freshwater dip/leather

[gregvabch]

i've got a rock i wanna dip in some freshwater to try and flush out a possible mantis shrimp, but my toadstool is very much attached to the rock. will it be ok if i submerge it in some ro/di for 10 to 15 seconds? i think so but i'm not 100% sure...

 

[007]

Freshwater dips can be very stressful on a coral . . . and I think that a leather would be very sensitive to that as they are generally very sensitive to water chemistry changes.
Try dubmergeing the rock while keeping the coral out of the water. You could also try the soda water trick by shooting/pouring soda water into the hole that the mantis is in.

 

[gregvabch]

if i knew exactly where the menace was then i would. i don't know if he moves around or not but i've already dipped a couple other rocks with no success. haven't actually seen him but i hear him quite often. i just want him out, even if it turns out to be just a pistol shrimp, i'll sleep better at night knowing it's gone. i will try submerging while keeping the leather out of the water, guess that would be better than dipping it.

 

[dreeves]

The freshwater will kill all the bacteria on the rock as well...

 

[gregvabch]

do you know of a better way to trap a mantis? i've got too many other things in my tank for a trap to effectively work.

 

[dreeves]

I do not know too much about the Mantis..I have never had to deal with one...if they are lousy swimmers...you could try a glass with some food slightly tilted in the tank...it would crawl in to get the food and not be able to get out...if they are swimmers...that wont work.

 

[dreeves]

If you really want to get rid of it badly..you may need to make a little room for a Mantis trap just long enough to get it out...
You know..sitting here thinking about it...instead of dipping in freshwater...you could dip the rock in high salinity such as about 1.04 or so for a few minutes...that will usually cause inverts to evacuate the rock.

 

[saltym3]

a high salinity dip should work. It only took about 3 seconds to see a mantis fly.

 

[gregvabch]

thanks dreeves and saltym3. so water with very high salinity is "safer" than dipping the rock into some ro/di?
trap wouldn't work, too many other critters that would be dying to get in there first.

 

[barry cuda]

I've also heard of people sealing the little

[hr]
in with epoxy. The trick is to make sure you plug ALL the possible exit holes. No idea how practical this really is.

 

[gregvabch]

nah, that's not very practical for me. i've got a watchman goby who loves the holes in the liverock. i like them too. if mantis shrimp weren't predatory and capable of busting my glass depending on what kind it is, i'd just leave him in there

 

[mary]

I would try a fresh shrimp, from the market, put it in a large net, and sink the net and wait..

 

[gregvabch]

don't think that would work. my clean up crew would be all over it.