Best trap for a Sally Lightfoot?

[hllb]

Well, I had my first fish death yesterday. Pretty sure my Sally Lightfoot killed my cherub angel. The crab is very aggressive and I’ve been watching him since I put him in because of his behavior. My angel lived at the bottom near the crab. I took this photo of my angel mere hours before I found the Sally eating him.
I made a bottle trap yesterday and promptly caught my emerald crab, then nearly had a shrimp. But Sally won’t go near it. It also won’t fill completely with water so it wants to float and when I catch the wrong critter, it’s really hard to get it out. So, is there an affordable commercial option that would catch it but be easy to get critters out of?

RIP Halo

 

[hllb]

I should add, I need something small. My tank is a 32g biocube with a bunch of live rock so there is minimal space for a trap. The bottle trap I made just barely fit

 

[najer]

England here, this is a creature trap, 6 x 2 3/4 x 2 3/4 I think the company is Hobby, not sure if you can get this in the States but there has to be something similar available.

 

[hllb]

England here, this is a creature trap, 6 x 2 3/4 x 2 3/4 I think the company is Hobby, not sure if you can get this in the States but there has to be something similar available.

Do you think a Sally Lightfoot could fit through the opening? I’m not sure how much room they need.

 

[najer]

Do you think a Sally Lightfoot could fit through the opening? I’m not sure how much room they need.

The entrance is to the left and is a series of arms that open inwards and then swing back closed again.

 

[hllb]

I did find a similar one on amazon. If the bottle trap doesn’t work today, I’ll probably order it to try it

 

[mfinn]

The best crab trap I've ever seen or used was just a simple baby food jar. One of the short ones.
Take a jar ( doesn't have to be exactly a baby food jar, just something similar) and tip it at about a 45 degree angle and place it against the rocks in the area you think the crab may be.
Take a raw shrimp, silver sides or any raw seafood and rubber band it to a rock and place it in the jar.
The jar has to be big enough for the crab to get in, but not climb out.
I've caught a ton of crabs this way. It may take a while and you will probably catch everything else first, but keep trying.

 

[hllb]

The best crab trap I've ever seen or used was just a simple baby food jar. One of the short ones.
Take a jar ( doesn't have to be exactly a baby food jar, just something similar) and tip it at about a 45 degree angle and place it against the rocks in the area you think the crab may be.
Take a raw shrimp, silver sides or any raw seafood and rubber band it to a rock and place it in the jar.
The jar has to be big enough for the crab to get in, but not climb out.
I've caught a ton of crabs this way. It may take a while and you will probably catch everything else first, but keep trying.

I saw that too and wondered how deep it needed to be for the crab not to get out. I’ve seen this particular one just a few inches up into the water trying to catch things. I’ve seen people use stemless wine glasses too.

 

[hllb]

The best crab trap I've ever seen or used was just a simple baby food jar. One of the short ones.
Take a jar ( doesn't have to be exactly a baby food jar, just something similar) and tip it at about a 45 degree angle and place it against the rocks in the area you think the crab may be.
Take a raw shrimp, silver sides or any raw seafood and rubber band it to a rock and place it in the jar.
The jar has to be big enough for the crab to get in, but not climb out.
I've caught a ton of crabs this way. It may take a while and you will probably catch everything else first, but keep trying.

This one would also be easier to get things out of.

 

[mfinn]

I saw that too and wondered how deep it needed to be for the crab not to get out. I’ve seen this particular one just a few inches up into the water trying to catch things. I’ve seen people use stemless wine glasses too.

I guess you have to estimate how wide it's side legs stretch out to and use a jar a 1" or 2" taller.

 

[hllb]

I guess you have to estimate how wide it's side legs stretch out to and use a jar a 1" or 2" taller.

I have a mason jar that should work...

 

[mfinn]

There was one time that I had a rouge crab that was stealing/eating zoanthid frags from the front of my tank.
I did the baby food jar method, but it took a couple weeks of baiting the trap every night ( I put new bait in every night).
I swear, I caught every crab and snail in the tank a couple times, before I got the one I wanted.

 

[hllb]

There was one time that I had a rouge crab that was stealing/eating zoanthid frags from the front of my tank.
I did the baby food jar method, but it took a couple weeks of baiting the trap every night ( I put new bait in every night).
I swear, I caught every crab and snail in the tank a couple times, before I got the one I wanted.

I expect that will be my experience as well lol

 

[hllb]

I've now caught a shrimp, an emerald crab, and 4 hermits. Sally won't go anywhere near the dang thing...

What do you guys think the chances are that I'm right about Sally being the murderer? The only other possibility in the tank is my royal gramma who is quite cantankerous. But, after the initial aggression on day 1, he's been fine the last 2 weeks. I mean, if they go after food he wants or come to close to his area, he chases them off, but stops once they leave. I wouldn't think he'd suddenly kill the angel. And, the angel staked out a spot under my rocks at the bottom of the tank, very close to Sally's spot. I think the angel got it when it was sleeping down there. Thoughts? I'm hesitant to add another fish until I get the crab out, but that's not looking like it will be a quick or easy task.

 

[mfinn]

I've now caught a shrimp, an emerald crab, and 4 hermits. Sally won't go anywhere near the dang thing...

What do you guys think the chances are that I'm right about Sally being the murderer? The only other possibility in the tank is my royal gramma who is quite cantankerous. But, after the initial aggression on day 1, he's been fine the last 2 weeks. I mean, if they go after food he wants or come to close to his area, he chases them off, but stops once they leave. I wouldn't think he'd suddenly kill the angel. And, the angel staked out a spot under my rocks at the bottom of the tank, very close to Sally's spot. I think the angel got it when it was sleeping down there. Thoughts? I'm hesitant to add another fish until I get the crab out, but that's not looking like it will be a quick or easy task.

It's only been one day lol
Give it a few days, or more.

It took me a couple weeks one time.

 

[hllb]

It's only been one day lol
Give it a few days, or more.

It took me a couple weeks one time.

I was hoping I'd get lucky LOL. There was a point I thought it was going in the trap, but it ended up leaving. Anything better to put in than raw shrimp?

 

[mfinn]

I was hoping I'd get lucky LOL. There was a point I thought it was going in the trap, but it ended up leaving. Anything better to put in than raw shrimp?

Yeah it gets a little bit exciting when you see something got in the trap.
But it seems like the one rouge crab seems to know, what your intentions are. lol



That was always my easiest thing to get. Maybe silversides? Any raw fish?
I would really feed the tank light. Cut way back for a while.

 

[hllb]

Yeah it gets a little bit exciting when you see something got in the trap.
But it seems like the one rouge crab seems to know, what your intentions are. lol



That was always my easiest thing to get. Maybe silversides? Any raw fish?
I would really feed the tank light. Cut way back for a while.

Little jerk was munching a snail last night...but I don’t think he killed it.

 

[jisc]

I’ve had a cherub angel for 3 years in 32 biocube with multiple Sally Lightfoots at different times. Never had a problem. Cherub dominates the tank (Six line and Randall’s goby are long running tank mates) and won’t let me add new fish

 

[hllb]

I’ve had a cherub angel for 3 years in 32 biocube with multiple Sally Lightfoots at different times. Never had a problem. Cherub dominates the tank (Six line and Randall’s goby are long running tank mates) and won’t let me add new fish

My guy was little and my royal gramma runs the tank. So the cherub lived in the bottom of the tank by Sally.