How to catch a mantis?
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kenbennedy
New member
Id like an answer to that too, Ive read a couple of ways but was wondering what people had success with?
pisces77
New member
There are a few methods... Either way you need to get a rough idea of where the burrow is.
1) mantis trap - sold at most LFS or on-line stores. Put in bait and place near the burrow.
2) If yours is hiding in a piece of LR, remove the whole piece of LR. hold it above a bucket of SW and pour a little club soda in the mantis hole. It should come running out and fall into the bucket. If you want to keep your new pet, great. If you don't, you can trade it for a frag or fish, or even sell it. These little guys are increasingly popular as pets.
1) mantis trap - sold at most LFS or on-line stores. Put in bait and place near the burrow.
2) If yours is hiding in a piece of LR, remove the whole piece of LR. hold it above a bucket of SW and pour a little club soda in the mantis hole. It should come running out and fall into the bucket. If you want to keep your new pet, great. If you don't, you can trade it for a frag or fish, or even sell it. These little guys are increasingly popular as pets.
T-6 Driver
New member
The way I finally got rid of the one in my last tank was to take out the piece of live rock the mantis lived in and flush it out with fresh water.
First you have to know what rock it lives in/spends the most time in. After that you need to keep an eye on it and figure out all the possible escape routes it may take--ideally the hole or tube it lives in will only have a couple of openings.
At this point you can formulate your plan of attack and set up the supplies you will need. You may have to move some sections of rock if they will impede the rapid removal of the rock with the mantis's tunnel.
Pre position the styrofoam container that your live rock came in, if you still have it, or if not a large bucket or (clean) plastic trash can by the tank to hold the rock once you remove it. At this point you need to regularly check your tank and wait for the right opportunity to extract the mantis's rock. Wait until the shrimp is just poking its head out of its hole, as it's more likely to try to retreat back into the hole than go swimming away from the rock while you reach in for it. Ensure that the escape routes are blocked (with a net, shell, etc., Not your hand!! ) and with one quick motion take the rock out of the tank and place it in the Styrofoam container/plastic bucket. Make sure that the mantis didn't get away when you pulled the rock out.
Take a moment and revel in the glory of having removed a troublesome pest from your tank. Then place a net under one of the exits to the mantis's hole and flush out the hole/tunnel with fresh water. The mantis will pop right out. If you have a mason jar you can fill it with salt water and keep the mantis there until you figure out what you want to do with it. I'd recommend keeping the jar in the container you used to hold the live rock after you put it back in the tank on the offhand chance the mantis tries to break out.
First you have to know what rock it lives in/spends the most time in. After that you need to keep an eye on it and figure out all the possible escape routes it may take--ideally the hole or tube it lives in will only have a couple of openings.
At this point you can formulate your plan of attack and set up the supplies you will need. You may have to move some sections of rock if they will impede the rapid removal of the rock with the mantis's tunnel.
Pre position the styrofoam container that your live rock came in, if you still have it, or if not a large bucket or (clean) plastic trash can by the tank to hold the rock once you remove it. At this point you need to regularly check your tank and wait for the right opportunity to extract the mantis's rock. Wait until the shrimp is just poking its head out of its hole, as it's more likely to try to retreat back into the hole than go swimming away from the rock while you reach in for it. Ensure that the escape routes are blocked (with a net, shell, etc., Not your hand!! ) and with one quick motion take the rock out of the tank and place it in the Styrofoam container/plastic bucket. Make sure that the mantis didn't get away when you pulled the rock out.
Take a moment and revel in the glory of having removed a troublesome pest from your tank. Then place a net under one of the exits to the mantis's hole and flush out the hole/tunnel with fresh water. The mantis will pop right out. If you have a mason jar you can fill it with salt water and keep the mantis there until you figure out what you want to do with it. I'd recommend keeping the jar in the container you used to hold the live rock after you put it back in the tank on the offhand chance the mantis tries to break out.
My mantis was also too smart for the trap. I finally had to remove the rock that he was living in. I submersed it in water with slightly lower salinity and he popped right out. I quickly put him in a container with tank water and returned the rock to the main tank without the harm to the rock that fresh water would've caused. Good luck!
