Well, I think a spear gun is a little out of the question... As for the slurp guns, that's not a bad idea, however, they're kind of expensive and I think they wouldn't fit into the tank at the angles I'd need to use them at... They look kind of big and unweildy.
But oh happy day! :dance
I don't need either of those anymore!
Today, the first time for a long while, guess what I saw when I fed my fish? The beast looked even bigger than before, and it seemed to have lost a bit of its fear of me. But more importantly, by showing itself, it revealed to me where its new lair was! I watched it crawl back inside of its cave, then snatched up the rock it was in. I didn't see it move, but evidently it had passed through that rock (by a series of burrows) to another rock next to the one I had yanked. It then looked outside of the second rock, seemed a bit confused, before I yanked that rock out also. No more waiting around or fiddling with traps. It was only a matter of minutes before Mr. Mantis was at the bottom of a plastic bucket.
Putting the rockwork back together took a considerable amount of time longer. But that's okay. Hopefully there will be peace in my tank now.
I currently have Mr. Mantis in a thick glass goldfish bowl with a rock (sitting safely in a sink in case he decides he doesn't like his new home) until I decide what to do with him.
Thanks all for the suggestions/support! I'll let you all know what becomes of Mr. Mantis once a verdict is reached.
