Help me trap my mantis

[wismie]

I'm setting up a new tank (see the red house for my tank build) and just aquascaped my live rocks (from Indonesia). As soon as I finished, I saw a blackish-dark green "thing" about 4-5cm long (about 2 inches) getting out of the rocks. It did swim a while around the tank before disappearing again, but obviously I could not catch it (nor take pics, a shame). A mantis, all right.

As I plan to have a coral tank with some fishes and invertebrates (I know, how boring !), I can't leave it there.

For three days I left a water bottle trap with some (dead) shrimps inside, but the little thing doesn't seem to be interested. There is nothing in the tank - except for the eventual hitchhikers that came with the rocks.

I'd like to try to avoid removing all the rocks one by one to find it. Any idea ?

Do they tend to be territorial, i.e. stay in the same rock, even if that ones move ? I have an idea where it was hiding before I moved everything, do you think it would have selected another place or probably is still in the same rock (which is, of course, buried under other rocks but well..)

Suppose I finally catch it, what should I do with it ? Can I leave it in my refugium, or is it better to give it back to someone who wants to do a specific tank ? (or my LFS, if he is interested).

PS : I don't plan to kill it

 

[lionbacker54]

i think you'll have a hard time finding him by removing the rocks one by one. they are very good at hiding.

i'd keep trying the bottle trap. eventually he'll get hungry enough to try it. maybe you could put a live shrimp in there too.

 

[wismie]

I have a pistol shrimp in my current (old) tank, I've seen they can be natural predators to mantis... your views on that ?

 

[lionbacker54]

i think with animals like that, it depends on size. a bigger mantis will easily take the pistol shrimp. and same for the reverse. how big is the pistol shrimp?

 

[wismie]

I would say a bit the same size, maybe the pistol is smaller but to be honest, I don't see it very often, it's quite reclusive. But it's in my tank for at least one year-one year and a half, so it's not a baby either...

Shall I put the pistol as a first inhabitant of my new tank and see what happens ?

 

[lionbacker54]

very doubtful that a pistol the same size or smaller will take out a mantis shrimp. and there is time and energy involved with finding and capturing the pistol too.

i'd wait until some of the other folks on this board chime in. guys like mentat, gozer, and koshmar own multiple mantis shrimp and can tell you their tricks.

 

[wismie]

Thanks for your advice and for sure I'll wait for some more comments.

 

[g8gxp]

i had 3 mantis with the LR that i got. 2 of them i got out based on sheer luck, the 3rd was a PITA. i was trying to just get him out by trapping/catching him but proved absolutely impossible.

First you'll need to figure out which rock he's in and pray he doesn't make a permanent home in rock at the bottom of the pile. They usually like to plug up the holes they make with shells, rocks, debris, etc. so look for that. Once you have the rock, take it out - pour a bottle of regular soda water all over it. Shake as hard as you can - he should be disoriented enough to fall right out.

If you can't find someone who wants to take it, your LFS might take it for fish food. Don't release it unless you know that it's a native species.

Good luck

 

[wismie]

If you can't find someone who wants to take it, your LFS might take it for fish food. Don't release it unless you know that it's a native species.

Good luck [/B]

I won't release it for sure, there is no sea in Switzerland :rollface:

Just called my LFS, he's not interested at all. Anyway, I have to get it first...

 

[nikesb4l]

set up a 10gal with it in there! there very interesting to watch

 

[wismie]

I might end up doing that if I can't find someone who wants it. But still I have to catch it

 

[Koshmar]

Alas, the hitch-hiking mantis strikes yet again! You're not going to like my advice unfortunately but it WILL work. It has worked for every one of my mantises. It involves rolling up your sleaves and taking the plunge into your tank. First off, I'm guessing that the 95 gallon tank on your list is the tank the mantis is in? Ok.

Beginning with the rock work, g8gxp made an excellent observation, mantises usually stuff their holes with sand/shells to ceal up their burrow entrances. Look for this rock or just watch for the little creature and find out which rock it is using as a home. Once you figure out the rock, move all the other rocks to the opposite side of the tank and have the said rock on its own side. Get a big fish net with a handle.

It's time to go mantis fishing!

The most important thing is to not let that stomatopod get to the other side of the tank where all the other rocks are. Move the rock with the mantis inside around and the mantis should pop out and go flying all over the place. If the mantis is not comming out of the rock and you are sure that it is in there, take airline tubing and stick one end into various holes and blow. This will create bubbles and freak the mantis out enough to leave the rock. Make sure it doesn't reach the other side where all the other rocks are, or you could just take them out (lots of work though).

