My luck just ran out

[OhTheHumanity]

After 5 weeks of putting my LR in the tank. I have noticed my first mantis. At least I saw him in a hole and I know where the little sucker is. Now for the ever so daunting task of removing it.

[rayjay]

Pull the rock out, hold it over a pail, and squirt some vinegar in the hole. He'll drop into the pail in a hurry.

[kribbz]

how big is the tank? cause if you have a ton of rock and a really big tank that could suck really bad if he decides to start moving on you.

[OhTheHumanity]

It's an 80gal with 80lbs of LR. He is a clubber so I'm not real concerned about him right now. I'll try a trap first.

[pecan2phat]

Let me know how the trap works. I spotted my 3rd mantis a few days ago & unlike the first two, I was unable to get him out. This time around I took all the rocks out and left them without water for 30 mins, tried a high salinity dunk on all the rocks with no luck.

[Salty Dog]

So how serious are these mantis shrimp???

[dansemacabre]

They can easily pierce or smash (depending on type) snails and crustaceans. In some cases, they've been rumored to break aquarium glass, and some that haven't have a possibility to. Anyways, point being, if you have snails and crustaceans, and you like them, get rid of these shrimp. Many LFS will take them, and they're interesting, so if you've got a small nano tank you'd like to keep them in, they're supposed to be quite neat.

[OhTheHumanity]

I saw the little sucker again and pulled the rock. I think he slipped into another because I heard clicking in the tank still. Unless there is another one in there I didn't see the sucker in the rock after I pulled it.

I have 2 in a 10gal that I like to watch so I tried something. I took a few pieces of frozen squid and put them into a 20 oz. plastic soda bottle. I held it up to the hole where I knew a mantis was in my 10 and the little sucker started to crawl in.

So what I'm going to do is wedge the bottle on the bottom between a couple rock near where I heard it clicking. I'm going to leave it in over night and see what happens. Who knows if it will venture that far from where it's at now. Guess it all depends on how hungry it is.

[Bearfan]

I've caught 10 to date from my 80# of LR and I know I have at least 2 more.

[pecan2phat]

Originally Posted by Bearfan

I've caught 10 to date from my 80# of LR and I know I have at least 2 more.

On one of my smaller orders, I only bought 20 lbs of Gulf rock & as of yesterday, I've destroyed my nano tank four times and have caught 3 mantis shrimps. But I still here clicking!!!!
After the first 2 mantis, I said to myself, just chill & leave them in there. Then my Citron goby disappeared & one day I see a small mantis about an 1" come out and start clubbing my barnacles on a piece of LR. It was almost comical.
Only 20 lbs, I wonder how many are still in there.................

[f-dean]

wait the shrimp ate the goby