Need help catching crabs (salt water kind) and shrimp

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Brenden

Aquarium Advice Addict
Joined
May 12, 2005
Messages
4,580
Location
Piedmont, NC
I have approx 15 crabs and numerous mantis/pistols I need to remove. They have not caused a problem yet but I am not waiting until they do. I tried the glass tilted on a rock trick and the hawk fish swam in and ate the bait. Anyone have a suggestion. Also I read a while ago on here someone said the pistol can not make several rapid "pops" so it had to be a mantis someone was hearing. Is this correct? I know I have several but have not seen them. Would I be OK leaving them if they are pistols?
 
If they are pistols leaving them is a great idea, they move the substrate like crazy. I have a tiger pistol. I also believe there are special mantis shrimp catching devices avail. Try to search on here or google for them.
 
I was just discussing this with my not-so-local FS. I hear pops in my aquarium from time to time, but never more than one or two at a time. This has been happening since April when my live rock arrived. I have never seen a shrimp, and I'm told a mantis is much more bold and would most likely been seen by now. Not necessarily with a pistol, which are more reclusive, so I'm hoping I have a pistol. Does this make sense? As I'm writing this, I hear a few pops, but nobody is in view!!
 
For the crabs, I just grabbed 'em with tweezers or whatever else I could use whenever I saw them. I imagine that might be more difficult with the size tank you have. Eventually I think I managed to get them all.

I bought a Mantis trap. It worked for catching some of the crabs. It's also good for catching fish. It will probably catch your Hawkfish. It catches my Dottyback in about 10 seconds.

I had a Mantis shrimp that came with my LR. After failing to catch him through other means, I dunked his rock in FW for about 20-30 minutes. Yeah, yeah, I know it probably killed everything in the rock. I haven't seen the Mantis since. :twisted:

Keep the pistols. I have one that came with my LR. I actually see his head peak out fairly often.
 
Google the x-terminator trap. It works very well.
I agree, leave the pistol shrimp, no harm there.
 
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