rollin_hard
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
A few weeks ago we noticed some rather big eyeballs poking out of a newer piece of live rock we decided it best to pull it out and at least ID the new creature. In doing so we used a colander, a glove, and a small water basin type thing filled with fresh saltwater a little cooler then the tank. We quickly picked up the rock and placed it in the colander then lifted the colander out of the tank and placed it in the cooler water, after about a minute out came a little mantis shrimp. After playing with him for awhile I grew pretty fond of him and set him up his own little tank. Then a different day while target feeding our corals and sponges we noticed some little legs inside a different rock so we did almost the same thing. It was a smaller rock so we used only a glove and while grabbing the rock quickly wrapping a hand around it we placed it in a tub with cooler water again and he slid right out - a really tiny baby crab this time. We put him back in after determining he wasn't too big of a threat.
In doing all of this we have concluded that a very easy way to get them out of the rock is to use cooler water, not cold just a few degrees cooler. They are both still living and doing fine, I believe the cooler water shocks them to a certain extent and makes them forget to hide from you. This makes it easy to figure out whether its a bad or good hitchhiker. Then you can determine to keep it or get rid of it or fall in love with it like I did with my mantis and give it its own home!! Just thought I would share our way of doing this with you although it will only work if you know where they make their home in your tank!! Btw it hasnt hurt the critters or the life (sponges, polyps etc) on the rock!
In doing all of this we have concluded that a very easy way to get them out of the rock is to use cooler water, not cold just a few degrees cooler. They are both still living and doing fine, I believe the cooler water shocks them to a certain extent and makes them forget to hide from you. This makes it easy to figure out whether its a bad or good hitchhiker. Then you can determine to keep it or get rid of it or fall in love with it like I did with my mantis and give it its own home!! Just thought I would share our way of doing this with you although it will only work if you know where they make their home in your tank!! Btw it hasnt hurt the critters or the life (sponges, polyps etc) on the rock!