Help me trap my mantis
- Thread starter wismie
- Start date
mykdf
New member
I'm not afraid of the work, by any means. I am unable to track down the little monster (he's a monster in this tank, and a pet in a species specific tank). While it's possible he came in on the coral that I put in the tank yesterday, it seems unlikely. As such, he's been in the tank for nearly a month and I'd never seen him until I stocked the tank with 3 peppermints and an emerald. Koshmer's plan, starts with the idea that you know where the mantis lives. I do not.
I may have gotten a a bit of hint this mornging to his whereabouts by the placement of a peppermint shrimp corpse. I thought you guys said that mantis were diurnal. Well, this one ate my nocturnal shrimp at night!
I guess they're all individuals.
I may have gotten a a bit of hint this mornging to his whereabouts by the placement of a peppermint shrimp corpse. I thought you guys said that mantis were diurnal. Well, this one ate my nocturnal shrimp at night!
I guess they're all individuals.Can someone please elaborate on the bottle trap!! I've been hearing the popping and clicking in the middle of the night lately. This past weekend I was sneaking around the tank to see if I could notice anything...bamm...there stood and antennae sticking out of the bottom of a piece of LR at the bottom of the tank...the antennae was about 2 inches long and pitch black with some gray were the segments are (any ideas as to what it could be?).
I've notice my sally light foot in pieces..and it was not a baby. I have a cleaner shrimp, clown, yellow coris wrasse and is also full with coral and LR. Taking the tank apart would be a nightmare
Any help would be much appreciated...
I have a fish store that pretty much takes anything..I've already donated a mantis about 8 months ago (Sigh, should have kept him...i'm in the process of setting up a 10g mantis tank)..so if its something a 10g cant support, it will be donated...
Cheers
I've notice my sally light foot in pieces..and it was not a baby. I have a cleaner shrimp, clown, yellow coris wrasse and is also full with coral and LR. Taking the tank apart would be a nightmare
Any help would be much appreciated...
I have a fish store that pretty much takes anything..I've already donated a mantis about 8 months ago (Sigh, should have kept him...i'm in the process of setting up a 10g mantis tank)..so if its something a 10g cant support, it will be donated...
Cheers
mykdf
New member
To quote everybody's favorite mantis shrimp poster, Koshmar:
There is a thread about this where the guy was successful in getting his mantis out. If you are not prepared to take out the rock then it's the old bottle trap idea.
http://www.mantisshrimps.co.uk/articles/removal.php
There is a thread about this where the guy was successful in getting his mantis out. If you are not prepared to take out the rock then it's the old bottle trap idea.
http://www.mantisshrimps.co.uk/articles/removal.php
Koshmar
The Hardy Mongolian Pony
Why thank you mykdf! However, everybody's favorite mantis shrimp poster is Dr. Roy Caldwell. In this forum he is god (flashback to matrix: reloaded scene in the subway).
That bottle trap article is authored by JustinL, just to clarify.
@ enzo - Sounds like a mantis, especially if the slf was in pieces (unless it's just the molt skin)...
@ mykdf - Don't worry about not knowing which rock it is in. A mantis either burrows within the rock itself or underneath it. I'm betting that once you start moving rocks around it will become startled and shoot out of its hidding place. When the little guy is out in the open, the job becomes much easier. Just keep us posted on your attempts and everyone here can recommend different methods of extraction. There's more than one way to catch a stomatopod.
That bottle trap article is authored by JustinL, just to clarify.
@ enzo - Sounds like a mantis, especially if the slf was in pieces (unless it's just the molt skin)...
@ mykdf - Don't worry about not knowing which rock it is in. A mantis either burrows within the rock itself or underneath it. I'm betting that once you start moving rocks around it will become startled and shoot out of its hidding place. When the little guy is out in the open, the job becomes much easier. Just keep us posted on your attempts and everyone here can recommend different methods of extraction. There's more than one way to catch a stomatopod.
mykdf
New member
Koshmar-
I will try not to make the same mistake twice--Everybody's second favorite poster, we'll call it.
Anyway, how worried do I need to be about getting drilled by the little guy when I reach in there to move the rocks around? I don't really have any leather gloves that I want to wear in my little ecosystem.
Also, do you think I'm correct in thinking that he's probably in the vicinity of his latest meal? IOW, will he catch/kill his prey and then bring it back to his burrow to eat it?
I'm seriously pondering keeping him if I can catch him (turn him from monster to pet.) What does he eat (I mean other than my $12 shrimp?)
I will try not to make the same mistake twice--Everybody's second favorite poster, we'll call it.
Anyway, how worried do I need to be about getting drilled by the little guy when I reach in there to move the rocks around? I don't really have any leather gloves that I want to wear in my little ecosystem.
Also, do you think I'm correct in thinking that he's probably in the vicinity of his latest meal? IOW, will he catch/kill his prey and then bring it back to his burrow to eat it?
I'm seriously pondering keeping him if I can catch him (turn him from monster to pet.) What does he eat (I mean other than my $12 shrimp?)
mykdf
New member
Um. . . So, I kinda feel like I may have been a bit of an alarmist. I come home and find 1-2-3 peppermint shrimp in the 'ol DT. I think to myself, "Wait. I could'a swore I found a corpse in my tank this morning." Now, I'm pretty sure it was merely a molt--something I didn't expect after their very first night in my tank.
So, the upside is that my shrimp are not dead . . . the downside is that I'm back to having no idea where the mantis lives. I know I should trust Koshmar on this but I'm really reluctant to start tearing the tank apart with the hope that he'll come out of the rock. I just want to find where he calls home . . . or at least the general area.
