crab trap fail

[Zappy Kiwi]

Hi all. I have setup up a crab trap using the chicken essence bottle method with a prawn meat as lure in my tank.

Proved to be a very good crab trap (had managed to catch a few greedy crabs ) until today. I just left it for a few hours and my prawn meat disappears! My chicken essence bottle was slanted at ard 30 degrees.

I suspect a shrimp hitchhiker terrorist behind it!!! I last saw it hiding in holes in my large rock. It had a body of a shrimp but had a pair of pincers. (me thinks it looks like a lobster.) Is this creature reef safe? How to catch this thief?!!

Pls advise. thanks in advance.

[lightningstrike]

pair of pincers??? maybe pistol or mantis shrimp.

[limbssg]

maybe it's a mantis shrimp? those are very smart buggers!!!

before u off the lights at night, leave the bait there. then observe for some time n see if u can catch the culprit.

u may need a better trap (mineral bottle?)

[Zappy Kiwi]

I once see the creature pop out of it's cave and trying to smell the prawn in the bottle. But this creature is very sly, it moves out cautiously and hides back in it's cave immediately when i move.... so how to catch it?? sighz...

[Travy]

Wanted to chase a bugger in my tank as well....

But would the trap work if i had 3 shrimps?

Later they go eat the bait how...

[limbssg]

How to Trap a Mantis Shrimp?

http://www.blueboard.com/mantis/pest/catch.htm

[Zappy Kiwi]

Hi all, thks for the attention to my thread.

I think my bugger is not a mantis shrimp (more like a pristol shrimp to me) because it stretches its pincers out in front of itself, unlike the mantis shrimps i found at websites which showed it having it's "arms" curl up like a praying mantis.

Are pristol shrimps reef safe? thanks

(anyway, i will still try to catch it )