tips on getting out harmful critters before I put the rock i

[humu]

hello! subject explains it all. what steps should I do to rid my new LR of crabs and mantis before I put it in my tank?
thanks!

 

[GMH320]

There is no sure fire way to rid mantis shrimp without killing everything on the rock, but you can try a fresh water dip or a dip into high salinity water. If you know there is a mantis in a certain hole, inject it with vinegar or a shot of kalk.

 

[Anonymous]

If I remember correctly you collect your own fish/inverts? If that's the case are there any small octopus species in Hawaii? Catch a small octopus and put it in the tank for a couple of weeks. It'll eat all the crabs and shrimp and you can return it to the sea afterwards.

Aloha
-Greg

 

[Mouse]

But if you do make sure you find two as they are very scociable animals and dont tend to fare well on their own.

 

[MarkO1]

I did a piece by piece thorough inspection before I added it to the tank. Even still I am constantly removing a critter here or there.

 

[Adam1]

humu,

IMHO, using fresh water, high salinity water, carbonated water are all terrible ways to get unwanted critters out of your live rock.

They work great, but also damage the good stuff you paid all of the money for. My suggestion is to trap any unwanted critters during curing.

Mantis shrimp and unwanted crabs will be attracted to baited traps. The true anenome/gorgonian eating fire worm only comes from the carribbean, so if your rock is indo, you don't have to worry about them (they theoretically could get introduced later from another tank, but it is unlikely).

The only thing left to worry about is the snail eating worm, and they are generally easily trapped at night when they are out hunting. There are a few other undesireables, but they are extremely rare.

So, relax, check out your rock with a flashlight at night as it cures, build a soda bottle trap, and know you are preserving lots of good critters by not being overly agressive.

HTH,

Adam

 

[davelin315]

Be careful about harvesting an octopus that is small, they have to be at least 1 pound to take them out of the ocean in Hawaii.

 

[christian]

would you plz explain the soda bottle trick? is there any natural preditor for a mantis that can be purchased?