Catching an uncatchable fish

snorvich said:
Yes, any diver will tell you that the fish are clueless at night. Use a red light for best results.
Click to expand...

Yep!

This photo was taken circa 2004 at Kakaako Waterfront park. There was no zoom and only minimal cropping on this pic, the Naso just didn't care.
182801_1683175112675_6983123_n.jpg
 
I had to remove a Clark clown and damsel with fish hook with bait. I caught both in one afternoon. I put them in a floating acrylic box and some how they got out.

None of the fish would go near the bait and hook. That night, I caught the clown again while he was sleeping inside the anemone by using a clear plastic cup.

The damsel is still very alert and hyper aware. I'm going to try the coke bottle.

Thanks guys
 
I have been trying to catch a wrasse in my 100 gallon tank with no luck. It seams that I need to drain the whole tank and remove most LR to catch. Any suggestions?
 
If I'm only catching one or two fish, I find it easiest to divide my tank in half using egg crate as a divider. Then locate your fish and move some rock out of the way to make the segment the fish is in smaller.. Slowly, you keep making the segment smaller until the fish is cornered with glass and the eggcrate.. Then you take a net and just net him as he has no where to run or hide.

If you do this right, you only have to move a few pieces of rock and maybe set it on the other segments or temporarily set it in a container. After your segment becomes smaller, you can put the rock back in its place..

Obviously depending on your rockwork, this could be harder.
 
I've used a home made fish trap with success against a bully of a mystery wrasse.

I have caught 3 blennies by going after them at night. I usually know where their sleeping spot is. So you take a syringe with just water in it, sick it in the hole or near and shoot all the water at them. They will come flying out and are disoriented due to it being night time. Easy.


Now the eel was another matter entirely. That took a complete tank drain and dismantling of a rock wall.
 
BlueFyre said:
I have caught 3 blennies by going after them at night. I usually know where their sleeping spot is. So you take a syringe with just water in it, sick it in the hole or near and shoot all the water at them. They will come flying out and are disoriented due to it being night time. Easy.
Click to expand...

That gave me a chuckle. :)
 
The worse is when the clowns are hiding around my haddoni... they would even dive deep into the nem's mouth.. Very tough to get them out at that point lol.
 
Yes but what about firefish? They are hiding in rocks at night, not curious enough to go into a trap and eat food so small you can't bait it on a hook. So how do you catch them?
 
Whiterabbitrage said:
Yes but what about firefish? They are hiding in rocks at night, not curious enough to go into a trap and eat food so small you can't bait it on a hook. So how do you catch them?
Click to expand...

Catch dartfish with a XX- large plastic fish bag. Submerge it. Be sure the mouth of the bag is open as wide as possible. Leave it where the shy fish swims. The fish will get used to the bag and swim in. Then you just have to be tere to snatch the bag up.
 
Something you want to do is get your fished used to eat from your hand. All my fish, even my wrasses, since I bought them I used to hand feed them, even dry food. So now everytime I want to take some guy out I just feed them and them I just take them out fast with my net.
Hope it works for some people :)
 
Fish Catching Trick

Fish Catching Trick

What I have done is to put a square plastic container (only one side open) and put it into the aquarium for a day. Then the next day I hold one end of the container(vertically with the open side facing the side) while putting food in the container. When the fish goes in to eat, I quickly turn the container horizontally and bring it up with the fish inside.
 
308systems said:
Have a crafty fish that needs to come out?

Buy a clear 2 litre soda bottle, or I found a water bottle that worked perfect.

Cut the spout off to make a 2.5" diameter hole, then cut the spout end off at the shoulder, then reverse it and push it back into the soda bottle body. Then punch some holes in the seam with a paper hole punch, or use a hot coat hanger to melt holes, and sew it together with fishing line.

Then dump some favorite food inside and set it in the tank, and voila' - 2 hours(or less) later you will have the fish inside and ready for retrieval.

Mark
Click to expand...

This worked like a charm for me to catch a Foxface in a 300gal tank with 340lbs of rockwork. He was curiouse but didn't want to go into the trap. When I saw him inspecting the food at the trap opening, I pulled out my iPhone and used the flashlight to scare him right in. Used the fishing line to "reel in" the whole trap. Had him in 10 min tops.
 
I tried everything else short of ripping my tank apart to catch a blue chromis, He is one fast fish.
Went online and bought a #24 fish hook w/ a tiny piece of shrimp. I caught my chromis im 5 seconds.
He is now happily living in a friends tank.
 
I've got one Lyretail anthias left and I can't trap him for nothing. Been using an Aqua Medic trap for two weeks and nothing so far. Is it time to just quit feeding him? I need to start this my tank fallen for three months. Any ideas would help.
 
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