see if anything was in them. The end caps fit snug enough that I just slid them together and the end caps were heavy enough that it helped hold them down as well. HTH...

Alice · 04-11-2002, 10:05 AM

I think someone already suggested that you catch the mantis

so I'd like a little more info about this long algae you have growing. Most of the things you've described sound pretty normal for a young tank. Increased flow to the affected areas, keeping your alk up and doing an extra water change here and there out to take care of the cyano (brown and green stuff.)

But this long stuff that has bubbles forming under it, how substantial is it? Can you grab a handful of it or does it disintegrate in your hand? Plain old hair algae gets bubbles all along it from photosynthesis, but you can pull it out. Dinoflagellates, which have been the bane of my existence for several months, grow to be long, bubbly and snotty. If you try to grab the stuff, it just comes all apart on you.

Alice

Peter · 04-11-2002, 10:55 AM

lions, and tigers, and mantis shrimp, oh my...

-splash

2nd timer · 04-11-2002, 01:27 PM

I am new to this board and haven't gotten my new 110g tank set up yet (gathering great information from you guys). But, I do know about this. I had a 29 gallon tank in 96.........and a mantis shrimp came along with some live rock. It drove us crazy, always heard that clicking at night. It killed 1 cleaner shrimp, all my snails, all my hermit crabs, 1 flame angel, and another fish I can't remember. I'd get up every morning to plan another funeral for some unluck tank creature. The hermit crabs looked like they just exploded, legs and shell in a small pile. Anyway, tried everything to catch it. Finally had to take every single rock out of the tank and squirt everyone with club soda (recommended by LFS). As luck would have it, it was the 2nd to the last rock we checked!!!! Just about killed everything good on the live rock, took forever to come back.

I am not recommending the club soda route.

Catch that thing before it becomest the most expensive thing in your tank!!!!

Good Luck!!!

Jimbo · 04-11-2002, 03:37 PM

Hi, if you catch the mantis I'll take him

I have a 10 gallon he can live in.

mapster · 04-11-2002, 11:52 PM

Alice,
The long algea growing does not have any bubbles, its growing in a high current part of my tank and could easily be grabbed and yanked out. Its not ugly and looks like it could make a good meal for some fish but it's growing rapidly and has just about reached the surface of the water. I think i will pull it out this weekend. The bubble are forming under the mat like algea growing on my glass and in patches on my rocks. its very un attractive.

Also, has anyone out there ever used the "exterminator" amntis shrimp trap while fish were in the tank? If so have you had any trouble with the fish getting caught?

Jimbo,
This shrimp has survived supposed pre curing, shipping from Figi to FFE, shipping from FFE to my house in 30 degree temps, home made traps, having his rock taken from the tank and dipped in a 5 gallon bucket filled with cold water @ a salinty of about 5.025 and 3 months with no source of food. If I catch it, I will kill it, sorry.

Jimbo · 04-12-2002, 12:41 AM

Kill it then grind it up and feed it to your tank, a just end I think

Calvinc4s · 04-12-2002, 04:20 AM

Or you could dip it in pewter and put it on your key chain!

tdwyatt · 04-12-2002, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jimbo
Kill it then grind it up and feed it to your tank, a just end I think

I wonder how they taste....

...maybe garlic butter???

Jerel! WHERE IS THE LEMON!!!!