trapping a crab in 3 easy steps.....NOT!

[lossman]

These things are devious!! We have a large, hairy crab that has been eating away at our new TBS rock. First, we tried the old "trap 'em in the water bottle" routine. All we got was two snails. Next, we tried "grab 'em with the claw" routine. Hmmmm....little sucker is faster than we thought! Then, the brilliant idea. Hold a shrimp on a skewer till he comes out of his hidey hole then snag him with the claw or just plain yank him out of the tank! Brilliant!! NOT! That devious little guy simply yanked the shrimp off the skewer and dragged it down into his lair. Well, I guess if we feed him a shrimp now and then, he'll leave everything else alone. :lol:

Does anyone else have any brilliant ideas?

[puffer21]

try with a net and put food in there

[lossman]

Originally posted by puffer21
try with a net and put food in there

That's certainly an option. I'll give the net a try.

We got a mason jar. The weight should be better than a plastic water bottle.

[sjm817]

This means WAR!
:uzi::blown::hammer:

[lossman]

Originally posted by sjm817
This means WAR!
:uzi: :blown: :hammer:

:lol: :eek1: :rollface: :mad2: :mad:

[lossman]

The brat took my shrimp bait.

:mad2:

[Ruu]

I had a pair of exactly the same crabs on my TBS rock. I did get them with the bottle technique, but you have to get the placement right (with the top of the trap directly underneath some kind of ledge). It also took a couple of days, but they both jumped in there on the same night in the end. I would keep trying with the bottle myself, and be ready to remove the snails / hermit crabs (I had one hermit that jumped in there five times) as necessary. This is a picture of the crab / trap.

http://www.allenhost.com/albums/apartment/P1010016_001.sized.jpg

Dave

[Ruu]

Oh - I also tried the bait on a stick technique. I ended up with an extremely well fed crab who didn't come out to be trapped for two days. And a stick.

Dave

[Ruu]

Oh, and stick some crushed coral at the bottom of the bottle to keep it weighted down, otherwise its all over the place.

Dave

[lossman]

Originally posted by Ruu
Oh, and stick some crushed coral at the bottom of the bottle to keep it weighted down, otherwise its all over the place.

Dave

Think I'll try the mason jar next. The weight should help hold it. Roughly 45 degree angle to the rock he's in.

:rolleyes:

[aujosh84]

For my gorilla crabs(also came on TBS), i used a piece of shrimp on a skewer, then when the crab came out to get it, i skewered him as well, then they all became starfish food.