how can i find and catch a mantis

[bobafet1]

Ok, so I finally came to the realization that I have a mantis shrimp. I can hear loud clicking coming from my tank but can't distinguish where. Also, I had 15 chromis and now Im down to 9. It took 3 months to lose the chromis but I had assumed that my rose anemone was the culprit. Not until I started hearing the clicking. I haven't added anything really new lately so Im not sure where it would have come from. Most, if not all of my LR was dry before I had put it into my tank...Long story short, I need to find it and get it out fast. Any suggestions??

 

[bobafet1]

^^^

 

[Pea-brain]

Hmmm...srange. Mantses will USUAlLY start on the cleanup crew. that is the best way to know it is a mantis. piles of cracked shells. I would think about pistols too. They click, and the anenome may very well have done it. that being said look for a burrow, piles of substrate, and things like that. Once you locate the mantis you can use a bottle trap. You can do it before, but it is better if you know where to put it. It has also been known to catch nasty gorilla crabs. There is a nice diagram in the articles section of seahorse.org . Also look for other causes, snails getting near powerheads on glass, clams, fish hitting stuff etc,

 

[bobafet1]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9895922#post9895922 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Pea-brain
Hmmm...srange. Mantses will USUAlLY start on the cleanup crew. that is the best way to know it is a mantis. piles of cracked shells. I would think about pistols too. They click, and the anenome may very well have done it. that being said look for a burrow, piles of substrate, and things like that. Once you locate the mantis you can use a bottle trap. You can do it before, but it is better if you know where to put it. It has also been known to catch nasty gorilla crabs. There is a nice diagram in the articles section of seahorse.org . Also look for other causes, snails getting near powerheads on glass, clams, fish hitting stuff etc,

thanks for the info...Im pretty sure it might be a mantis of some sort..I hear the clicking during the evening hours when the lights are off...I do have a few piles of substrate but I have a yellowhead jawfish and diamond goby that have been making some of those piles..since the jawfish inhabits the pile Im not sure if it will share the same space with the mantis..man, this is going to suck

 

[KhawMengLee]

Clicking could be a pistol shrimp.

 

[Pea-brain]

yeah I'd have to say a mantis would kill a goby and jawfish way before taking a strike at a chromis. In fact your goby might even have a symbotic relationship with a pistol. Mantises are bottom dwellers.....

 

[dbrooks1440]

It's not a friggin' mantis...even if it was, just feed it silversides and he will be fine. I have a smithii in a full sized reef tank, and all he does is pick off the clean up crew.

$20/month is not too much to ask.

just feed him...it'll be fine.

 

[justinl]

i agree with what dbrooks said but still wouldn't rule out a mantis until you know wat is clicking. it could be a mantis but i doubt it.

before losing fish, you would probably notice the shells of various CUC members and like peabrain said, bottom dwelling fish should have gone before the six chromis.

 

[gemini aquarius(t)]

^^^ unless its a spearer^^^

 

[Pea-brain]

Even if it was a spearer it would be more inclined to botom dwellers, unless he had a large L. mac that he "missed" (And I highly doubt any non gonodactyloid spearer would even survive a cycle, nevermind be on the rock in the first place) the most likely spearer to hitch woul be P. ciliata, and I know mine would probly go after a bottom dweller much sooner....

 

[bobafet1]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9906037#post9906037 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dbrooks1440
It's not a friggin' mantis...even if it was, just feed it silversides and he will be fine. I have a smithii in a full sized reef tank, and all he does is pick off the clean up crew.

$20/month is not too much to ask.

just feed him...it'll be fine.

So, if its not a mantis then what the heck is it.. I wouldn't spend 20 cents a month for something I want out of my tank. If its a mantis its gonna meet the sole of my shoe real soon. I did have three other bottom dwellers that were lost within the past few months..2 blue gudgeon gobies and 1 yellow jawfish

 

[justinl]

spearers almost NEVER hitch. like pea brain said, most likely spearer is ciliata but when was the last time you heard that happened?

mike, don't kill it. it's not its fault it ended up in your system. intead, sell it. try to sell it to someone who wants it by posting it in the classifieds. if that fals, your lfs might take it in.

 

[Ehudd]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9906037#post9906037 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dbrooks1440
It's not a friggin' mantis...even if it was, just feed it silversides and he will be fine. I have a smithii in a full sized reef tank, and all he does is pick off the clean up crew.

$20/month is not too much to ask.

just feed him...it'll be fine.

uhhhhh??? what the? we are ment to be helping the guy here, why post with such a negative attitdude. You sayd its not a friggen mantis then tell him what to feed? Could have worded much more nicer mate.

I have a chromis in with my G Smithii and it does not touch it. BUT i put chromis in for my pistol shrimp he just snaps and the chromis is knocked out.

 

[Princess Di]

I had a G Smithii in my reef for quite a while and never lost fish....tons of crabs and snails. I used a two liter bottle trap with holes drilled in the sides to allow for water flow. I placed several crab inside along with a silverside. The crab would pick at the silverside and I would replace it each day. It took 4 days with the bottle trap. I had tried commercial traps and handmade pvc traps which did not work. Bottle trap works!!!!

 

[snapper1]

I caught a 4 inch green Mantis in my tank,with a long handled steak Fork for my grill.I heard clicking in my tank for about a Month and my blood shrimp dissappeared as did a pygmy Angel and a bleeny.Then I saw him and the little creep and he was eating something on a piece of Live rock.After several misses he kept coming back and I caught him.Some people might not like this but I feed him to my Miniatus Grouper who rather enjoyed his company.I figure I lost at least Three shrimp and Four Fish to that Mantis.:mad2:

 

[bmk]

How to catch a Mantis shrimp

How to catch a Mantis shrimp

Hi
I have a newly set up tank (7 days) with just sand and live rock, I spotted what appears to be a small (1/2") Mantis shrimp, could you please advise how I go about catching it, I have tried the turkey baster with no luck (damn they are quick).
Any help is much appreciated.

Barry

 

[Diet Plain]

If its a mantis its gonna meet the sole of my shoe real soon./B]

Ummm please don't kill the poor little guy, it's not his fault he's an unstoppable killing machine! anyways If it is a mantis and you do catch him, post it up here with a picture, someone ought to take him off your hands.

bmk, how large is the aquarium? I caught my mantis by either dipping in different salinity water, or when one was under the rock, I just had a net handy and moved the rock and just swooped.

 

[bmk]

Diet Plain
My tank is 180L, it has 25kg live rock and 1" sand bed. This thing is only 1/2" long and boy is it quick. What do you mean by 'dipping in different salinity water', you will have to excuse my ignorance only just started marine tank after keeping freshwater. Is there any way to trap it, if so what bait would I use. I am going to speak to LFS to see if he will take it off my hands.
Thanks for your help on this.

Barry

 

[Pea-brain]

That thing would have trouble cracking a nassarius snail. Don't expect it to be a problem. Unless you are keeping ultra aexpensive fish, I would probably jut feed it every other day. Like I said, it can't do any harm for a while and you might be able to wean it on frozens only, so it won't even try to eat your CUC and fish. There are never guarentees of course.....

 

[fishy6389]

bottle trap for mantis

bottle trap for mantis

When placing a bottle trap in the tank to catch mantis shrimp, where should it be placed and how? On it's side? With the rim against a rock so the mantis can crawl up to it and fall it, or just out in the middle of nowhere and the mantis will swim into it? I thought they moved along things, so would have thought it's have to be against it?

Also what bait to use? Do the frozen fish food blocks work, or does it need something like cut up frozen human consumption shrimp? Or is there something better?