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my fave method is the bottle trap, a simple enough device often hailed as the best method… if you can get it to work. Just get a simple water bottle (water bottle only please, not pop or anything that has ever had soap in it) and cut off the top third (the tapering bit with the mouthpiece). If the mouthpiece is too small cut it so that the mantis can get through it (don’t overdo it though). Invert it and stick it in the bottom two thirds. If it won’t stay, you can glue or tape it. Next, tie a string around the whole thing; this will be used to remove the trap and to attach a rock to make the trap sink. Bait the trap with any fleshy marine food like krill or silverside; I wouldn’t use bivalve meat like clam or scallop since those decompose faster. Now place the trap in the tank for the duration of the day (mantids are diurnal).
There are some tricks to this method. Mantids will make a burrow in the rock so if you can find the burrow, place the trap so the opening is close and facing the borrow entrance. The second trick is patience: this might take a while, so remove and replace uneaten bait with fresh bait every day. Third trick is go away. I am serious, get in the car and take a trip to the lfs, walk the dog, just don’t let anyone near the tank for at least eight hours. And lastly, don’t feed the tank for a while. The point is the make the mantis hungry enough to go get the food in the trap.
When you say you're losing hermits and snails, do you actually find their broken shells?
the majority of mantids are diurnal. not nocturnal. the trap will work best during the day.
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