Fangi- The mantis shrimp

15.09.2024

From the Korallenriff Magazin (Coral Reef Magazine: The mantis shrimp -Odontodactylus scyllarus, By Jana Brettschneider

The enemy in my tank - my life with mantis shrimp

Mantis shrimps are considered unwelcome pests. Why these intelligent creatures wrongly enjoy a bad reputation and how the gentle predator became my friend.

Ever since marine aquariums became my passion in 1995, I have cherished a dream that I probably don't share with many aquarists. Five years ago, the time had finally come: enough space to offer a mantis shrimp its own home in our coral farm “Das Vorstadtriff” in Cottbus. Since then, the trusting creature, affectionately known as Fangi, has become our unofficial mascot.

Out of around 400 species, I chose the brightly colored Odontodactylus scyllarus clown mantis shrimp - a butterfly about 25 cm tall. Unlike its conspecific, the spearer, which spears its prey, the butterfly uses its clubs as a tool to build burrows, for defense or simply to attract attention.

The fascination of the mantis shrimp.

Marveled at by visitors, adored by the neighbor's children and taken firmly into my heart. In the morning, Fangi waits patiently for me as his confidant, whose food supply is always guaranteed. The animal is quite undemanding - his stomach growls every 2 to 3 days. Then it's mussel meat or small shrimps. Its favorite food: Live snails and crabs. The hard shells of the crustaceans are smashed in no time at all by the lightning-fast cullers - in just a few milliseconds, the powerful movements reach 5 kg of impact force... to compensate, they also like to play soccer with the cracked crab body.

During the day, Fangi plays the lone entertainer. He curiously observes every new guest who enters his realm. The most powerful color vision system in the animal kingdom (10 times more nuanced than humans) as well as his 360-degree eyes, which can move separately in individual directions, should help him here. Mantis shrimps are the only animals that see circularly polarized light and even use light patterns to communicate.

If visitors are busy with something else first, Fangi knocks vigorously on the glass front and demands the attention he deserves. When it's bedtime, Fangi's show is over. He routinely closes the doors of his den with all kinds of material. In the first week, the hard-working arthropod turned over every stone in his aquarium until it met his living requirements. Sufficient building materials, e.g. snail shells and stones in various sizes, should always be available for the active working instinct of mantis shrimps.

Plädyoyer for the cute armored creatures

Intelligent, spirited, strong, trusting. Nevertheless, the discovery of a mantis shrimp, which often find their way into the tank as stowaways in living stones, is an annoying disaster in the eyes of many aquarists, which must be eliminated quickly. The toilet express quickly threatens.

Why is that?

Driven by a predatory instinct, this crustacean regards anything that is not nailed down as prey. Owners do not want to lose their stock - which is understandable. Very small species of less than approx. 5 cm fit into the system without any problems and pose no threat. If there is a real risk, the mantis shrimp should of course be removed from the tank once it has been clearly identified. If there is enough space, this gentle animal will be happy to find a new home in its own species tank with a capacity of approx. 60 l or more. Alternatively, the animals can be handed over to a special rescue center (e.g. www.fangschreckenkrebse.de).

If you opt for a larger species from a dealer, a species tank of approx. 120 - 150 l with regular seawater technology is a good idea. Their territorial behavior does not allow them to be kept in pairs. Even in the wild, these solitary creatures only meet for the act of mating - after that they want nothing more to do with each other.

Personality needs space.

Anecdotes from our coral farm

My fascination with mantis shrimps is also reflected in the fact that Fangi is now the second of his generation. After our first male died in 2019, the coral farm was in mourning. But I couldn't even last a week without the powerful little guy greeting me every morning with a panoramic view.

Interestingly, the two animals have completely different characteristics. While our first mantis shrimp was reserved and rather aggressive, our current female is active, curious and almost affectionate.

A short video:

How do you like this article? 2 0