Help! Need to catch a misbehaving fish.

[dkuster]

Sorry if this has been asked before, but I'm at my wits end.

I have a yellow and purple pseudochromis (about 3" in size) in
my 180 gal reef tank. I curse the day I added him, because he's
become super-aggressive and territorial. I swear he thinks he
owns half the tank.

He's badgering and stressing out some of the other fish, and I
need to get him out of the tank.

There's no way I can net him out because of all the hiding places,
and I'm not about to take all the live rock out.

I tried using fishing line and a very, very small fishing hook, but
he wasn't going to fall for that.

Are there any DIY or commercial traps that might work? Any
other ideas?

Thanks in advance.

 

[atzak]

I have caught aggressive fish in large reefs in minutes before. Place a mirror up to the glass, the fish will be so ****ed at it's reflection, attacking it over and over again, slowly move the mirror upwards, when the fish is close to the surface, you'll be able to catch it. The fish will be so pre-occupied with the "intruder" it won't even notice the net

 

[reefergeorge]

Re: Help! Need to catch a misbehaving fish.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11110043#post11110043 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dkuster


I tried using fishing line and a very, very small fishing hook, but
he wasn't going to fall for that.

I always love this idea. I picture people sitting in there living room with their pocket fisherman cursing the fish for not biting the hook while their wife looks at them as if they are crazy.
I have been luck and my fish trust me too much. So during feeding I just scoop them before they know what is going on.

 

[dkuster]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11110110#post11110110 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by atzak
I have caught aggressive fish in large reefs in minutes before. Place a mirror up to the glass, the fish will be so ****ed at it's reflection, attacking it over and over again, slowly move the mirror upwards, when the fish is close to the surface, you'll be able to catch it. The fish will be so pre-occupied with the "intruder" it won't even notice the net

Thanks, atzak! I'll give that a try.

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1200936

 

[dkuster]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11110253#post11110253 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LobsterOfJustice
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1200936

Thanks, that homemade trap looks like just the ticket!

What should I use for the main container?

 

[jasonak]

Hi
I had a hectori goby in my 120 that i couldnt catch,he only ate copepods so there was now way to trick him with food.I bought a little palstic trap from ebay it was like 29.00 plexi glass with little door you slide up and down with fishing line.Just got him yesterday.took two days before he figured his way in worked great.

www.4coral.com

is his website i think he makes them himself
good luck

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11110459#post11110459 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dkuster
Thanks, that homemade trap looks like just the ticket!

What should I use for the main container?

I used a "Kritter Keeper" from a local Petsmart.

 

[dkuster]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11110664#post11110664 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LobsterOfJustice
I used a "Kritter Keeper" from a local Petsmart.

Thanks, I have a Petsmart close by work so I'll check it out.

Is there any reason the trap needs to be "see thru"? I would think maybe the fish would feel safer if it was opaque and more
"cave like"...

 

[SDguy]

Fis are a LOT less scared of a clear trap, and much more likely to enter.

I have the trap from MD. It's got a 5 and 0 record

 

[bkoz]

I had a damsel I wanted out. Just put some food in a net and held it at the top of the tank and within a couple of minutes the little bugger swam right in. Just make sure to hold the net so its all the way open and rest your are were you can keep completely still for a couple of minutes.

 

[bkoz]

I had a damsel I wanted out. Just put some food in a net and held it at the top of the tank and within a couple of minutes the little bugger swam right in. Just make sure to hold the net so its all the way open and rest your arm were you can keep completely still for a couple of minutes.

 

[balmiesgirl]

I had an extremely agressive tomato clown. I tried for several days to net him. Finally, I bought an acrylic "fish trap" and put it in the tank for a day or 2. Didnt feed them for 2 days then put food in the trap. The big bully was so worried about getting all of the food it worked well.
I've had a small shy fish I've been trying to catch for quite awhile and the trap hasn't worked for him though.

 

[dkuster]

Got Him!

Got Him!

Thanks for all the help everyone. I just wanted to follow up and
let you all know that today I caught him.

I had some spare acrylic and plastic eggcrate so I made my own
trap. At first, it didn't work. Even after not feeding for two days
he would not enter the trap. Instead, he continued to badger
the other fish that would enter his territory to eat out of the trap.

That gave me the idea to combine the baited trap approach
with the mirror and net approach that were already mentioned
in this thread.

I went to Petco and for $1.99 I bought one of those little mirrors
that people put in bird cages. I glued it to the acrylic on the
back side of the trap and placed the trap near where Mr.
pseudochromis hangs out.

He spent the morning charging around the trap but wouldn't
enter it. I went out to lunch and when I came back he was
in the trap nose to nose with the mirror. I walked over, pulled
the string, and end of story.

I just wanted to pass along the tip that for fish that are
aggressive to their own kind, baiting the trap with a mirror works
much better than baiting it with food!

 

[chrissreef]

I didn't read the above threads but i've always done the following

1. get a fish bag
2. weave some thread around the opening
3. put food in it and a rock to weigh it down
4. when fish swims in, pull string and it will close on the fish - and you have your fish in a bag ready to go =)

I saw something about a mirror above - that sounds interesting =)

 

[dodgersfan25]

i dont know if this will work for you but i just did it on a lightning fast firefish

just get a decent sized tube and siphon the fish out. i tried all of the above methods but couldnt catch the fast little guy. so i tried this and in the bucket he goes! good luck