Catching a Pleco?

[Satsumas]

I am going to transfer my BN pleco into my 25 gallon today and i obviously need to catch her. I have lowered the water level and put a slice of cucumber in the net which is resting on the bottom. My plan is to get her eating the cucmber then lift the net to the surface basically.

I have a lot of decor in the tank and her hiding place is the most difficult place to get to in the tank.

Can anyone think of any easier ways?

TIA

 

[tropicfishman]

get like a small plastic bucket with a lid, such as an ice cream bucket and cut a hole near the top, keep the lid on, put something the pleco will eat in there and let it fill with water and wait, once its in there just lift the bucket out of the water and cover up the hole

 

[Satsumas]

Good idea!

I dont think i could put the container in the tank without damaging any plants though.
I have virtually no space on the bottom for anything like that.
The tub would have to be very small, i'll have a look around

 

[BillD]

You can also use a 2 liter soda bottle. Cut the conical section off the top, and invert it into the bottom section. You may have to enlarge the opening to allow it to enter. The lower portion can be shortened to allow it to fit into the tank. A slice of zucchini for bait or algae wafer, and you should be good to go. Works for a lot of types of fish, and is clear so you can see into it.

 

[Satsumas]

That was easy.

After waiting around for her to come out i decided to just try and net her.
I managed to surround her with the net but also press it against the glass so she couldn't get out she surprised me with how still she was!
I then just gradually lifted the net up, i had the cucumber still in the net which i think made her stay in there longer than she normally would.

I acclimatised her for half an hour and released her about 10 minutes ago.
I just hope she does a good job at eating all that algae!

 

[GouramiFanatic]

When I had to catch my Sailfin Pleco (he was about 7" at the time) from a 46 gallon to move him to a 75 gallon I was prepared for a battle. I had people there to help me in case he put up a big fight. Much to surprise once I got him out from under the cave all I had to do was move the water behind him to get him to move right into the plastic container I had to catch him. The whole thing took about 5 minutes with most of being just to get him out of the cave. I was so releived that it went so well, but very shocked. Even to this day I can't believe how smooth it was! He's now enjoying his much bigger home although I saw more of him while he was in the smaller tank.

 

[Satsumas]

Yeah i must admit i was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was I think we both must've exaggerated the task.

When i turned the light on today i saw what she'd been doing the night before by how clean the glass looks but also the amount of poo directly underneath the 'cleaned glass'

 

[hc8719]

my common 7"-8" can put up a real fight, they're heavy for their size and strong

 

[MyCatsDrool]

Just for future reference,


Plecos and other catfish types can often get caught in the mesh of nets. It is better to use a bowl or other method to catch them if you can.

 

[7Enigma]

Just for future reference,


Plecos and other catfish types can often get caught in the mesh of nets. It is better to use a bowl or other method to catch them if you can.

Especially for BN pleco's that have spines near the eyes. These they can shoot out and retract like a puffer fish and can get caught in the net. As MCD said, it is better to find a way to transport them that does not use a deformable net.

Glad to hear he was able to move so easily though.

 

[Jarred Darque]

I learned not to use a net to catch a b-nose. I did, and he got caught up in it. he is safe, and luckily, ain 75 gallon now, so should never have ot be moved again..at least until I move in a few years :/

 

[Satsumas]

I was a bit wary of pleco's using there spike's as self defence but i was confident that mine wouldn't do so.

I have a female BN so she only has a few spines/spikes and there very small anyway.
She seems to be doing fine in my other tank, i had quite a build up of algae, it was all over the glass and substrate. Now however she has cleaned 70% of the substrate and has gone over all 4 sides of the glass, you can see some algae still but its not half as bad as it was.

 

[guppy12]

STORY TIME-

Okay....when i was first starting out w/ fish i got a upside cat. Since we were taking the fish book advice and so we used the net to get it out. While we scooped him up... he got this dorsal fin caught in the net. So we ended just cutting the net so we could let him go on with his fishy life... we is not alive today though... but it wasn't from the net.... a darn medication got 'em... it apparently took ALOT of the oxygen out of the water.
_______________________________
Next story-
When my brother was getting rid of his 6'' bala sharks (2 of them)... we were using a cooler to transport them. as we were attempting to catch them... one jumped from one side to the other. He went back into the water but... it scared the crap out of us

 

[Wizzard~Of~Ozz]

I just picked mine up with my hands to move him from the 20 to the 75.. No real fight, but a gratuitous splash in the face for my trouble.

He was 11" at the time.

When I had to catch my Sailfin Pleco (he was about 7" at the time) from a 46 gallon to move him to a 75 gallon I was prepared for a battle. I had people there to help me in case he put up a big fight. Much to surprise once I got him out from under the cave all I had to do was move the water behind him to get him to move right into the plastic container I had to catch him. The whole thing took about 5 minutes with most of being just to get him out of the cave. I was so releived that it went so well, but very shocked. Even to this day I can't believe how smooth it was! He's now enjoying his much bigger home although I saw more of him while he was in the smaller tank.