catching angelfish from reef tank

[gorally]

I added three angles lately into my reef tank. Multi-color, orange peel and goldfakes. They are all juv size and all look healthy. Now the orange peel and goldfakes start picking on the corals. One brain coral is the main target for the moment. I can live with that. However, the orange peel is picking on the sps and anything in sight. I don't think it is feeding on them but bad enough to make the sps reduced the polyps. I am looking for some methods to catch the orange peel if someone can share some methods without tearing down the whole tank. Do you think the orange peel will enventually wipe out all SPS?

They certainly looks great but I can't afford to have them to wipe out my coral collections.
Orange Peel

Goldfakes

 

[Zagzoo71]

I have caught 2 clowns and a rabbit fish this way:

turn off all tank lights, all lights in the room. have someone shine a flashlight on the fish on the front of the tank. they will 'swim' at the light and you can net them from behind.

 

[michael_cb_125]

This is how I catch my fish

 

[redwingrob40]

Not saying that this is the best method, but I have caught multiple fish with the homemade plastic juice bottle trap, including a flame angel that was nipping at my SPS. Check out this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI2pGPmyJ44 and this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9uzRcqSALI&feature=related. BTW if you choose this method you probably want to cut the hard plastic neck off to make the entry larger for the angel fish.This method takes some patience as I had to leave the trap in the tank with out food for a day or so, and not feed. Then when I added food it took a while but the fish finally went in, then all you have to do is scoop em out. HTH

 

[racedout]

Bottle trap definitely works for shrimp, never tried with a fish yet

 

[benchen8844]

it's almost inpossible to catch the angel fish out, lemon peel is the worst, once i have to catch the lemon peel out of my 250 gallon, i have to tear down the whole tank

 

[goodtimes2]

In a reef tank, I provide a deep hole in my sand bed in one corner of the tank and then drain the water down to the sand bed, The fish are trapped either in the small amount of water left or is flooping on the sand bed. If you plan to have enough large containers and a few large diameter vinly tubes , you can drain and refill a 180 gallon tank in 30 minutes. You can spray your coral that are exposed to the air and you impact on the coral and fish is minimum. Make sure you have a few pumps to pump the water back into your sump and then into your tank.

 

[SDguy]

I'm like 10 and 0 with my fish trap. Just takes patience. Eventually EVERY fish goes into it.

 

[MrTuskfish]

Slurp Gun & very dim lights.....always works. My friend & helper built one that is better than any of the commercial ones.

 

[gorally]

I have tried some methods being suggested but no succeed. My alternate thought now if I leave the fishes in the tank. Will they destroy all coral? So far I know the brain and the soft are the major casualty. They nap the sps occasionally but I don't think they ate eating them. Bad enough to make the polyps retreated. I just worry the long term effect to the sps.

 

[SDguy]

If you tried a trap, then you didn't try long enough

IME even slightly unhealthy corals will die from the pecking. Usually healthy corals can tolerate occasional nipping

 

[The Codfather]

fish trap, works every time. 2L pop bottle trap works just as well.

 

[gorally]

I will try the trap again. The goldflake went into it but I was a bit late trying to close the opening. Now the I think the problem child is the orangepeel. It rarely swim out of the rock and cave so I have to sit tight.

 

[SI_rEEfer]

I had success with a lemonpeel by using a flashlight and a net a few hours after the lights had gone out. I was able to guide it with my hand from out between to rocks and into a net. I was surprised how easy it was.

It seemed as if the fish was in a stuper.