Help Getting Rid Of Mantis!!!!

[casshoward]

I must admit, reading many of the mantis threads has convinced me that someone out there in Reef Central World is REALLY PASSIONATE about these guys. I AM NOT! I have spent the past two months setting up my NEW 170g bowfront and stocking it with the first batch of Florida LR (140#). I was ready to buy fish this week when...BAM...out of my rock pops not one but TWO Mantis Shrimp (a approx. 1.5" grey-speckled one, and a uniformly reddish one who is larger). I am heart broken. I thought I was being very careful when I inspected my LR...obviously not. (The frustration of being a newbie.)

I then spent SIX HOURS yesterday, perched infront of my tank trying to nab the boogers with homemade traps created from info on the web. (Trap #1: 10" clear 1" diameter tube with cut-off soda bottle top entrance & exit closed with string; Trap #2: Entire soda bottle with shrimp inside. Both with strings tied to top to quickly pull out of water if mantis entered...he never did.) The little grey-speckled one spent a long time trying to get at the shrimp from the wrong end of my trap #1 (exit) and I could not nab him.....right out in the open most of the time....a persistent little critter! The red one tried once (trap #1) then sat back and watched the grey one from the opening of his burrow).

I later broke down my rock formation, removed the rock housing the known borrow of the red mantis and irrigated the hole with hot water---no shrimp. I then submerged the rock in freshwater for several minutes---no shrimp. I did not have any soda water to try and was not gutsy enough to use Pepsi!

If anyone has ANY TECHNIQUES on how to trap these guys, that does not require me to sit in front of my tank "fishing", I'd greatly appreciate it. (I did just order the "X-Treme" Mantis trap from Northside Pet Care's website....has anyone had any luck with this?)

P.S. I captured a few good pictures of the grey one while he tried his best to get the shrimp. If I figure out how, I will post the photos soon. I am certain someone out will find them enjoyable! (as I don't!)

Cass :mad2:

 

[casshoward]

Photos of Mantis.

Photos of Mantis.

Here are a few snap shots of the grey mantis shrimp. The resolution is not that great as I snapped them with my phone! (you have to move fast around these guys!).

Any suggestions out there in RC world?

Cass

Cass

 

[fischcrazy]

I have been looking for a mantis for a long time. I would be interested in taking both of those off your hands!!!!! pm sent

 

[Thurge]

Your going about using your traps a little wrong. While it would be nice to be there when the little bugger enters the trap its not necessarly necessary. Thats what the inverted bottle top is for, so that when it enters the bottle it can't find the way back out. If I were you I would leave the traps in the tank over night or for a couple days.
I would aslo move the traps away from one another. Mantis aren't dumb ad will learn. The red one was watching so as to let the little one do all the work and then he was going to go reap the rewards.

 

[Toyota Guy]

I would be interested in them too. Let me know, and I will be hapyy to pay shipping and a little something for your time

Chris

 

[fischcrazy]

any luck catching them?

 

[casshoward]

Oh! That's how it's done.

Oh! That's how it's done.

Thurge,

I guess I got the whole trap thing wrong. My traps were both open at one end and I assumed he (mantis dude) who swim in, enjoy a shrimp dinner and swim out (likely not leaving a tip .

Do you have any photos or know of a site with pics of a placed trap? I layed the intact plastic, soda bottle on it's side (so he could get in), but he was more interested in the tube trap. The tube trap looks like he could get out once he gets his fill.

 

[Sk8r]

Try squeezing a snip of wide tubing inside the opening of the bottle trap: it's not as good as a funnel for preventing exit once the target is inside, but it might help: he goes in, but the internally projecting tubing makes the exit a little harder to get to. Also you might try shading the trap so it feels a little safer.

 

[Thurge]

No pics but its real easy. Take say a 20oz pop bottle and cut the top off, preferably in a location that has straight walls. Take the top, flip it around and shove it back into the bottom, so you have a funnel leading into the bottle. The idea is that because the exit is suspended in the middle of the bottle its very dificult to find. I would say that the better way to make it is to have your opening out away from the bottom also, so that as it runs up the side it doesn't accidentially find the exit.

 

[casshoward]

Update: No Luck Yet!

Update: No Luck Yet!

Thanks to everyone for offering advice and assistance on catching my TWO mantis. Unfortunately, NO LUCK YET. The "X-treme Matnis Trap" has been in my tank for a week without any mantis being trapped. The first night, a hitch-hiker snail tried to get the shrimp and triggered the trap door to close. I replaced the trap the next morning and the door remains open a week later ( the door is very sensitive and will close very easily).

I found a snail's shell cracked open and resting on my sand bed...maybe the mantis are full and not interested in a shrimp meal. I'll keep you posted.

Most frustrating! (no fish yet!)

 

[DaveG99]

I caught mine by taking out the rock he lived in and getting him out of the rock by breaking it in two.

