bad mantis's

[lonny akins]

Ive caught 3 mantis's so far but yesterday my lemonpeel angel came out of a cave with two splits in his side only to die an hour later Ive tried the bottle trap with no success is there any natural predators for thes little bas***** looking for some good news

 

[Fountainhead]

I tried the bottle thing as well, but no joy. In fact, I'm not sure I've ever seen a post from anyone who was successful with that trick. The only way I was able to get my two large mantis' out was by removing their rock and squirting ro/di water in their holes. Of course, this requires you to know where they hole up.

I'm chasing a LARGE gorilla crab now, but he's really eluding me.

 

[Bax]

I've been chasing a phantom mantis for four months now. Haven't laid eyes on him even once. But, he's dispached 8 or 9 3/4"+ hermits (he likes the green legged ones best), lots of gorillia crabs, a red mithrax crab, many oysters and barnacles and a pepermint shrimp.

I tried the bottle trap a few times with no luck but it takes patients. I have seen a couple of post declaring succes with a bottle trap. I set it on the weekends at night.

I got one mantis by pulling the rock out when I saw it and using hyper saline water to flush him out. I also thought I spoted this one and in trying to get the rock out pinched 1/2" off my Fromia stars arm... ouch! It turned out to be a pistol shrimp. #@%*!!!!

If you have any sucess please post it right away. Nothing you want in your reef will prey on a grown mantis. I've read that some psudochromis sp. will feed on juveniles but if it's attacking a dwarf angel it's probably too late for that!

 

[lonny akins]

caught a full grown brittle star last night how it got in that small hole ill never know

 

[relish]

I've been having the same problem. We have had the second half in for about 3 weeks or so and have heard the clicking but could never find the mantis. We thought it must be small. Then not two minutes (literally) before we were leaving to go away for the weekend out pops this like 2 - 3 inch mantis!! We've tried to catch him with the small bottle trap and all we caught was a poor dead peppermint shrimp. I think the mantis went into the trap and killed the peppermint, ate the bait, and then was long/tall enough to reach the opening and crawl back out! Our next step is going to be a 2 liter bottle that has a bigger circumference so hopefully it won't be able to reach and crawl back out again! If that doesn't work I don't know what we'll do! Keep us posted on your efforts! Good luck!

 

[SeaMunkie]

I just caught the fifth mantis this past weekend. I was feeding one of my corals and the mantis darted out and tried to grab the peice of shrimp. I pulled the rock, and dipped it in RODI water (wasn't in one of the TBS rocks, was in a LFS variety that is pretty much barren). Little turd popped right out.

I'm pretty sure that I only have one mantis left now. Seems like the clicking is pretty faint now. Can't wait to catch this last one.

 

[Fountainhead]

Congratulations SeaMunkie. I hope you're right about it being the last one. I evicted three a while back, and thought I was done. Now a few weeks later, I've spotted another, along with two VERY LARGE previously unseen gorilla crabs. Bummer.

 

[Slatts]

I think I have 2 mantis left. One is getting bolder as he is now roaming the sand. TBS is the rock that keeps on giving but tell me you don't see other posts of new setups and think to yourself
what a great choice I made.

 

[Homey the Reefkeeper]

I saw a 3" mantis today so I took out half the rocks in my 120 gal to no avail. Since that didn't work, I am resorting to the bottle trick and I'm praying it works. I have another mantis sitting in the foam box my rocks shipped in, he's been alive for nearly a week with no aeration nor heat. He's probably dying a slow death but I don't care

 

[white_queen]

If any of you want to donate your lovely little hitchhiking mantis shrimp to my husband's new mantis set-up (5g mantis only tank) he would be most appreciative! *laughing* I promised him I would keep my eyes opened for any available becuase he is just dying to have on of his own.

Blessings, Angela <><