Anyone got any ideas on how to get a mantis to show himself or his hidey-hole? Once I know that, I'll pull his home and put them both in a ten gallon.
So, the upside is that my shrimp are not dead . . . the downside is that I'm back to having no idea where the mantis lives. I know I should trust Koshmar on this but I'm really reluctant to start tearing the tank apart with the hope that he'll come out of the rock. I just want to find where he calls home . . . or at least the general area.
Anyone got any ideas on how to get a mantis to show himself or his hidey-hole? Once I know that, I'll pull his home and put them both in a ten gallon.
Koshmar
The Hardy Mongolian Pony
I wouldn't be too worried about being smacked by the little guy, most of the time when they see a huge hand comming down and lifting their home up they shoot out all over the place. If you do get hit, it's not going to take your hand clean off or anything. Always wash your hands throughly and dry them before and after taking the plunge into a tank, lots of nasties in there. In the unlikely event you get smacked and the dactyl breaks skin, immediately wash your hands with warm water and soap, alcohol the area, bandage, at the most check with your local doctor just in case. Keep the area clean, infection is the worst senario. You should be fine though. You could always get some of those arm-length aquarium gloves from online if you are really concerned.
They do capture and pull/swim their prey into the burrow. I've never seen any of my three eat out in the open. They can also move things bigger than themselves quite easily.
You can keep trying the bottle trap or try something else. I won't be offended if you decide not to use my advise, on the contrary, if you find a better way please post it here. It's not like time is against you, just keep watching your tank, maybe at night to. It will show itself eventually. Oh and they love meaty food, mine love mysid shrimp the most.
They do capture and pull/swim their prey into the burrow. I've never seen any of my three eat out in the open. They can also move things bigger than themselves quite easily.
You can keep trying the bottle trap or try something else. I won't be offended if you decide not to use my advise, on the contrary, if you find a better way please post it here. It's not like time is against you, just keep watching your tank, maybe at night to. It will show itself eventually. Oh and they love meaty food, mine love mysid shrimp the most.
mykdf
New member
By way of update:
I came home today and just did it. I moved all the rocks and shook them vigorously underwater to dislodge the mantis. It did not work. (sigh)
Nonetheless, I will continue my mantis hunt! Time to revert to plan A again.
. . . that little jerk is in there clicking away to beat the band. It's like he's saying "ha ha" at me!
I came home today and just did it. I moved all the rocks and shook them vigorously underwater to dislodge the mantis. It did not work. (sigh)
Nonetheless, I will continue my mantis hunt! Time to revert to plan A again.
. . . that little jerk is in there clicking away to beat the band. It's like he's saying "ha ha" at me!
mykdf
New member
Since I've seen both pistol shrimp and a mantis in my DT, I'm now trying to learn to distinguish between their clicks and pops. Like Koshmar said, I've got to isolate the rock that the mantis is in . . . can anyone offer any suggestions as to what I should be listening for?
On the limited research I've done, it sounds like both of them are making the clicking through cavitation. Is it even possible to distinguish between the two species by sound alone?
(wow. I've really hi-jacked this thread, haven't I?)
On the limited research I've done, it sounds like both of them are making the clicking through cavitation. Is it even possible to distinguish between the two species by sound alone?
(wow. I've really hi-jacked this thread, haven't I?)
Yes you are hijacking my topic and I won't let you 
The sound is very different between a pistol and a mantis. A pistol shrimp "click" is usually very loud, and usually it's only one-two at a time and then it stops.
Compared to it, the mantis is softer, and usually it's more a continuous thing. Like a click-click-click. At first I thought that there was a mechanical part in my tank that was making this noise.
Hope this help !
BTW, no news from my Mantis. Didn't even hear it lately. Needless to say that the trap did not work *yet*. I try to identify in which rock it hides, but no success so far.
The sound is very different between a pistol and a mantis. A pistol shrimp "click" is usually very loud, and usually it's only one-two at a time and then it stops.
Compared to it, the mantis is softer, and usually it's more a continuous thing. Like a click-click-click. At first I thought that there was a mechanical part in my tank that was making this noise.
Hope this help !
BTW, no news from my Mantis. Didn't even hear it lately. Needless to say that the trap did not work *yet*. I try to identify in which rock it hides, but no success so far.
btw, I am starting to get each of my rock out of the tank, one by one. I've read that they don't like salinity 1030 and higher up, and trying at the same time the air tubing in each hole I find.
Wish me good luck ! (I started with the rock in which I thought it was, but it seems it's not there... or hiding very well)
Wish me good luck ! (I started with the rock in which I thought it was, but it seems it's not there... or hiding very well)
lionbacker54
New member
good luck!
ok now all the rocks are out. I put each of them in a bath at about 1030 salinity, and tried to put air in every hole... but nothing :'(
Now I have to take it back, I guess I can only test now soda water unless someone has a better idea (of course soda water is something I avoided so far because I don't want to kill everything else on my rocks...)
Now I have to take it back, I guess I can only test now soda water unless someone has a better idea (of course soda water is something I avoided so far because I don't want to kill everything else on my rocks...)
Koshmar
The Hardy Mongolian Pony
My god....
Well the only thing I can think of now is a hammer or producing large vibrations throughout the rock. Pretty extreme. I'm also thinking temperature change (though certainly potentially lethal for the mantis).
I'm thinking abstractly at this point. I would love for a more experienced member to give a crack at this though before doing anything above.
Well the only thing I can think of now is a hammer or producing large vibrations throughout the rock. Pretty extreme. I'm also thinking temperature change (though certainly potentially lethal for the mantis).
I'm thinking abstractly at this point. I would love for a more experienced member to give a crack at this though before doing anything above.
