Poll! How many pieces broke off my feeding prong when my new mantis shrimp hit it?

[GaryL]

Ever since I got a reef tank, I can't afford to watch TV any more.

 

 

lol point taken

 

so when you go looking for your potential mantis do you look specifically for smashers. or are they species specific?

[extreme_tooth_decay]

so when you go looking for your potential mantis do you look specifically for smashers. or are they species specific?

 

 

For this one, I was specifically looking for a smasher because I was trying to make a video showing a mantis shrimp breaking aquarium glass. Only peacock and chiragra (smashers) are typically claimed to have the ability to do it.

 

Unfortunately, even in a 2.5G tank with extremely thin glass, this guy can't do it

 

I now believe I need to try to get him to break tempered glass, so I'm trikng to find the thinnest tempered (bottom pane) aquarium there is, and I'll try that next.

 

I do think there are some really interesting spearers out there. Especially the zebra...I may get one of those one of these days and set up a very special tank for him (they have very special requirements)

 

 

We are sick people .

 

+1

[Steve175]

Dude: I often try to engage my wife in my expensive obsession (reefing): she was HIGHLY amused by your video. Thanks for a good laugh!! (Am pretty sure that Mantis' are like lightening - never strike twice in the same spot . . . why don't you try one more time [with the camera of course purely for scientific purposes]).

[davelin315]

Dude: I often try to engage my wife in my expensive obsession (reefing): she was HIGHLY amused by your video. Thanks for a good laugh!! (Am pretty sure that Mantis' are like lightening - never strike twice in the same spot . . . why don't you try one more time [with the camera of course purely for scientific purposes]).

I showed it to my kids at school... other than a few gasps that you yelled out god dammit they were rolling on the floor laughing hysterically... as was I!

[extreme_tooth_decay]

I showed it to my kids at school... other than a few gasps that you yelled out god dammit they were rolling on the floor laughing hysterically... as was I!

 

 

If I would of known my pain was this amusing, I would of touched THIS jellyfish and made a video of it eating my arm...

[Sikryd]

I lmao on the last trick too!

[Integral9]

Dude, awesome vid. So just out of curiosity, where you trying to "see" how hard he hit or something? Also, did he break skin or did it just hurt like H-E-double hockey sticks?

[extreme_tooth_decay]

Dude, awesome vid. So just out of curiosity, where you trying to "see" how hard he hit or something? Also, did he break skin or did it just hurt like H-E-double hockey sticks?

 

 

I was planning to pull my finger away at the last moment, and put in the video "mantis attacking me"......"yeah, right!". But he was too fast for me.

 

I did not bleed. I got a small bruise. It was like hitting my finger with a small hammer, or more like jabbing it with something like a screwdriver. Pretty impressive impact for such a small guy. Might not of been his hardest punch, either. I have noticed that the force of his strike varies considerably from strike to strike.

Edited October 29, 2009 by extreme_tooth_decay