Safe Fish Removal-Recommendations Please

[AndyH5512]

Hello everyone. I need to remove a few fish from my 120. I want to do it safely for the fish, obviously. I know there have been plenty of threads on this in the past, however I'm not locating them. What does everyone else do to remove fish? Thanks. Andy.

 

[Umpa Lumpa]

Get em while they are sleeping!

 

[melosu58]

I use a fish trap that you put some brine shrimp in wait for him to go in and let down the door

 

[mykpoz]

the inverted 2-liter bottle works too just need to make the hole large enough for it to get in

 

[AndyH5512]

LOL, I was thinking about the sleeping trick. Right after I posted this, I saw the 2 liter bottle method posted below. I am wondering if I may have to make the opening bigger, as one fish is a damsel that appears to have taken steroids. This thing has got huge in just 5 months.

Are you speaking of the bottle trick where you cut the top third off and then invert it into the remainder of the bottle, secure it ith zip ties? How are you setting it into your tank, to keep it in place? Thanks.

 

[Brenden]

I have caught several with a long slender glass and some food in the bottom of it. It helps to have a baster full of food and squirt some into the glass so they see it and follow it in. Use a glass big enough for the fish but not big enough that it can turn around that way it can not get out when you pull the glass up.

 

[AndyH5512]

OK, that sounds good too. I am about to eat dinner, and I am requiring my family to help me finish a bottle of Coca Cola to use as a trap, LOL. I will try both methods mentioned, and any other methods recommended. If that does not work, I will try buying one. So, keep sending the ideas! Thanks.

 

[Brenden]

I never had luck with the bottle trick. Make sure you put something in it so it will sink.

 

[AndyH5512]

Brenden, how are you holding the glass when you use your trick? And how big of a glass are you using?

 

[Brenden]

how are you holding the glass when you use your trick

A piece of fishing line

how big of a glass are you using

I try to match it to the fish. Needs to be a clear glass about
1/2" bigger diameter than fish. The deeper the better so the fish has farther to back up to escape. A piece of clear pvc is perfect but not usually laying around.
prop the glass up on a piece of rock etc so the fish has to swim down to the food.
Like I said earlier have a baster with some food in it. squirt a little in the water to get the fish. "excited" I then squirt some food down into the positioned cup. They will usually go right in after it. It may take a few tries. Be ready on the string to pull the glass up fast before the fish can back out. Let them get all the way in the glass before you pull it up or they are more likely to escape. I have used this successfully many times. With the size of my tank a net is just not a option. I use a simple knot around a piece of scotch tape to attach the string to the glass on the bottom.

 

[ace1uno_00]

I've been trying to catch a trigger out of a friends tank for about 3 months now. I'm going to try the glass trick.

 

[Brenden]

Actually one of the fish I have caught with this is a niger trigger.

 

[AndyH5512]

I didnt have any luck just now with the bottle trick, but I have already fed the fish today. I will try again when they are hungry. Brenden, you didnt have any trouble with the glass slipping out of the fishing line?

 

[Brenden]

you didnt have any trouble with the glass slipping out of the fishing line

Never have. If you do the line like the picture it can not slip off. The more you pull the tighter it gets.

 

[mykpoz]

the trick for catching any fish is making them hungry

try not feeding them for a few days 2-3 then insert the food into the bottle (worked for me) or in a glass...

 

[AndyH5512]

LOL, I ended up removing some of my larger rock and manually catching the fish. It's a damsel on steroids, and recently got real nasty with the other tankmates. It is now in a smaller tank of it's own....