mantis trap help!!!

[masterhobbyist]

I am getting desperate. I have a mantis shrimp that hitchhiked in on some live rock. It is in a 50 gallon reef. He has killed every hermit and snail in my tank. It is not a peacock. I think it is the kind that hides most of the time because I have never seen him come all the way out of a rock. I have tried everything to catch him. I have used multiple styles of traps. I even bought the so called mantis trap. I came closer to catching him with a pop bottle then that thing. I totally tore my tank down and dipped every rock in fresh water. It quieted him down for a week or so, but he is chipping away at the rocks again. I think he is just messing with me. I am open to any idea. I really dont want to tear my tank apart again especially since it didn't even work the last time. I prefer to catch him alive. Please Help.

 

[btldreef]

Those traps are garbage. Learned that the hard way

Easiest things I've done and had success with:
1)If you know what rock he's in, or think he's in, take it out, put it in a bucket with a HIGH salinity, REALLY HIGH. You'll burn him out of the rock.
2) Leave the rock in the bucket w/ water and try to lure him out with food, when he comes out, steal the rock back. This works the best, BUT, you have to babysit the bucket
Good luck ... they're so hard to catch!

 

[soviettaco]

Originally Posted by masterhobbyist
http:///forum/post/3180773
I am getting desperate. I have a mantis shrimp that hitchhiked in on some live rock. It is in a 50 gallon reef. He has killed every hermit and snail in my tank. It is not a peacock. I think it is the kind that hides most of the time because I have never seen him come all the way out of a rock. I have tried everything to catch him. I have used multiple styles of traps. I even bought the so called mantis trap. I came closer to catching him with a pop bottle then that thing. I totally tore my tank down and dipped every rock in fresh water. It quieted him down for a week or so, but he is chipping away at the rocks again. I think he is just messing with me. I am open to any idea. I really dont want to tear my tank apart again especially since it didn't even work the last time. I prefer to catch him alive. Please Help.
Once you see him in a rock that you can remove easily and is not a behemoth of a rock, take it out and put it in a plastic bag (double or triple bag it) with some water (some means 1 cup for a 2 liter bag). Make sure you push the air out of the bag before you tie it shut other wise it will pop like a balloon. Rap the bag with a towel, take it outside and place it on your driveway or something hard like concrete. Take a few hits at it with a hammer. Do it hard enough that the rock breaks but not too hard, as if you were breaking up some ice cubes in a ziploc. Check the bag every couple hits. Eventually your going to hit him and kill him or force him out. If he is running about the bag (its up to you) smash him with the hammer or catch him. Some LFS will take them and even buy them. You now have Mantis you got rid of and some LR rubble for your refugium, your substrate, or pieces of rock to put frags on. Good luck and I hope this helped. Let us know how it it went if you choose coarse of action.

 

[jc germ]

i had a mantis and it plays mind games with you.. messing with you always you find things dead and when you look for him for hours he is just gone as soon as you leave the mind gamer comes out and is a mission to get it out i got him with a salt water rock dip one rock at a time LOL

 

[the_bandit]

The above posts about narrowing down which rock it is in is the best idea. I would suggest doing nightly scans with a flashlight to find which rock it is in. I wouldnt kill it though. Mantis are amazing highly intelligent creatures and people will pay good money for them.

 

[soviettaco]

Originally Posted by The_Bandit
http:///forum/post/3181654
The above posts about narrowing down which rock it is in is the best idea. I would suggest doing nightly scans with a flashlight to find which rock it is in. I wouldnt kill it though. Mantis are amazing highly intelligent creatures and people will pay good money for them.
Right I said it's up to you, capture ifor yourself or to sell, but let's face we all know someone who hates these things they are pretty evil little punks. One of my lfs like to feed them to his triggers supposedely

 

[troy989]

if it was a peackock i would want it

 

[peasofme]

hope the mantis kills his trigger. you will have to see what rock he goes to and remove the rock as stated or you can pound in front of the entrance of his hole with a stick for 10 or more minutes then net him. or entice him with food. mantis are the best pet you can have (in its own tank of course) smashing them with a hammer would be just as bad as smashing an octopus. they have a similar level of intelligence.

 

[mcneilfish]

I am having the same trouble! almost caught it with the pop bottle today. my problem is the tank it too complex to take out the rock and dip it. it is an 800 gallon tank. i bought a trap hoping it will work

 

[9supratt4]

Originally Posted by McNeilFish
http:///forum/post/3185297
I am having the same trouble! almost caught it with the pop bottle today. my problem is the tank it too complex to take out the rock and dip it. it is an 800 gallon tank. i bought a trap hoping it will work
OMG!! 1 Mantis in an 800!! That is a tough job!! The only suggestions I can give is to just keep it up....you'll get him.....
......eventually