Reef Caddyshack: Crab Varmint

[doctor_random]

Reef Caddyshack: I GOT HIM!

POSTER EDIT: See last post in thread. Here's a pic of the varmint!:lobster:

OK, I'm starting to talk like Carl Spangler, folks. I've got a 1 1/2" nasty crab that hitchhiked on some LR, and unless I keep him well fed at all times he's a tank terror.

I've tried the inverted bottle trap, the tall glass trap, the fish trap, attempted netting, stocking trap, attempted skewering (sorry, PETA folk, but this is war. Crab war.)

My young son had the idea to tazer him, but other life would probably get toasted as well. He's watching too much TV.

I had the idea to get a powerful external return pump, like a GenX, attach a 1" hose, and suck him out of a corner. All my pumps are submersibles...

1) What do you think of this idea? Will I create such suction that a Black Hole will develop high over Manhattan?

2) I live on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, but can travel nearly anywhere in NYC. Could I borrow a big-mutha pump from someone?

I dream about catching this menace....:Starwars:

 

[henrye718]

crab trap...

http://www.haverford.com.au/products/tackle/crab2la.jpg

the heavy rings causes the net to to lay pretty flat on the bottom.

Now you make one, the netting thats used to make onion bags from comes to mind and some monofilament fishing line to lift the trap. A piece of shrimp or something tied into the center of the net. When he climbs on it to get the goodies you pull the trap up.. Sounds like fun to me.. You should record your attemps at captureing him. Would be a hoot.

 

[Keith P]

I remember some one saying you can use a glass cup as a trap. Put food on the bottom and the crab will climb in but not be able to climb back out.
With my luck, everything but the crab would go after the food..

EDIT: Doh, just noticed you tried this one... Good luck.

Last crab I "extracted" came out short one arm. The are TOUGH!

 

[Marteen]

You can make a pretty easy crab trap with a plastic soda bottle. Just cut the bottle in half then cut the top opening off until it is large enough for the crab to fit. Then take the top and stick it into the bottom half of the bottle so that the original opening is now inside the bottle. Once you get a good fit take some superglue and seal it up. Place a raw shrimp in the bottle, big enough that the crab would not be able to pull it out easily. Place the trap near the crab burrow and bury it up right in the sand and create a ramp with rock or something or place it near existing rock so that the crab can climb in easily. Once in it can't get out.

 

[greggnyce]

Have you treid pulling him out and netting him? put a silverside on a hook attached to some line. When the crab grabs the silverside slowly pull the crab toward you. Then when you hve enough space behind him, scoop him. I had to catch a couple of shrimp in this manner. It takes patience but it worked.

 

[DrCooper]

I cant help really but I can say I love the varmint idea hahah. Caddy Shack-CLASSIC

 

[DrCooper]

Couldn't Resist

Classic

 

[doctor_random]

"Freeze Gopher!"

"They're like the Viet Cong - Varmint Cong. So you have to fall back on superior intelligence and superior firepower. And that's all she wrote."

 

[doctor_random]

I have very limited space to deploy this kind of trap, but the concept is good. I still think sucking him out is a better possibility. He's gotten very clever, and I think I would have just one shot with this kind of trap...

 

[doctor_random]

I have very limited space to do this given my rock work, tank depth, and where the crab varment hangs out, but conceptually should work. I have 4 cleaner shrimp that always intrude on any bait-and-catch scenario, and catching all of them first is turning out to be a bigger chore...

 

[doctor_random]

Built this trap...

I built it, but couldn't lure the crab into it. He's a clever devil:sgrin:

 

[doctor_random]

And That's All She Wrote!

Just like Carl Spangler! "So you have to fall back on superior intelligence and superior firepower."

I "chased" him out of his grotto with a shish-kabob skewer and then grabbed him with a tongs!

The varmint ate a whole Kenya Tree last night, in spite of me feeding him a nice smelt before we went to bed.

 

[Marteen]

That's a cool looking crab there! You should keep him in your sump or fuge and see how big he gets.

 

[greggnyce]

He eats Kenya tree, you should rent him out.

 

[charlie1225]

I remember some one saying you can use a glass cup as a trap. Put food on the bottom and the crab will climb in but not be able to climb back out.
With my luck, everything but the crab would go after the food..

EDIT: Doh, just noticed you tried this one... Good luck.

Last crab I "extracted" came out short one arm. The are TOUGH!

I caught one just like that recently from my system. He's in my sump now. The first time I saw him, I saw red eyes from inside a cave. Luckily, the cave was towards the top of the tank so I took the whole rock out, probably explains why I kept losing shrimp.

Anyways, Keith's idea may work if you have patience. I have one of those old bubble filters in my sump, just the bottom portion and he keeps trapping himself in that cup. Even without food in it he still manages to trap himself. I would give it a shot, wouldn't hurt.