Help me!

[downhill_biker]

I am so freaking frustrated. Anyone know how to catch a cleaner shrimp in a large tank? I tried at night, feeding, sneaking up on them. I know that they dash backwards when they get scared so I always come behind. I got one of the two in the net once but it got out before I could get it out of the tank.

I need to remove them before I use the interceptor to treat redbugs. I am to the point that I am just going to treat and hope they dont die. If they do, well...:hell_boy:

Unless someone has an idea? All of the crabs are caught, I just need to catch these 2 shrimp!

 

[roscoe]

Ahh man they are tough to catch with a tank full of rocks and corals. I went through this same situation a few times and was unsuccessfull all the time at trying to get them out. So I said screw it I guess you rather die LOL. It also depends on thier size too. I have found that the larger shrimps and crabs are more likely to survive a interceptor treatment. Good luck!!!

 

[starfish]

Try this easy trap. Take a soda or water bottle 16 oz.You can use any size bottle(mouth of bottle to suit what you are trying to catch) Cut top off below neck to make a funnel. Invert top into bottom of bottle, but before you do this put bait in bottom of bottle invert top and place in bottom of tank and wait. If you catch something you don't want to remove, easy to remove. This makes a great trap for crabs, small fish ect. Keep the inverted top straight the object is they swim or crawl in and can not figure out where the opening is. Remove all labels from bottle. They usually try and get out the sides everywhere but the opening.

 

[gilmour01]

i'm going thru the same thing except i'm trying to catch a little hitchhiker crab i've had for a couple yrs. i spent 2 hrs last night trying to catch him, but no luck. i might try the bottle trick tonight.

 

[roscoe]

Try this easy trap. Take a soda or water bottle 16 oz.You can use any size bottle(mouth of bottle to suit what you are trying to catch) Cut top off below neck to make a funnel. Invert top into bottom of bottle, but before you do this put bait in bottom of bottle invert top and place in bottom of tank and wait. If you catch something you don't want to remove, easy to remove. This makes a great trap for crabs, small fish ect. Keep the inverted top straight the object is they swim or crawl in and can not figure out where the opening is. Remove all labels from bottle. They usually try and get out the sides everywhere but the opening.

That is a great idea. I knew about this trick too but didn't try it either time for some reason.

 

[rendos]

Not that I am recommending this, but I left my cleaner and blood shrimp in the tank while treating for red bugs for the same reason...I couldn't catch them. They lived through it without issue. My peppermints did not do as well.

 

[MikeB]

We can hold our cleaner shrimp, he comes up and eats out of our hand. Lets us hold him and everything.

 

[Yellowtang]

I use a long piece of rigid air line and a chunk of flex air line . Stick the rigid air line down in where the animal is and blow into the hose the comotion causes the animal to come out of that area with a little practice on where to place the rigid line you can scare them out into the open, ben able to catch dang near everything that way.

JR,

 

[downhill_biker]

Nice, thanks everyone. The bottle trap has been in the tank for a couple hours. The fish all go in there, but the shrimp are hesitant. I think that they aren't hungry. I fed only an hour previous. So I will try again tonight, and try the bubble trick too if I need to, and if nothing else I will try treating. I have heard of many living through it, and my cleaner shrimp are definitely on the large side. Thanks for the help everyone.

 

[Stray32]

We can hold our cleaner shrimp, he comes up and eats out of our hand. Lets us hold him and everything.

+1 Stick your hand in there and when he hops in your hand to start cleaning, snatch him up. I used to pick mine up all the time.

 

[JR's Reef]

When I had red bugs I run it with them in there. I lost one but the other made it

 

[myzislow]

I would just leave him in there. I've done many interceptor treatments with cleaners and fire shrimp and they made it through every time. Just dont do an extreme over dose and they should pull through, especially in a large system.

 

[Acropora Crazy]

Not that I am recommending this, but I left my cleaner and blood shrimp in the tank while treating for red bugs for the same reason...I couldn't catch them. They lived through it without issue. My peppermints did not do as well.

I thought my fire shrimp was dead but he has lived through several interceptor treatments and a lurking mystery wrasse.