Now with the mantis out of the rock, remove the rock and keep the mantis on one side of the tank with the big net. Slowly corner it using the glass and the net. When you get the mantis close to the glass and the net, slowly bring the net entrance together with the glass. During this time the mantis will most likely dart upward. Once you have the mantis inside the net, bring the net up toward the surface while keeping the net entrance in contact with the glass. Take a container full of tank water and quickly press the net entrance into the container and bring the container up and out of the water. You now have the mantis!

Doing this all underwater will prove to be less stressful for the mantis and will ease the transition to another tank. This is a lot of work if you have lots of rocks but it will succeed.

In regaurds to the bottle trap, mantises can go for long periods (weeks) without food, take the bottle trap out until a week or so has passed and then try it. Make sure not to feed anything into the tank. I wouldn't try the pistol shrimp because it will most likely be killed by the mantis, thus giving it a food supply. Mantis shrimp are cautious by nature and seem to be planners. Sometimes the bottle trap works but sometimes the mantis is just too smart to fall for the trap.

I've never heard of a lfs that wanted a mantis shrimp. If you want to post the little guy here I'm sure someone will be glad to buy him from you.

Wewww. Long post, I'm going to take a nap. Good luck!

 

[wismie]

Thanks for your comments. I guess I'll try the bottle trap for a little while - and if that fails, then let's go for mantis fishing ...

 

[Mentat]

Hello Wismie and thanks for stating your desires to protect Mantis, we love to hear that. First of all, please do not pour soda water on a live rock. Probably will get mantis out, but have learned can hurt it and other live creatures in rock.

Obviously a working trap without rock movement is easiest, but Mantis are ocean smart and that makes it complicate. IRT trap: no feeding tank; remove possible prey during trapping season; keep bait fresh and try different types (foods, mirror, tickets to sports or theater event (could be a girl), etc.) and even try different bottles. Trap works, got Mantis! Doesn't, go to rock removal as plan B. Koshmar did a good write-up on technique to catch it. Remember using a big net and if available, a friend with another net line as back-up goalie close to other rocks.

One thing you could do once Mantis' rock is identified, is to remove whole rock to sump or other tank. Obviously, whole rock has to fit in net, Mantis could jump ship and swim to other side full of rocks. Once out of tank try to take a picture of the little one and we can identify. If one of smaller species, you could keep in sump refugium section or a little tank. If a bigger one and can't keep, recommend set-it up for adoption.

Well, Koshmar went to nap after his long thread and I'm hungry, so it's breakfast time LOL. Good luck and keep us informed.

 

[wismie]

There is no food in the tank for the time being (it's cycling, I added LRs and that's where the mantis comes from), except for some hitchhikers that went with the LRs - and probably served as food already, and a few coral frags from my other tank that I put there to ensure the water is ok (and food in the trap, obviously).

As per identifiying the rock and the hole, there is not much sand, rocks or shells that the mantis can use, as I didn't put any sand for the moment and siphon most garbage that falls from the rocks.

I have an idea where it was before I moved everything though (did my aquascaping last week) - are there chances that it came back in the same rock even if it has moved ? Are they kind of territorial with their "homes" ?

 

[Tangalong]

wismie, when you siphon up the rubble from your Live Rock, be sure to save it in a bucket of good salt water a little heater and an airstone. It will come in handy for several things; your mantis, should you decide to keep him/her; your refugium or your filter for biological purposes. They charge you for it in pet stores.

Happy Hunting !!!

 

[wismie]

Thanks for the advice, I have to admit I did get rid of it. I have a refugium in which I'll create a DSB (mainly sand from my actual tank), so now I'll keep it for my refugium.

 

[mykdf]

unfortunately, I'm in a similar boat as wisimie. I've got a new-ish tank and a two inch mantis. I had been cycling the tank for about the last three weeks. I kept hearing clicks and pops in the tank. The other day, I finally saw what I thought was the source of the popping . . . a small pistol shrimp. Weww. So I went out today and got myself some snails, peppermint shrimp and an emerald crab. No sooner do I drop those guys in there do I see the mantis.

Questions: I have a pretty substantial pod population going right now. Is he ever going to be interested in anything I could offer him as bait? He's not responded to the thawed silver sides that I've been using to trap crabs. Might he be interested in the crabs that I've caught?

BTW, hope I'm not high-jacking this thread. Figured that it was on-topic.

 

[lionbacker54]

i think with all that live food available, he's probably not going to go for the bottle trap. how about trying koshmar's way (see earlier in thread)?

 

[Koshmar]

Everyone wants the easy way though, my way requires moving big rocks and "working". I can see why so many people ask questions about bottle traps because it seems to be the easiest method to use. I really agree with Lionbacker about the food issue.
Just think of it as if you were the mantis. Should you risk going out of your nice burrow into the open or just stay inside and ambush something whenever it passes by? If there are many pods and easy prey in the tank there is no real need for the mantis to even touch the bait, much less come out of its burrow. Sorry mate, time to roll up those sleeves....