ideas for yoyo loach removal

[evercl92]

I want to get 2 yoyo loaches (4-5 inches) and a striated botia (2-3 inches) out of my tank. The problem is that my tank looks like:

So, a simple netting isn't gonna work. I'm wanting to add some snails to help clean up some spot algae, dead leaves, debris, etc. The yoyo's don't seem to bother the nerite snails, but don't have any issues eating the ramshorns.

Any ideas on how to remove these guys without tearing up the tank?

 

[Zezmo]

Catfish pellets in a net. Feed them in the net for 2-3 days...leaving the net in the tank the whole time. By the third day they should "swarm" to the net to eat. Yank em out then. If there are extra fish in the net, pull them out too. You can always put em back.

 

[GlitcH]

I catch fish with a homemade trap.

Take a 16oz water bottle and cut the top off. Enough to form a funnel shape.
Take the top and stick it in the bottom half of the bottle upsidedown.
It should stay without any glue or such.
Then you bait and wait. It shouldn't be long before the yoyo's spot the snails.

 

[Guest]

Here is an inverted bottle trap. It works well, adjust and bait to catch your loach. Easy to make and you can keep it for future use.

 

[Jman17H]

What is up with you getting rid of your coolest fish (except the BGK) You have an excessively low bioload as is and unless you are replacing with an even better loach, what is the point? Everyone needs at least 1 species of loach if not 20. With your tank you should be shooting for at least 4-5 different species of the most interesting fish (of course the loach).

If you are est on getting rid of and need a destination, I would be more than happy to take the striatia! They are just simply great!

 

[joannde]

by the way - BEAUTIFUL tank

 

[Jman17H]

While you are catching stuff, your biggest catch should be that worthless flying fox! and once you have mastered that you can come up and catch my retarded worthless chinese algae eater!

and also, everyone needs to realize that when evercl92 says he has a green spot algae problem that he means he has 5 specs on his 20 square feet of glass! He needs to realize that it is water and a trace of algae means that it is actually inhabitable!

 

[mr funktastic]

lol jman i am going to take it that u know him personally other wise u are being really rude lol. i think he wants to get rid of the loach because he wants to add some snails to do some clean up but the loaches will eat them.

I'm wanting to add some snails to help clean up some spot algae, dead leaves, debris, etc.

 

[kansei]

Thats what I got from it too.

 

[Jman17H]

yep, you are correct and trust me, he has one of the cleanest tanks you would want! His tank makes mine look like a cess pool but then again I can admit that just maybe my 4 or more types of algae may bring about that perception on some people.

I am also a loach collector so when he states that he wants rid of them, I have to attempt to change his mind or take them off his hands.

 

[evercl92]

I'll have to try the inverted bottle trick. My problem is that I'll prob end up trapping corydoras. Jess, if you want the loaches, you can have them. I'll trade them for some snails... can't think of much else that you have and I don't....

I really like the yoyo's, it's just that I want a bit more cleanup crew. I put big ramshorns in there, and they had their way with them.

 

[evercl92]

So I tried with a 2L bottle, top cut off and inverted. Used shrimp pellets as bait. Next morning I had 5 corydoras, 1 florida flag fish, and 1 dead SAE. I assume they were running low on O2 in the small area.

New plan. Take a 2nd 2L bottle, cut bottom off first one, and join them.

Crappy pic, but:

Used a couple rocks to weigh it down, and a couple dead snails (still had some snail left in the shells) as bait. Within 2 hrs, I caught a SAE (returned to tank, obviously) and a flying fox (which I've been trying to catch for 2 months now). Overnight, I caught a corydora (returned to tank) and the striated botia. I wonder if the yoyo's are too smart for the trap....

 

[7Enigma]

You could poke/drill very small holes throughout the bottle so that water/O2/CO2 can transfer between the bottle and the rest of the tank. Sorry to hear about your SAE.

 

[GlitcH]

You shouldn't need to weigh it down unless the current in your tank is very strong.
If you can get away without the rocks you'd be better off.
The bait would be more visible.

7's idea is mint.......fill that thing will tiny holes.

 

[evercl92]

So, fed up with them, I took both pieces of driftwood out and 1/2 of the large pieces of granite. It took four of us 45 mins to catch them both. Sneaky little sh*ts, but finally removed.

 

[SparKy697]

I was going to suggest a couple of oto's.... Too late.

 

[Michael]

I would have left them, got more Nerites, some Ottos and a Bristlenose.

 

[evercl92]

I have 10 nerites, 8 otos, a rubberlip pleco, 4 SAE's. I think I have too many surfaces for all of them to keep up with..

 

[Michael]

You certainly have that covered, sorry. They really should be able to keep up. I have 4 SAE's, 5 Bristlenose, 20 Ottos and 30 Amano Shrimp in my 300 gallon and they cover it very well. Ever think of adding Amanos, they are great and interesting. I used to have a bunch of Nerites but after 5 years they all died off. I have to mail order them and it's something I would rather not do. If I could get them locally I would buy a bunch.

 

[evercl92]

I got 5 amanos about 3wks ago, but who knows if they are still there. Haven't seen them since. The problem with that could be the amount of plants, the BGK, or possibly the bosemani rainbows.