Please...Help Needed, I have a Mantis Shrimp! How can I get him out????

steri

steri

New member
I have been suspicious for a while. First, about two months ago, I had a small goby go missing without any warning signs of him being sick. Then I lost my cleaner shrimp, and I have been noticing for a while that hermit crab shells tend to be left behind in the area by this rock under by RBTA's.

And then, about two months ago, I started hearing popping. Random popping. As soon as I heard it the first time, I thought, "that sounds like a Mantis." I tore everything apart, couldn't find anything, so I thought, "That was odd." A couple of days later the popping came back, and I thought, "what the heck?"

Today I saw him. I was feeding my RBTAs, and all the sudden this Fing jerk comes swimming out of the rock for about .2 seconds. Then he goes back in his rock, looks at me, smiles at my stupidity, and then hides, not to be seen again.

I did not get a close enough look to see coloration and so forth, but I am 150% sure I have a mantis shrimp. My tank has been up for 18 months. I haven't bought any new rock in 16 months. This guy is over two inches big now. I assume he came in with rock as a baby mantis and has just been growing as time as gone by. To think all of those hermits he has eaten.......jeez!

A lot of strange things that have happened are starting to make sense to me, but how the heck can I get rid of this guy?

Anyone have a great idea for a trap? How can I catch him? I want him out ASAP! My rock is not glued together or anything...it is stacked. Pulling the rock apart the first time was torture, I would like to avid doing that if at all possible.

Also, my smallest fish now is one of my clowns (he's the same size as the mantis). Do I need to be concerned he could be eaten?

I was so ticked when I saw this guy, I swore to beat the band and woke up my sleeping wife.

Seriously though, any help that can be offered would be much appreciated. I know some people like these guys......I am not some people.
 
Man you just described one of my worst nightmares! I hate to laugh but how you worded everything was comical :lol: If I had a small tank I would put him in there but not in my current tank. Catch him & sell him. I believe these guys sell for alot. I know some stores sell mantis traps.
 
Go to the Mantis forum and Gonadactylus has instructions for catching them that work well. He also has instructions on how to ship them if that is your prerogative.

Oh, and if you keep him fed, he won't attack your fish. He's just hungry and well, he's a predator. So feed him in the meantime freeze dried krill and he won't bother your other fish.

Oh, and hermits are candy to Mantis, so anticipate a further reduction in your CUC!

BTW, post a pic when you find him!
 
If he's a smasher, I'd work on getting him out ASAP. But given that he ate a fish, he's probably a spearer...
 
The easiest method - if you know his home "rock" would be to pull it into a bucket and squirt RO water into any openings - he will exit pretty quick. That is how I caught my first one - though I got really lucky and it has decided to camp in a baseball sized rock.

USE GLOVES - they can tear apart a fingernail.

another easy trap - is an inverted bottle. Get a small water bottle (rinse well with ro/di) and cut the top off. Invert the top inside the bottle and bait with krill.

http://www.tampabaysaltwater.com/thepackage/images/trap.gif
 
I had the same problem, one in my frag tank, which I was able to just give the rock away to puffer, then I had one in my display, which must have came in on the LR or a Piece of coral I ordered, one of the two, but hadn't noticed till about 8 to 10 months after the fact. I recently took all of my rock out for other reasons to cook it and he's not in the tank anymore, and hopefully will die of starvation will the rock is cooking cause I can't find him, I looked in ever crevise of every rock.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14932370#post14932370 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by w16227
The easiest method - if you know his home "rock" would be to pull it into a bucket and squirt RO water into any openings - he will exit pretty quick. That is how I caught my first one - though I got really lucky and it has decided to camp in a baseball sized rock.

USE GLOVES - they can tear apart a fingernail.

another easy trap - is an inverted bottle. Get a small water bottle (rinse well with ro/di) and cut the top off. Invert the top inside the bottle and bait with krill.

http://www.tampabaysaltwater.com/thepackage/images/trap.gif
Click to expand...

Ya, I'm aware that they can do some damage to me. The rock he is in s about 3 lbs, but just so happens to be the rock that has my two RBTA's on it. Both of their feet are strongly attached to this rock, so removing the rock scare me some.

I feel fortunate though in a way. I had a 3rd RBTA, and just sold it this week. The foot was attached to the same rock. It took me about a half hour of prying to get that RBTA off the rock without damaging the foot. I had the rock in my hand the whole time. I feel quite lucky the dang thing didn't decide to make a stab at me then and there.

I am going to try the bottle technique first and see what happens.

Awesome times for me.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14932373#post14932373 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by livingcorals
They are smart tho. I have a trap you can try and use.
Pm sent
Click to expand...

Thanks Jeff.

I am going to try the bottle method first. On top of this awesome project, I get to go to 12 hours of pre-natal classes this weekend.

If by Sunday I can't catch the punk, I will call you up and see about that trap.

For those interested, as soon as I can catch him, I will post a pic of him.

If anyone else is interested, you can have him when he's caught. If you don't want him, I can't guarentee I will be as nice to his long term interests as others might.
 
if nobody wants him il take him :)

like they said, just keep him well fed so he doesnt go after your fish, the clown might be ok since they are very active
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14937517#post14937517 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ILLiDaN
although they are active, wouldn't really risk it fish have to sleep too :D
Click to expand...


its not that hes risking it, he didnt have the choice of puttin the mantis in, im jus saying clowns, damsels n dartfish are LESS likely to be prey because of how active they are. and if the fish dont sleep near the rocks then they should be ok
 
oh my steve,
i'm so glad you didn't get hurt removing my new rbta.{which is doing just find ,tyvm}..
i hope you catch it .. Ruth
 
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