How can i catch this fish??

[armyman16]

I have a 20 gallon standard reef tank and before I did my research before I purchased things I bought a blue velvet for the tank not knowing they needed 30 gallons! So I finally finished cycling my 75 a few weeks ago and now I'm ready to move him there
How can I catch this fast little guy??
I used to feed and wait for him to come then swoop the net in and he'd already be gone, for the past few weeks I have left the net in the tank to see if he will get used to it and I could catch him while he's eating but every time i move it he's gone in the rocks again
I am willing to take all the rocks out now as I'm so desperate but how long can the corals be in a bucket of the tank water?

 

[crister13]

A blue velvet what? And you can use a bottle trap of he'll go in it.

 

[armyman16]

A blue velvet what? And you can use a bottle trap of he'll go in it.

Blue velvet damsel, could I make a bottle trap?

 

[crister13]

That's what I thought lol. Just google it.

 

[emerald76]

Someone on here made a trap in the diy section

 

[armyman16]

I think I'd rather take everything out, I need to clean the glass behind the rocks that I can't normally reach anyways, do y'all know how long coral can stay in a bucket?

 

[AquaRick]

Had mine in a bucket with no heater or powerhead for about 3 hours. Everything seemed fine. Doubt it'd take you that long to clean and catch everything. I just used a large Rubbermaid tote I had lying around.

 

[melosu58]

A good link with some ideas

Get Out of My Tank! Fish Removal Tips & Tricks by Steven Pro - Reefkeeping.com

 

[armyman16]

I think I'm just going to take everything out, the 20 gallon has 4 fish, I was a very inexperienced aquarist when I started so the nitrates are very high once a week when I do water changes and tests so I'm trying to get him out of there as soon as possible, after trying for many weeks I'm ready for him to be out of there for good!
He is a good fish though, not a bully like alot of the damsels

 

[Marco V]

I just used the bottle trick last week and worked out well .

 

[armyman16]

I took out the rocks of one side of the tank and he ran to the other side but I held my net over there and tryed wedging in between the rocks so he ran out to the other side and I snatched him! He is now in my 75 gallon!

 

[Toddww1]

i had the same prob. no patients to set traps or wait for hours. got 3, 5 gallon buckets, and emptied my live rock and coral to catch my fish. they were in the buckets filled w my tank water for close to 5 hours while the sand resettled and i could put the rock back. nothing died. everybody was happy. i was actually moving my tank across the room to a new stand, but worked the same.