 

[lisajulia]

OH How I feel your pain....I finally had enough after about a 2 year battle....my husband and I set one weekend aside and we took apart the whole tank....I was obsessed and irritated beyond words...the mantis (known by us as GODZILLA) ate my cleaning crew...I 'think' it ate my baby false percula clown, and my tank was sort of at a standstill in terms of adding anything...because I didn't want it to kill anything else.
LONG story short, I drained the tank...took out all the lr, fish and coral, inspected each piece with a flashlight and couldn't find it...so I ended up getting several buckets...and also removed the cc substrate..what a CLOUDY MESS!!! I couldn't see a fliping thing...I sifted through EVERYTHING...and it wasn't there...went back to the several holding tanks where I placed my lr and coral, and AGAIN went thru every piece..FINALLY when I was exhausted and to the point of tears....I saw it curled up in some LR...one of the first pieces I pulled from the tank...
My dh wanted to take it outside and show it the bottom of his shoe..but instead we left it in a bucket..no food...no 'perfect' water with 'perfect' temp...we had enough, and if it died in the bucket..oh well...
Came down in the morning...mantis is doing fine in 65 degree water with no airstone etc...these things are INDESTRUCTIBLE!
It now resides in my 10gl former qt tank.
I too tried all the traps...it was worth it to catch it, but I will never add lr to that tank again LOL!
Good luck...
btw, I have one of the pretty bright green shrimps...it really is fun to watch...glad we didn't kill it.

 

[Ken-21]

I had a mantis in my tank about 8 years ago. He never seemed to bother anything in my tank but I listened to everyone that told me to get rid of it and I now regret it. My new philosophy on the whole reef hobby is that it's supposed to be fun and exciting not planned and sterile. If you think he's killing tank mates then I would use the fresh water method. I did it once and nothing happened. Just when I was going to give up I thought that he might not have been in the rock when I submerged it so I waited until I saw him on the rock again and grabbed it and put it in the fresh water. It took about 3 minutes but he finally came out of the rock.

I gave him to a friend who kept him for a while. Give it a try again just make sure that it's definitly in the rock before you do it.

Good luck!

 

[lost1st manty:(]

where r u loacted will take your manits off your hands

where r u loacted will take your manits off your hands

message me please

 

[lisajulia]

I have decided to keep Godzilla...he's growing on me...looks like I will be making that 10g qt a nice home for it after all *Sigh*...my 3yo daughter is pretty fond of it.

 

[dbrooks1440]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6919289#post6919289 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Ken-21
I had a mantis in my tank about 8 years ago. He never seemed to bother anything in my tank but I listened to everyone that told me to get rid of it and I now regret it.

Exactly! If they're eating snails, they're probably smashers and won't hurt fish as long as they have a few snails to eat. So he eats snails - so what?! You spent a small fortune on the tank - I am sure that you can pop for $10/mo (if that) for some snails and hermits for them to eat. In all likelihood, one will eventually kill the other - then you are down to only one.

They really don't eat much. I have a smithii that shares a tank with three damsels and an emerald crab. I feed him a silverside a couple times a week, and he picks off a snail now and again - so what! To be honest, I have never actually seen him kill anything, assuming that the empty snail shells are attributed to him. For all I know, the hermit crabs are eating the snails...

Let them live! As long as they are well fed, they won't hurt your fish.

 

[HowardW]

I had a mantis in a live rock shipment several years ago and wanted to catch and remove it because it made a loud clicking noise at night that would actually wake me up in the next room!

I just took a 3" brine shrimp net and put a good size piece of cut up shrimp in the net and lowered it in the tank near the rock he was living in with the tank lights off. After about 15 seconds the mantis came charging out of his hiding place and right into the net to grab the food and I quickly lifted the net out with the mantis in it. He was about a 2 - 3 incher and a pale washed out green color.

A friend of mine used the triggerfish method which was effective but not very nice if you're a mantis shrimp fan.

 

[Thurge]

Careful with the Triggerfish method. Dr. Ron once related a story about a smaller Mantis that ended up killing a Clown Trigger. Because the manits was in a fortified position and the trigger wouldn't give up, the trigger ended up dying of injuries suffered.

 

[xclan]

I found out I had 3 mantis in a batch of new liverock that I had purchased.....well i caught all 3 in literally 1 minute. Itook a cold bucket of water and dipped the shrimp in there...the shrimp shot out cuzz the freezing water...i quickly replaced the rock into the tank so i wouldnt cause further harm to the live rock. worked instantly on all 3 shrimps.

 

[casshoward]

Still Hunting for my Mantis!

Still Hunting for my Mantis!

Thanks to all out there in RC land who can feel my pain. I WANT FISH! I am not too optimistic that my "guests" won't bother fish, so I am still trying to capture them...at this point "alive"' but my patience is wearing thin.

I bought the X-treme Mantis Trap but all I have been catching are curious snails that still manage to get into the trap even after the trap door closes!

I just created a 20oz. soda bottle trap and put half a shrimp in it. Hopefully, the curious grey mantis will be out exploring tonight and will enter but not be able to escape. If I discover that he got a free shrimp dinner from me and was able to leave the trap...I might simply spontaneosly combust!

I may also try the COLD WATER method. I am stalling on using any of the "drastic measures" on this piece of rock because interesting life continues to emerge from it ..... I now am the owner of a pretty Christmas tree worm (hanging out near the opening of the Mantis' burrow!).

Stay tuned!

Cass