CATCHING SPIKY/PRICKLY CRITTERS
Prodded by Jeff's inquiry above... I add this entry for spiney creatures like bristle/fireworms and some shrimp & stomatopods (mantis).
For these various opportunistic omnivores with spiney aspects to their bodies, we can use it to our advantage to snare them.
With or without the various traps you will hear about in this thread and beyond, you can often snag one of these creatures by using a bit of (boiled to sterilize) ladies nylon stocking or the like.
Tie a small satchel of fragrant food like shrimp in the baggie of nylon (coin sized portion at most). Then tie a bit of string to the bag leading out of the aquarium (the string... not the bag of food - that stays in the aquarium
). Remember to clean oil off of fishing string if used (fishing line may be lubricated for reels in advance)
With this nylon satchel of stinky food inside a trap or not, the omnivorous scavengers are attracted to it overnight and often get snared in the nylon with their spiney aspects.
For the shrimp that will drag or pull the bait into a cave or crevice by daylight... you have the string to lead you there/where.