restocking disaster and mantis situation

[tentacles]

So, as some of you may know, Irene took a serious toll on my tank. Due to electrical issues, I lost every single piece of coral except 2 mushrooms, some hex palys and piece of a cabbage coral. Among the things I lost were a scoly, rainbow wellso from cherry, 6-8 inch chalice from HoF, purple wall hammer, 40 head green hammer, ric/zoa garden...just..everything. Weeks ago as I was clearing all of the cnidarian carcasses from my sad little box, I noticed some weird appendages sticking out from a rock. Everything characteristically mantis-y was there (the complex eyes!). I tried to grab it with forceps, but it retreated into the rock.

Since then, I haven't seen the thing. I chalked it up to my imagination from being so devastated about the tank, and that it was probably just some dead coral pieces. Cut to this morning, when I bent down to pick up a jug to top off. I saw something in my rocks moving, but thought it was my b&w clown at first. I looked again, and there it was...the unmistakable, incredibly abhorred ...MANTIS SHRIMP. Before I could even react, into the rocks it went.

Before Irene decided we weren't best girlfriends, I had been noticing my hermits and snails disappearing, but figured the hermits were eating the snails (as they do), and that the hermits were either picking each other off or dying naturally. Then I considered the clicking that I hear everyday, which I initially thought was my finicky ballast. Now it is clear that the ballast is NOT the culprit of the clicking, and my hermits aren't in some kind of fight club.

So, what happens now? I have a new tank that is in the process of being set up, and it would be nice to grow out frags in the old tank while the new tank cycles, but I don't want to do ANYTHING in the old tank until this mantis situation is taken care of. How do I catch this jerk crustacean? I have literally NO idea how it got into my tank or how long its been there, and I'm not totally certain of what rock it likes to hide in (again, today was only the second time I've seen it). I'd prefer some sort of DIY trap, but if it comes down to it I'll suck it up and buy something in order to get this thing out. If/when I catch it, who on Long Island wants to take it (or, more likely, what LFS will take it from me? I don't want to just kill it for being a stomatopod).

Also, if you feel like helping another reefer out after a crash, I'd gladly bake you some cookies in exchange for frags:redface:

 

[JimmyR1rider]

Maybe pull out the rock hes in and put it in a holding bin and put some food in to draw him out and just reaquascape the whole tank after you get him out of that rock?

 

[BYU]

hey sorry about ur crash got a nice chalice frag you could have just pm me

 

[rkaragozler]

I am by no means a mantis expert, by why not try the plastic bottle trick, put a piece of krill in a small pepsi bottle, and watch to see if he goes in.
And I have coral to donate when you are ready.

 

[Josh]

Take out the rock one piece at a time (use protective gloves as he may try to attack).

Drop the rock into freshwater for 2 minutes to see if he comes out. If he does, scoop him up with a net and put into a saltwater container and take him to the LFS to donate.

 

[tentacles]

Thanks for your thoughts everyone. I'm going to try the soda bottle trap tonight simply because I won't have the time to pull every rock out until probably Monday night. Hopefully I won't just catch my fish.

Also, something I didn't note in the original post: what is so very odd about this situation is that I didn't lose any fish from the pest or power outage. I thought the goby would have been a gonner once I saw the mantis since he burrows near the rock I originally saw it in, but he's still kicking (fingers crossed). When the tank was still running in good condition, I had 5 sexy shrimp that would have made a nice, easy meal for the mantis, but they didn't disappear until the crash/5 day period of darkness. I'm at a loss as to where this thing came from, because I haven't really added any more LR to my tank for about a year. I guess it's possible that it lived as a very small juv. for a while and it's just now at a size that I would notice it. :grumpy::sigh:

 

[lfsmarineguy]

What kind of mantis is it?

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

I think most mantis love snails more than fish.

If you catch it and we can meet I may want it.

 

[tentacles]

What kind of mantis is it?

I'm about 90% sure it's a green mantis. The first time I saw it it was only the eyes (which were green) and today I only saw its back end as it was going back into the rock work- lights were out so your guess is as good as mine if it's any other kind (though if it's a peacock I will give it its own tank!)


I got impatient and did a FW dip on the rock that I saw it in originally/near today, no dice. SO, the soda bottle trap is in place, baited with shrimp and squid. Hopefully it works and I don't just trap my fish.

 

[rkaragozler]

not sure how big your fish are but if you are using the small bottles they should not be able to enter.

 

[tentacles]

not sure how big your fish are but if you are using the small bottles they should not be able to enter.

I used a 2 liter bottle because that was all I could find in my recycling bin (though I think the opening might be the same diameter on both). The 2 fish that have the potential to go in are a YWG (who probably won't because he just burrows) and a small royal gramma, who is pretty curious about everything that goes on in the tank, but usually stays confined to a small area once the lights go out. In all honesty, I don't even know if the mantis will fit through the hole since I've never actually seen the whole thing, but I hope he does! I've been hearing lots of clicking since the lights went out but haven't seen him yet.

 

[rkaragozler]

If you can position the bottle closer to where you saw her, the scent of the food might draw her in.

 

[tentacles]

If you can position the bottle closer to where you saw her, the scent of the food might draw her in.

yup, that's how I put it in there . It's a shame that its causing a problem because they're actually pretty interesting creatures.

 

[loneracer05]

HHey where in li are you? Ill come help take things apart if I can keep the mantis .im in smithtown

 

[tentacles]

HHey where in li are you? Ill come help take things apart if I can keep the mantis .im in smithtown

I'm in Oakdale, so not far. It's only a 24g cube though, so there's not much to take apart (though I appreciate the offer!) If I catch it you're welcome to it if Wingo doesn't take it. :bagfish:

 

[loneracer05]

OOk cool thanks I have some green pallys your welcome to in exchange

 

[rookie07]

You put a string around the top, so u can easily pull out the bottle withoit putting ur hand in tank, right?

 

[loneracer05]

He shouldn't have to worry its most likelt to small to do any damage to him other then startle him.I've been tagged by some pretty big guys any come out unscaved.mantis have a bum rap.all that glass breaking is only on the huge guys which this most definitely is not.

 

[tentacles]

You put a string around the top, so u can easily pull out the bottle withoit putting ur hand in tank, right?

unfortunately no, I couldn't find any fishing line and I didn't want to use my expensive jewelry twine (which contains metal). I have 12 inch forceps and an aquarium gopher grabber thing, so I won't have to actually touch the trap.

 

[nyc reefer]

Mantis

Good luck fishing tonite. If u catch it post a pic if u can.