How to get rid of Hitchhikers

Bugsy_Barboza

New member
My tank is cycling, first real time Ive got the do some good observing (weekend). I work too much... Anyway I saw an Eunicid worm this morning, seen a couple crabs the other night, I heard a click a quite a few times so Im imaging a pistol shrimp in there somewhere. And maybe a flatworm but not egg zach lee sure of that one... Whats the best way to get rid of these guys? Just a matter of catching them? And will any die off during the cycle?
 
I haven't heard of crabs being hitch hikers I have heard of worms and snails but not pistol shrimp or crabs I don't know just catch them or if u really can't take it u can acid dip but then it will no longer be live. Best way to avoid hitch hikers is to get dry rock and cure it
 
Crabs can be the worst hitchhikers next to eunicids. But good worms are common. If you have ALL of those in your live rock, you certainly got an unusual load.

Put in a bottle trap. Take a liter plastic bottle, washed, of course, cut the top 'bell' off neatly, take the screwcap off, invert the 'bell' into the bottle so the screw-on is inside, superglue in place, add rocks or marbles, and a piece of raw shrimp. Sink it with opening toward the rocks, with maybe a 20 degree tilt of opening upward...about what you'd call a steep driveway...and leave it. If you catch any worms without tentacles on their heads, those are good worms: put them back. If you catch any crabs, put them in your sump: they're fine down there. So are shrimp.

Good luck.
 
starve them out.

or you can set up your tank like a roman coliseum and wait for them to battle it out! then give the victor a crown and a free flight to the sump JHAJA

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ahh..mantris shrimp must go... trap if you can, some have better luck luring them out with food then stabbing them(with a sharp stick), or grabbing with tongs.

my rock came with 3x porcelain crab..which I kept. gorilla crabs I found and tossed (hope I got them all).

I'm hoping the clicking I'm hearing from my new rock isn't a mantis shrimp... I guess I'll find out soon enough.
 
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