How to catch a BIG mantis shrimp ?!?

[Kharn]

I've come up with another idea that should help me in this!

Both my spearers are quite fearless (or lazy you tell me Dr. Caldwell) and they won't move a muscle until something actually touches them, thats when they quickly like lightning retreat further into there burrows.

So I'm thinking this, rite now BOTH spearers are already in "corners" within the tank Leviathan has made his tunnels ext/entrance hole in the corner of 2 grates of eggcrate, 1 splitting the whole tank in half making it 2 smaller 600mm long compartments, the other eggcrate splits Leviathans enclosure in half length wise, Live Rock in the back with Leviathan in the front portion, so he is in the Right corner as far back as he can be in his enclosure (mid of tank exactly basically).

Morgoth is similar but he is at the very back right hand side of the tank in that corner.

What I am getting at is that there underground burrows can only be going in 2 directions, the 2 free directions not already blocked by either an eggcrate wall / glass wall of tank.

My plan is to essentially slide eggcrate into the 2 areas/directions that would have the tunnel system essentially, trapping them in there corners preventing them from going deep under the sandbed since they'd be now surrounded by 4 walls each.

 

[TundraGuy]

man up and reach in there and give um a big O' hug.

its funny the problems we face as owners of mantis.
who can relate to this one: the water level is getting low in the tank and your pumps are starting to come out of the water and you still will not add water for fear of the shocking the mantis durring a molt.
or
hey hunny lets go to the lfs and buy all there cute little blue legs crabs so our mantis has something to destroy.

were I am going with this is thank god I did not get any of the large spearers cus I would be in the same boat your in right now with the whole lasowing thing.

O btw my buddy who is a snake guy said you should just get a snake bar case the mantis out of his burrow while sturring the sand then when its up on the sand bed scoop it out.

 

[Kharn]

man up and reach in there and give um a big O' hug.

its funny the problems we face as owners of mantis.
who can relate to this one: the water level is getting low in the tank and your pumps are starting to come out of the water and you still will not add water for fear of the shocking the mantis durring a molt.
or
hey hunny lets go to the lfs and buy all there cute little blue legs crabs so our mantis has something to destroy.

were I am going with this is thank god I did not get any of the large spearers cus I would be in the same boat your in right now with the whole lasowing thing.

O btw my buddy who is a snake guy said you should just get a snake bar case the mantis out of his burrow while sturring the sand then when its up on the sand bed scoop it out.

The thing that could go wrong with this is a total burrow collapse essentially burying the mantis alive, then I have no choice but to use my hands and in this case I'd imagine the large spearers will be ****ED!

And that is really worrying because there more I hesitate (longer I take) to stick my hands in to pull them out after the collapse the greater the risk that they'll die and who knows what position they got trapped in when it caves in perhaps the sand squashed them in a bad spot!

I like the idea though!

I thought along similar lines where by I thread a thin rigid "thing" (prefer plastic) down into the sand bed and just drag it towards the entrance of the burrow this should force him out in "*** IS THIS!?!?!" kinda thing and at the same time still be to thin to cause major structure damage to the burrows interior to the point it collapses...

I dunno xD

Lasso so far is best bet since we all know it works.