Mantis hitch hiker

I'm pretty positive I have a mantis shrimp that came on my live rock. The tank is several months old and I kept hearing this random popping sound but thought it was my light or my powerhead. All of my hermits have disappeared and just yesterday I saw the thing dart under a rock. I know mantis shrimps have a hammer claw that they crack open prey with and it creates a loud pop. I know for sure it is a shrimp, as I saw the whole thing out today. I want to make a trap to catch it so my livestock and inverts don't continue to get eaten. Possibly try the bottle trap. I know there is a lot of information on this already but what have y'all used that was successful? What bait did you use? The shrimp is only an inch or so long.

 

you can try the bottle trap, these guys are very intelligent and FAST. I kept one as a pet for awhile and it would aggresively hit a bamboo skewer with raw shrimp attached. You may be able to bait it into something but will have to watch closely and move quickly to capture him.

 

If you know which rock it is hiding in, and you can take that rock out, then that would be a good idea. When I had a mantis shrimp, I took out the rock it was in and just dropped it in a bucket of RO/DI water, and it came straight out. It really works!

 

yea that works as well or a little soda water poured on it will also drive him out in a hurry.

 

I used a Mantis trap (I think this one: Ultralife X-Terminator Mantis Shrimp Trap - AquaCave.com ) to catch mine. Just put food on the end of it, set the trap, and put it by its hole. Took a couple of days. He now lives in my sump.

 

Any updates on this?

The bottle trap *may* work, but as others have said, mantis are freaky smart. I've kept three in species tanks in the past, and I plan on having one live in my fuge. They are fascinating to watch.

Your best bet really is to try and take out the rock he's living in, but even that may not work.

If nothing works, your next best bet is to just sacrifice to the mantis gods and keep him well fed. They'll go nuts for some krill. The more he's fed, the less he'll eat your snails. However, there's the chance that he'll grow to about 3 inches long or so, and you may not desire that ;D

If you have a fuge or sump with rock/sand in it, keep him in there if you catch him! If you have to get rid of him, I understand, most LFS's have to dispose of them every LR shipment they get. It's just part of the hobby. But as a mantis lover, I'd much rather see him get a home.