please help!!anyone ever catch a mantis!!!
- Thread starter addicted2
- Start date
I think i might have one of these buggers!! anyone been successful? if so..how'd ya do it? please help!!!! :scared:
stephish
Member
Here's the list of things i've heard that have worked for different people
small water bottle, cut the top curved part off, take the cap off, put the top portion back in the bottle with the mouth inside the bottle, bait with a piece of raw shrimp in the bottle.
if you know where it's living remove that rock from the tank and put in fresh water and it's supposed to come out.
some people have been able to bait it out with raw shrimp and net it
good luck!
small water bottle, cut the top curved part off, take the cap off, put the top portion back in the bottle with the mouth inside the bottle, bait with a piece of raw shrimp in the bottle.
if you know where it's living remove that rock from the tank and put in fresh water and it's supposed to come out.
some people have been able to bait it out with raw shrimp and net it
good luck!
ncoastconstceo
Member
They sell a commercially produced mantis trap, you can get them online for about 14 bucks. The other option is to find out where it is living. It will tend to burrow into the rock somewhere. Find that rock and remove it from the tank. Place the rock into a bucket or a pan and get a squirt bottle of ice water. Squirt the ice water into the mantis shrimps burrow and it will come out... Then give him a big swirly!!!!!!
promisetbg
Active Member
Another method is to take a pair of pantyhose, cut a section of it, add a chunk of meaty food such as shrimp. Weigh it down with a small rock, attach fishing line to it, and tie in a knot...drop to the bottom at night, and wait. The mantis will get caught in the netting . Remove carefully, best to run a net under him if he's caught instead of lifting it out as is.
I agree with taking the rock out of the tank & pouring in soda water as well.
I agree with taking the rock out of the tank & pouring in soda water as well.
addicted2
Member
I have not seen a mantis but I am only guessing this is why a few of my fish have completely disappeared in little over about 2 week's time :scared: . I have recently "lost" a watchman goby that I had for almost 2 years, a jawfish, a lawnmower blennie, and a clown goby
. I have seen no trace of any of them. Not a trace! Usually if a fish just dies there is a period of ill health noticeable and remains that get found from clean up crew that are visible. I look at my tank everytime I walk past..I am a "gazer" as they say..spend lots of time in front of my tank. These fish came missing through the night. I always make sure everyone comes out to feed and all of these had done so before the night of their disappearance. It's about 1-2 days in between their disappearances. I had all my LR for 3 months in a tub before putting in my new tank. my tank has been set up since 12/31/06 and this has just started happening in the last 2 weeks.. All water parameters are perfect and all fish were eating and acting very healthy before their disappearance.. One at a time they come missing.
I am completely baffled as I have seen no sign of a mantis either, but what else could it possibly be!! My other fish are doing great! I have 100lbs of LR so it's not easy to just disassemble a tank and rinse each rock not knowing even if this is the problem. I even have started watching through the night in hopes of maybe a glimpse..but nothing. Please..any suggestions???
chinpokomon
Member
However you catch it be careful fisherman call them Thumbsplitters for a reason! Larger specimens can also shatter the glass on your tank with their jackknife claws! I would try a large meaty bait on a piece of fishing line at night rig a bell or something to alert you of a big strike use weak red light to view the offender. You may just have an efficient clean up crew but if you do have a mantis I’m sorry to say soon that’s all you’ll have.
cymbal67
Member
a couple of weeks after i set up my tank in oct 06, i started hearing the faint clicking sounds...over the next few months it would get louder, but i had never seen it. i didnt know if it was a pistol or a mantis. i added a birdsnest about a month ago. I finally saw it! it was working its way thru the birdsnest. i didnt see one bigger claw, crap....a mantis ...great...so a few weeks later, i saw him again in the birdsnest. i hesitantly stuck my hand in there to pull the birdsnest out, hoping he would try to hide in the inner part. i got sooo lucky, he didnt snap the S#@& out of my finger and he stayed in there. so i put the birdnest in the sink and filled it with some salt water and started poking at the mantis with a screwdriver to get him out. he was popping that thing so hard....but he finally came out. I picked up the birdnest and put it back in the tank and put the mantis in a bucket and traded him at the LFS. i could not believe i got him out of there. i didnt have to worry anymore about my depleting snail population. he was brown with little bright blue spots. i was releaved to get that f@#*er^ out of there. i had no idea how i was going to get him out, he really didnt do any damage (yet), i would only hear the clicking. but no more, glad he's out. if you have one, good luck getting him out. if you dont have a birdsnest, try getting one. lol
caz2022
Member
I just inhereited a Mantis a few days ago. Didn't take long to to get rid of it,in fact the problem was solved almost before I realized I had it. All it took was my Octopus coming over to check out his new rocks. Was quite the fight and I won't deny I was more than worried. Chalk one up for the good guys though.