Fish & Shrimp Friendly Bug Trap

[Fishalicious]

This works great for MTS or Planaria and any other bugs that love to hang out in the gravel... not that MTS are bugs but they can overrun a tank pretty quick if you feed too much. It is completely fish and shrimp safe (especially bugs in a shrimp tank are hard to remove without catching some baby shrimp) and I have heard horror stories of other traps trapping fish and them dying.

All you need is a cleaned bottle (I just use a water bottle) - Slice off the top and the bottom and chuck the middle in the bin unless you are into plastic bracelets. Remove the lid from the top half... this is where the critters are going to crawl in..
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v707/Cutsie1/IMG_3208.jpg

Now something to lure the little bugs...bloodworms are perfect as nothing I know in the fishy world can resist them but any fish food will do - pop it into the bottom half of the bottle
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v707/Cutsie1/IMG_3209.jpg

Slot the bottle top onto the bottom - make sure there are no gaps between the two
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v707/Cutsie1/IMG_3211.jpg

Now just put it in the aqua - shove it slightly into the gravel/sand - the bugs are going to crawl up under the gravel into the bottle neck and onto the yummy bloodworms
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v707/Cutsie1/IMG_3214.jpg

[Fishalicious]

Sit back and relax and laugh at your fish/shrimp trying to get at the bloodworms in a frenzy through the plastic :hmm3grin2orange:

Then after about 10 minutes watch in horror as little bugs appear that you had no idea were in your tank

I was sure I had none and did this just to show but cried out in horror after just 4 minutes as I found planaria
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v707/Cutsie1/IMG_3228.jpg

I am dreading now to look in about 20-30 minutes LOL Don't leave it too long around an hour should be enough to lock most of them in.... then just turn it around in the water and lift it out...

Dispose of as you see fit :11:

[fins_n_fur]

Great idea! Although, I'm hesitant to try it to see what has been living in my substrate with out me knowing it LOL. Should sticky this for folks posting with critter problems.

[Fishalicious]

Hahahaha I can understand the hesitant part... I am freaking out... I was 100% sure there were no bugs in the shrimp tank <sniffs> Although for showing purposes I am glad a few showed up :c2:

MTS crawling in via the bottle neck inside
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v707/Cutsie1/IMG_3233.jpg

BUGS!!!!! Actually Planaria - <searches for a bucket>
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v707/Cutsie1/IMG_3242.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v707/Cutsie1/IMG_3236.jpg

[Northernguy]

Great pics of a great idea:19: .This should be a sticky. A lot of us will be using this idea.How well will it work for pond snails?

[Sounguru]

People panic over planaria but they are in almost every tank in at least small #'s they are not really the threat everyone makes them out to be.

Sweet trap idea just a reverse of my shrimp trap wonder it it will catch the leeches in my tank....:hmm3grin2orange:

[Fishalicious]

Yeah there are usually few in every tank I have just never ever seen them myself until using this trap = the freak out is more about how gross they are LOL As there are no fish in this tank I reckon they are surviving ...:11:

[KingFisher]

Great looking trap. I can't wait to make one when I get home.:19:

[Tolley]

This is very neat. I will have to try.. or would i rather not know what could be in my tank!

[Gemini]

Fishalicious you are a tank saver!!! I was just stressing out on how I could get the worms, and tick things and everything else out of my shrimp tank!!
But I'm a visual person and I don't quite get it (it's me not you!). So I take like a Mt franklin water bottle and cut the top and bottom off, but then how do I get them together? How do I put it in the tank? How big should it be? Where do I put the blood worms? How come the shrimp won't get in? Sorry I am really bad at visualising things!

[PUNISHER VETTE]

what else works besides blood worms? ...as i don't have any of those.

any food around the house or fish food? shrimp pellets? veggy or algae pellets?

[richberstler]

I learned the same trap in boy scouts many years ago as a kid. Used it on it's side in creeks to catch all sorts of goodies.

[Fishalicious]

Fishalicious you are a tank saver!!! I was just stressing out on how I could get the worms, and tick things and everything else out of my shrimp tank!!
But I'm a visual person and I don't quite get it (it's me not you!). So I take like a Mt franklin water bottle and cut the top and bottom off, but then how do I get them together? How do I put it in the tank? How big should it be? Where do I put the blood worms? How come the shrimp won't get in? Sorry I am really bad at visualising things!

Any yummy fish food can be used...just always find bloodworms lock them a lot faster...shrimp pellets should work well..

@Gemini
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v707/Cutsie1/IMG_3208copy.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v707/Cutsie1/IMG_3211.jpg

You put the food in 1 and shove it over 2 so now the only opening is the whole underneath as this is pushed into the substrate slightly the only way for critters to get in is underneath the bottle via the substrate - fish and shrimp cannot possibly get in. The critters will crawl in via the substrate underneath and crawl up into the bottle neck (2) and then into the bottle bottom (1) to eat the food. To remove you just turn it upside down in the water and pull it out... all the critters are trapped inside (1) with the food.

I hope this makes more sense Gemini...otherwise PM me and I will take some more piccies for you :11:

To put it in the tank just slightly put it on it's side until it fills with water and then push it slightly into the substrate - the food inside cannot escape as it is inside....

Anyone else tried it yet? Curious what everyone else found in their tank :19:

[Sounguru]

Haven't tried it yet but I'm off to the local pond to find out what lives there.... :-)

[henryscat]

What a great idea! I just spotted a wee snail in my tank so this is my task for tomorrow ! :19:

[troy]

Old thread!

[Fishalicious]

Old thread!

still works though :hmm3grin2orange:

[Wild Turkey]

sure does! use this a lot!

[fish4me98]

GREATthumbs2:

[smaug]

You really need to look at the dates on these threads before posting to them fish4me!

[mela]

TKS for the interesting post. I know that I have leeches in two 25g tanks. Gonna give it a try and see what else is there.

Later Mel