Difficulty Catching Fish

[cidley69]

I am probably not the only one with this experience....

When I try to catch fish for moving into another tank, they are the quickest things in the world, hide everywhere, and basically make me totally frustrated and fishless!!!!!!!!

Does anyone have any tricks how to catch the lil ninjas?

Now i am slightly serious here....what about a very mild electrical shock?

You know how biologists use electro-fishing to catch fish in rivers and lakes, they shock them, tag and measure them, then release them and they are no worse for wear.

Anyone know about this or how i can make a aquarium sized electro-shocker?

Any help or ideas appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:beer:

[African_Fever]

Move them at night when they're sleeping. Get setup ahead of time, and then turn on the lights quickly and catch them as they sleep.

[FishBrain]

I use 2 nets.

1 stays still in the corner or on the side

the second I use to try to "steer" the fish towards the first net, then I think it is all luck to from there.

if you can get it into a corner with one net then use the other to catch it against the glass.

Easier typed then said but it works for me

GL

[Vapor]

I really don't think you want to go postal on your fish. I move mine when I do water changes. Less water equals less area to hide equals less frustrated owner. Good luck.

[Nandopsis]

I take out some water like Vapor said in a water change and take out ALL the decorations. So there is no where to hide.

I can't do it any other way cause both my larger tanks are 30" tall, and over 5' tall on the stands.

[Mighty Prawn]

Another super super easy way, especially with small fast fish, is to remove all the objects in your tank, and use a net that is as wide and tall as your water line. Put it at one end, and bring er to the other side. Bam, every fish in one go. You may have to make the net yourself.

-Hideo

[Kevin]

Another super super easy way, especially with small fast fish, is to remove all the objects in your tank, and use a net that is as wide and tall as your water line. Put it at one end, and bring er to the other side. Bam, every fish in one go. You may have to make the net yourself.

-Hideo

So in your 180 do you use a fishing trawler too? or just a hand held gil net? -roll-

[DAlberta]

We use two nets (one of which is really big).

If that don't work throw in a plugged in toaster into the aquarium

Dave :beer:

[Molino]

If that don't work throw in a plugged in toaster into the aquarium

-roll- -roll-

[cidley69]

i guess removing the things they hide behind is the (not so) easiest way to catch them.

a bigger net might also be part of the answer for me. i didn't know they 'slept' per say, i will have to try finding them asleep sometime and get there schedule down.

thanks alot for the input fellow fish lovers!

(not that i want to risk harming my fish, but does anyone know about the shocking idea?)

[DAlberta]

I don't have any direct experience with shocking fish but I do hear dynamite is quite effective

Dave :beer:

[johnsmith]

I can't help out with the electric shock method, but one thing to keep in mind is that slower is usually better. Once you start chasing them around with your net they get way too jumpy. Just move the net as slowly as possible, they seem to react less to that.

[Vallisneria]

I kind of do a combo of all those things and i've never had a problem catching fish. I drain out some of the water, remove most of the decorations and then i use a divider. I make them swim onto the clear side of the divider and then they are trapped in a smaller area and are a lot easier to catch. The divider works great in bigger tanks so you dont' have to chase a fish all around a the tank.

[skinless]

water change with two large nets, decorations out makes it easy. a bag for larger fish is good too.

catching them at rest seems like a good idea too.

[street cypher]

For active fish i remove all decor and drain water so its very low so they can't swim up, only side to side.

For nocturnal bottom fish (ie. bichirs) i'll "herd" them into a large PVC pipe, once they're in cover both sides with my hands, lift out and into whatever.

This method is almost too easy to believe