Predator...HELP!!!!

[wesa]

Would appreciate any advice on how to get rid of a mantis. Am sure the buggar came in as a hitchhiker over a year ago in my live rock. Haven't seen antenae or shell of him, just the devastation he's done on my brittle star & a sea star, whom he must have finished off. Believe he is responsible for 6 missing shrimp in the past year, 4 star fish & a couple of smaller gobies. I've tried numerous traps, left the rock to air dry for 4-6 hours to no avail. I'm not really even sure it is a mantis but have not heard of anything else that could hide & destroy like he does. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[coachklm]

are you sure you know what rock he;s in have you seen him? use a dose of carbonated water in the hole he's hiding in...someones used soda and that worked but i'd try carbonated water before soda....if you know where he is!!

 

[bseth90]

Do you hear any clicking? You could have a stone/rock crab. I had a nasty one that killed numerous hermits, snails, and about six different fish before I finally caught him. I had to take out every last piece of rock and luckily it was about four inches across with some nasty claws, but too big to hide. My lfs tossed him in with a undalted trigger - c-ya!1 good luck.

 

[mr_bill]

I kept a large mantis shrimp in a bucket for about 3 hours with no water movement and the sucker stayed alive until I added fresh water to the bucket. Fresh water plays havoc with inverts, if you find his rock it will get him out for sure. To find him use a red lense over a flash light and hunt him late at night when the house is normally silent.

 

[misty927]

Originally Posted by Mr_Bill
I kept a large mantis shrimp in a bucket for about 3 hours with no water movement and the sucker stayed alive until I added fresh water to the bucket. Fresh water plays havoc with inverts, if you find his rock it will get him out for sure. To find him use a red lense over a flash light and hunt him late at night when the house is normally silent.

Yikes...this is starting to sound like a bad horror movie...

 

[wesa]

I have not seen anything, mantis or crab but feel after a year's time the mantis, just by body shape has more opportunity to keep hiding in my rock than what a crab would. The only time anything was seen was by my husband. He said it looked like the sand exploded into a volcano. Next day one of my sand stars had a leg missing. I tried using air tubes to flush him out but hadn't tried the carbonated water. I have tried several types of traps to no avail; did a fresh water cleaning; let the rock sit for 8 hrs with using a spray bottle on it; isolated rock with no food for 1 1/2 months, cleaned out all the sand. My brittle star is now has about 2" growth on each of 4 legs & 1 leg was ripped off right down to his body. The night it was attacked my hippo tang & all the other fish were having a panic attack. You couldn't see anything going on in either the sand or behind or around the rocks so you can bet I was testing water & checking everything in the tank. There has never been a clicking sound which made me think crab also, but really think a crab would have been seen by now. Realize it's not impossible but figured with the shape & as deep as some of the holes in the rock go it would be more a mantis shape than crab. Whatever it is has just ripped off 3 legs from my turquoise kneed hermit crab besides having eaten 4 of my 6 shrimp, other little hermits & snails, recently. Everything in my tank has grown quite abit so whatever critter is in there has to have grown also. 125 gallon tank isn't that easy to tear down plus I no longer have a large enough isolation tank. I'm at my witts end.

 

[aw2]

If you havent heard anything, it's not a Mantis.
Two types of mantis...smashers and spearers. Smashers eat hermits, crabs, etc...spearers eat fish.
99% of the time, mantis will not attack starfish. I've kept numerous mantis with stars, for over a year and the mantis never looked twice at any star.
But, like I said...if you havent heard clicking, it's not a mantis.

 

[mr_bill]

Octopus?
I agree, if it was a mantis you should hear clicking. Mantis is a burrower though, the sand "explosion" thing would make me think mantis.
I would think you would have spotted an octopus by now though. Very strange, but try the red lense flashlight deal to find out.

 

[coachklm]

where did an octopus come into the picture???

uhh no ...i'm not seeing that possibility .....but stranger stuff has happened

***)

 

[mr_bill]

Originally Posted by coachKLM
where did an octopus come into the picture???

uhh no ...i'm not seeing that possibility .....but stranger stuff has happened

***)
Stranger things have happened, I do remember seeing a post or two of someone getting octopi with additions of LR. They are going to have to do some red light hunting.

 

[wesa]

Red light hunting I can do, but capturing it is what I want to do. I'd thought of it being a tiny octopus a long time ago. Whatever it is, it sure is a hardy little creature & deserves a species only tank unless it's a crab, then my LFS guy said he'd take it. Anyone have any ideas on a well camoflaged trap? I'm sure I would have to use live bait that couldn't get out. I was told small octopi don't usually live more than 6 months; it's been a year now. I really appreciate all your input. This situation has stumped many I've talked to. Thanks so much.

 

[mr_bill]

Originally Posted by Wesa
Red light hunting I can do, but capturing it is what I want to do. I'd thought of it being a tiny octopus a long time ago. Whatever it is, it sure is a hardy little creature & deserves a species only tank unless it's a crab, then my LFS guy said he'd take it. Anyone have any ideas on a well camoflaged trap? I'm sure I would have to use live bait that couldn't get out. I was told small octopi don't usually live more than 6 months; it's been a year now. I really appreciate all your input. This situation has stumped many I've talked to. Thanks so much.
For a crab trap...
take a clean glass and lean it up against some rocks so that something can climb over the rock and into the glass. Then place a chunk of fish, or shrimp in the bottom of the glass. Do this at night right before turning off the lights.
Octopus trap...
Good luck on that one, last person who had one had to remove every piece of rock in their tank and then put the rock it stuck to into the separate tank they had.

 

[dogstar]

Intresting that you mentioned the shell. A molt. Dont ever remember anyone mentioning seeing a mantis empty shell. A lot of post about mantis and do I have one, ect.
So, do they molt ?
If so is there a reason people dont see the shells, I would quess maybe they dont molt but I would think they would. Anyone know ?

 

[aw2]

Mantis do molt, yes.
But, they ONLY molt in their burrows and then eat the molt.
Also, a week or so before they molt, they'll close themselves off in their burrow and not eat...this will continue for another week after the molt.