Ways to coax a CAE into a net?

[fishyfun&fans]

I’ve tried to catch him and he is like lightning bolting across the tank whenever I get close

Then when I do almost catch him he slips the net really easily

 

[Deleted member 149562]

Use two nets....one behind that he cannot see, and one infront that will help scoop him into the net behind

 

[fishyfun&fans]

Use two nets....one behind that he cannot see, and one infront that will help scoop him into the net behind

I’ll give this a try once I purchase another net today

 

[Deleted member 149562]

Get a blue net and put lights down...they are sneaky blighters...and might be best doing it first thing in the morning when they are not quite with it yet

 

[Ch4rlie]

I normally have 2 nets.

One white meshed and one black meshed, both sort of medium sized.

I find the fish can see the white meshed one far more easily and shies away from that one then I use the black net to sneakily close the door behind on them and hey presto, fish in net (usually! )

This works pretty well for me.

Also find that using larger nets is a pain for me as I keep getting that net snagged in wood / decor or plants and suchlike making it easy for fish to escape, so try ensure have a net that’s not too small that makes it easy to miss your fish target but not too big so it gets caught in everything in the tank!

Oh, and lowering the tank water helps as well so this give less escape room for the fish to get to.

 

[fishyfun&fans]

Going net shopping i guess

Followed by CAE catching

Followed by another trip to return him...like I haven’t got enough going on already haha

 

[Slaphppy7]

I normally have 2 nets.

One white meshed and one black meshed, both sort of medium sized.

I find the fish can see the white meshed one far more easily and shies away from that one then I use the black net to sneakily close the door behind on them and hey presto, fish in net (usually! )

This works pretty well for me.

Also find that using larger nets is a pain for me as I keep getting that net snagged in wood / decor or plants and suchlike making it easy for fish to escape, so try ensure have a net that’s not too small that makes it easy to miss your fish target but not too big so it gets caught in everything in the tank!

Oh, and lowering the tank water helps as well so this give less escape room for the fish to get to.

"Oh, and lowering the tank water helps as well so this give less escape room for the fish to get to."

^^ This ^^..........it's easiest to catch fish during a large WC

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

I believe a water-bottle snail trap would work.

 

[fishyfun&fans]

Went with the twin net method caught him in the end he is now back at the pet shop and the staff have been well informed about the dangers of these fish

They tried to protest that they’ve never had problems with them before

I was having none of it so ive told them Im never buying anything from them again not even a 99p dog treat. Also showed them 3 pages of info on the CAE and explained that there staff need further training.

Meanwhile since getting home the fish seem a lot happier for having him gone

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

Went with the twin net method caught him in the end he is now back at the pet shop and the staff have been well informed about the dangers of these fish

They tried to protest that they’ve never had problems with them before

I was having none of it so ive told them Im never buying anything from them again not even a 99p dog treat. Also showed them 3 pages of info on the CAE and explained that there staff need further training.

Meanwhile since getting home the fish seem a lot happier for having him gone

...And I bet at least a small smile didst crack your visage.

 

[fishyfun&fans]

oh my face was firmly fixed in the nasty position but I was very polite...could of said a lot more

 

[Slaphppy7]

Went with the twin net method caught him in the end he is now back at the pet shop and the staff have been well informed about the dangers of these fish

They tried to protest that they’ve never had problems with them before

I was having none of it so ive told them Im never buying anything from them again not even a 99p dog treat. Also showed them 3 pages of info on the CAE and explained that there staff need further training.

Meanwhile since getting home the fish seem a lot happier for having him gone

"Meanwhile since getting home the fish seem a lot happier for having him gone"

They're partial to their slime coats....I don't blame them

 

[FishHobby99]

I’ve tried to catch him and he is like lightning bolting across the tank whenever I get close

Then when I do almost catch him he slips the net really easily

I often use a liter measuring cup rather than a net for moving fish.

 

[Ch4rlie]

I've never actually really understood fully why these fish are sold in the hobby, have to assume some folks actually like these CAE's

Personaly I don't like them much, never have tbh, apologies for those who like these guys.

Think these are one of the more agressive fish species even though they do eat certain algaes but seems they prefer the slime coat of other fish and becoming more territorial and aggressive as they grow older.

Had to look up SF website to see how big they grow and was surprised they grow to 200-280mm, not exactly a small fish tbh

And according to SF a 80 gal tank length of 150 cm or 5 feet long tank is the minimum considered!!

Quoted from SF -

"Though normally sold as such this species is largely unsuitable for the general community aquarium. This does not mean to say it must be kept alone, rather that tankmates must be chosen with care."

Gyrinocheilus aymonieri – Sucking ‘Loach’ (Gyrinocheilus kaznakovi, Gyrinocheilus monchadskii) — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

Largely unsuitable for the general community tank is very telling on its own imho.

Anyhow, glad you caught this guy and returned him to LFS and hopefully they will actually read the 3 pages of care for CAE rather than just throwing it away without a second glance.

Good for you to say your piece politely and without going overboard.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

I've never actually really understood fully why these fish are sold in the hobby, have to assume some folks actually like these CAE's

I believe that it's the 'algae eater' appellation that gets them stocked and subsequently sold.
People get algae and want a 'tool' to remove it for them.
The CAE is, apparently, just that tool.

Of course, by the time they realise just what they now have in their tank, it's often too late and the shop's happy, simply because they've made yet another sale to yet another mug.
Sadly, at the base of all of this, there's another living creature.