How do I catch a fish?

purple_drazi · Mar 28, 2005

getting frustrated here. and angry. which I'm still rational enough to recognise is not a good thing.

Need help.

I have 2 SAEs in a 12 gallon planted tank.
I need to move one into another tank.

I have almost given my cory's heart attacks and I'm damaging my plants, messing up the rocks and everything trying to catch one of those damn SAEs. I can catch guppies no problem. Silly things keep following the net around wanting to know what I'm doing.

I have been patient and slowly tried to sneak up on one of the SAEs.
I have tried chasing them around the tank.
I tried taking a tank divider screen and trapping one in a corner of the tank so that the SAE would have less room to get away. I can't get the screen tight enough against the glass and in a small enough space for it to work effectively.

Any ideas? other than clorine?

:angry:

Tolak · Mar 28, 2005

Get a clean glass jar, put in something they like to eat, zuke, algae tabs, whatever. Put it in the tank. Leave the net in the tank near the mouth of the jar. Go make a sandwich, sit & wait. In time they will go in the jar. Put the net over the jar and pull them out jar & all.

Tolak

purple_drazi · Mar 28, 2005

that's brilliant.

never in a billion years would I have thought of it.
going away now to construct clever trap....

smithrc · Mar 28, 2005

2 nets... one to 'persuade' the fish into the other.

purple_drazi · Mar 28, 2005

done. and it took all of 20 minutes.
(thinking of what I went thought before....sheesh!)

jar - food - net - human lying in wait

I was kind of surprised, the neons figured it out & went into the jar first.
what brave little fishies!
It took (comparatively) ages before the guppies & the SAEs were brave enough to go in. but when they figured it out they were all over the pellet and didn't notice the net action
<heh, heh, heh>

thank you, thank you, thank you Tolak

Tolak · Mar 28, 2005

Glad it worked out for you! I swear, catfish are the worst to catch with a net. I always have trouble in a decorated tank with corys & plecs. It just took me nearly half an hour to catch 7 small plecs in a 10 gallon with only a sponge filter & a piece of driftwood. Don't feel like taking my time tonight, got a few small angels that need that tank for meds.

Tolak

CTS · Mar 29, 2005

wow thats a good idea, i too would have never thought of that!!!

jimw13uk · Mar 29, 2005

Similar idea but you dont have to stand and watch to catch them in the jar

Take a plastic pop bottle and cut the top of at the shoulder - then turn the top over and reinsert into the body of the bottle.
put some food in it and stick it in the tank.
Fish will swim in to it but will find getting out much harder due to the small opening they have to find.

Works like a charm everytime without fail.

pnyklr3 · Mar 29, 2005

Where was this thread as I was trying to catch a neon tetra in a 55 gallon tank!?!
Sheesh, I spent what felt like hours trying to snag a few. Note to self...and thanks!

jimbooo · Mar 29, 2005

ha ha

i gave up trying to catch my flying fox yesterday, fast little things.

great ideas guys thanks

jimw13uk · Mar 29, 2005

I discovered this after I spent an hour trying to catch a male Krib - which I did only to find him dead the next day - from stress I reckon.

soon discovered the popbottle method