How'd you catch your mantis shrimp?"

[Burt Reynolds]

I've put four shrimp (cleaner fire, peppermint) into my tank over the past several months, and can't find a one of them. Since I don't have any other likely culprits in my tank, I assumed that I have a mantis shrimp, so I picked up an x-terminator trap but haven't had any success. I've baited it with pieces of grocery store shrimp, and with a Formula One cube, but the bait is always there untouched in the morning. What did you bait your mantis shrimp with, I'd like to try a couple of more times before I give up and figure I don't have one after all.

[Marcel]

I've had to camp out at night with a flash light or red light to see if I had Mantis Shrimp. If you can sneak up to the tank you might spot him.

Once I spotted him, I would watch were he would hide. Then I either took the rock out, put it in a bucket and wait for him to leave the rock and pull the rock out, or if I couldn't move the rock, take a pair of scissors, and stick them in the hole where it he hid.

I tried the trap but it never worked for me, and the scissors bit was the last straw.

Marcel

[Marcel]

One more thought.

I had some Sally Light Foots that dissapeared. Well they didn't dissapear but what apparently happened was, when they molted, my bristle worms took advantage of them and basically completely consumed them. I guess when they molt they can't move and are nice and soft, thus a nice meal for a bunch of hungry worms.

Marcel

[Burt Reynolds]

I hear clicking, but I'm not sure if its coming from the tank, or one of the rotary light timers I use for my refugium lights. When I hear a click it is always a single click, and it will be a while, sometimes hours before another click, which is why I think it might just be the dial on the timer turning. So I was wondering, if you have head a mantis shrimp click, what it sounds like so I can distinguish.

[icemark]

I used a small firearm.

I had to replace the bottom of the tank after that, but I got rid of the bugger.

[Mikeman]

What kind of shrimp do you have? Are you sure that you one of your shrimp just ate the other.

[Marcel]

In one tank I caught four Mantis Shrimp (Florida Live Rock before the ban). The clicking I heard was more of a click...click...click. It did sound like a piece of equipment making the noise though.

However, I've also had a black colored pistol shrimp. It came with the rock as well, and it makes the same clicking sound. He would click once and then do nothing for the longest time. I thought it was a timer as well until when I moved I found him in the live rock.

So you might have a Pistol shrimp or a timer pretending to be one.

Do you have any other fish that might possibly feast on Shrimp?

Marcel

[schrocat]

My last one inhabited a med size chunk of LR.
I took the rock out for a sec...poured ro/di H20 into his burrow and out he came.

[Sker]

I second Marcels comment on the multiple clicks for the mantis shrimps. Usually they are trying to beat one of their claws agianst a snail or something they want to eat on your live rock. I have caught five out of my florida rock and still have one more to catch. Your best bet is to find out what rock they are making their home in, take it out and do a high salinity dip 1.30 and they will come right out!

[SomeHairyOldGuy]

If you do a search on this topic with my name you will see several topics I started.

scubadude will vouch on this!

Anyways I too bought florida LR(DAMN, if I could only go back in time!!!) My score is 2/4. Caught 1 with the x-terminator, and one by removal of rock and dipped in hot water. Still have 2 more to go. They both are huge! I will post a pic of one when I get back home to Tulsa. As for the sounds they will make a kinda loud tapping noise about 2-3 seconds apart. As for the pistol shrimp they make a VERY LOUD snap one at a time. And I mean loud enough to hear in another room. I have found that the only way to catch these guys is patience. They will learn and remember what you do to try and catch them. Just pay close attention and hope to catch them slipping some time. Patience is the only way to catch these punks! Hope this helps.
SHOG

[Emma]

I've put four shrimp (cleaner fire, peppermint) into my tank over the past several months, and can't find a one of them. Since I don't have any other likely culprits in my tank, I assumed that I have a mantis shrimp, so I picked up an x-terminator trap but haven't had any success. I've baited it with pieces of grocery store shrimp, and with a Formula One cube, but the bait is always there untouched in the morning. What did you bait your mantis shrimp with, I'd like to try a couple of more times before I give up and figure I don't have one after all.

I have just caught my small green mantis shrimp that came over in the live rock we bought. We have a tank full of fish but none of them have vanished, although we bought a cleaner shrimp a while back and that DID vanish. You may not have a mantis shrimp but might have an unwanted crab in there because they also like shrimp etc. I knew i had a mantis because of the annoying clicking sound every night. I knew where my mantis lived in the tank and it has just swam into a small coral covered in green mushrooms. My boyfriend quickly pulled out the rock and put it into an empty bucker, put the coral back and then added water to the bucket containing mantis. We got a couple of bags we saved from the fish shop and bagged him up. if you do have one just wait. In time you will get it, its taken us 4 months.

[Parrothead]

Ms. Emma,

This thread is 9 years old, either he caught him or the matis caught him

and just in case, I don't believe that is really Burt Reynolds