how to catch a small yellow wrasse

[Allmost]

Hello,
need Ideas on how to catch a small yellow wrasse ... maybe 2".

tried trap, did not work.

tried fishing it, couldnt get small enough hook ... he was too smart and would not swallow the hook ...

tried draining tank in buckets, he went into the sand under rocks ...

what can I put in the tank to eat him and then remove it ? would a lion fish work ?

the tank has some sort of disease ... so need something I can treat after or wont get sick.

TIA.

 

[Marshall O]

If it is eating, a trap should work. I use my Reef Gently acclimation box as a trap. I use a turkey baster to get food inside the trap, then use it to blow the food around to get the attention of the fish. This has worked for me for every fish I have tried it on, including some very cautious smaller Tangs.

Others have used an inverted water bottle as a trap. Cut the top off and secure it back onto the bottle inverted. Put food in the bottle and wait. The fish can swim in, but not out.

 

[Allmost]

If it is eating, a trap should work. I use my Reef Gently acclimation box as a trap. I use a turkey baster to get food inside the trap, then use it to blow the food around to get the attention of the fish. This has worked for me for every fish I have tried it on, including some very cautious smaller Tangs.

Others have used an inverted water bottle as a trap. Cut the top off and secure it back onto the bottle inverted. Put food in the bottle and wait. The fish can swim in, but not out.

as mentioned, the trap does not work for small wrasses ... they eat off the rocks, and maybe floating stuff ... tried it for 2 weeks, didnt go around the box lol I even placed corals and rocks inside the box lol

the bottle method works for crabs and not fish. fish swim in 3d.

 

[RayL]

I've used the bottle trap several times for small fish. I've caught basslets amd fire fish with the bottle.

For a fairy wrasse I've used a proper trap and put a piece of rock in, it worked no problem. Let me know if you want to borrow it

 

[Marshall O]

Try a real trap as mentioned with my suggestions. I am 7 for 7 in catching Fairy/Flasher Wrasses with this method.

Another method is placing a large (1-2 gallon) ziplock freezer bag in the tank (flow off). Place it where you know the fish will try to swim into. Once it goes in, quickly reach in and grab the top of the bag, which will cause the fish to dive deeper into it. Then just pull out the bag from there.

 

[Allmost]

okay I must not be getting how this bottle trap works then.

a bottle.... fish swims in from the top, eats the food, then swims back out ?

or do they forget how they got in ? or do you yank the bottle out as soon as it goes in ?

Im gonna try the aquamedic trap again too ... Thanks Ray, I have the larger ones ... will even try putting some larger rocks in ...

wish me luck .

 

[RayL]

Good luck bud

The bottle trap is very effective for fish like a yellow wrasse, if your trap does not work, let me know and I will make you the bottle trap

 

[cFloor]

aquamedic trap has worked well for me with every fish I've ever wanted to catch. Used mine today for a labouti wrasse

 

[webslinger]

Use a #24 fish hook w/ a tiny piece of shrimp. caught in 5 seconds.

 

[Betta132]

You take a bottle, cut the top quarter of it off, unscrew the cap, and stick it back in. Just stick it in backwards. The fish goes into the funnel-shaped entrance, then it can't get back out. They work great as long as the fish can fit through the lid of the bottle. Here:

That design works for most shrimp, many snails, and most bottom-dwelling fish. I think it'll work well for a wrasse. Put it on its side, either on the sand or on the rockwork, and put something inside that you think the wrasse will work.

 

[Quintis]

AquaMedic trap has never failed me for any type of fish. While trying to catch my Christmas and Melanarus wrasse my small yellow coris wrasse entered the trap countless times to grab some food.

 

[Allmost]

lol love the drawing Betta

one night I had enough ... it was a couple weeks ago. started putting my finger through the sand to find him, and luckily he was sleeping in the open sand. didnt take any risks, placed a bucket over it, and slide a acrylic sheet under and took out all the sand and water in the bucket ... and of course the wrasse