Catching a gorilla crab

[zdrc]

There is at least one more gorilla crab left in my tank (12 gallon). It came in on some KP aquatics live rock. I've caught a few gorilla crabs already, usually by removing all the rock work. I thought I got them all, but I've seen what I think are two molts recently. The crab is tiny, probably less than half an inch across. The thing is, I haven't seen the actual crab at all. I have no idea where it is, and I don't really want to take out all the rock (that might not even work anyway as I've already tried that).

I've tried a basic trap consisting of a a small tupperware container with a piece of shrimp in it placed in the rock work. I've had no luck with that (tried probably 3 nights now). Is there a more advanced trap I could make?

The other inhabitants are 2 trochus snails, 2 cerith snails, a scarlet hermit, and a nassarius snail. I have two corals: a single Ricordea mushroom and a 2 headed frag of Caulastraea. Any trap I make will probably attract the nassarius snail and the hermit too.

 

[CoralB]

Set a trap using GORILLA GLUE!!! And a banana as bait lol!!! Kidding , trapping is the only way I know unless you see him then you go after him and smash and or cut him . Not sure if their are any predators you could put in that wouldn’t harm your other inhabitants like maybe a arrow crab or something like that .

 

[JoJosReef]

I did days of cut krill in an empty glass salt shaker leaning against the rocks (I have a nassarius and it didn't all disappear). But didn't work for my small gorilla. Then, I used 3 of the Red Sea test kit bottles (about half the size of the salt shaker), and put krill in each of these, leaning them against different parts of the rockwork at different angles, and caught it in one of them.

Might just have to try different size traps/locations/angles.

 

[CoralB]

Sounds like a plan !!! . You don’t want those in your tank .

 

[zdrc]

I did days of cut krill in an empty glass salt shaker leaning against the rocks (I have a nassarius and it didn't all disappear). But didn't work for my small gorilla. Then, I used 3 of the Red Sea test kit bottles (about half the size of the salt shaker), and put krill in each of these, leaning them against different parts of the rockwork at different angles, and caught it in one of them.

Might just have to try different size traps/locations/angles.

Sounds good, I'll try three traps later tonight.