How to Catch Fish and Critters in Displays
- Thread starter Anthony Calfo
- Start date
hiflykitty
New member
I wish I had known about the jar method before I tore apart my 120 gallon reef to catch a rogue crab. Thanks.
Anthony Calfo
New member
moumda... do try the nylon stocking trick with your mantis... or better yet, do see if you can locate a fav bolt hole or crevice it resides in and squirt a turkey baster of carbonated (soda/seltzer) water into it (anaesthetic). It may stumble out for a grab, or you can slurp it out (put your thumb over a length of one inch lift tube (longer the better) and sink the open end down to the mouth of the bolt hole. The action will be like using a pipette.
swamp63 - no
try the tube trap or bag in a bag methods for your camel shrimp first.
swamp63 - no
try the tube trap or bag in a bag methods for your camel shrimp first.Mr. Calfo,
I have a question about the drain method. I have tried this once before, not to catch a fish, but to move a tank. Everything worked well up until the time I tried to refill the tank. I pumped the water back in and caused a sand storm. The next day I found my regal tang, volitan lion, and picasso trigger all dead. I tested the water and the ammonia was sky high (had registered 0 in all previous tests). I trust the owner of the LFS I go to so I asked him if he had any ideas on what might have happened. he suggested that the when I moved the sand all over the tank I released all of the nasties in my sandbed (1 1/2 inches deep), caused the ammonia spike and killed the fish. If that is an accurate statement, how do I pump the water back into my tank without killing everyone? Thanks
Philip G
I have a question about the drain method. I have tried this once before, not to catch a fish, but to move a tank. Everything worked well up until the time I tried to refill the tank. I pumped the water back in and caused a sand storm. The next day I found my regal tang, volitan lion, and picasso trigger all dead. I tested the water and the ammonia was sky high (had registered 0 in all previous tests). I trust the owner of the LFS I go to so I asked him if he had any ideas on what might have happened. he suggested that the when I moved the sand all over the tank I released all of the nasties in my sandbed (1 1/2 inches deep), caused the ammonia spike and killed the fish. If that is an accurate statement, how do I pump the water back into my tank without killing everyone? Thanks
Philip G
Anthony Calfo
New member
agreed... the sandstorm was completely and easily avoided. Sad to see folks with new tanks just the same have milky aquaria for weeks just for not getting the right advice.
The returned water simply needed to be diffused. A $3 plastic clamp from Home Depot insures that the return line keeps the hose in place to direct over some rocks as Nicole has sensibly suggested.
I also like to use a small bucket or like container and clamp the hose inside. The water fills and then overflows... except instead of blasting X hundreds of gallons ou tof the 1" tube... the same X hundreds of gallons of water diffuse slowly over the 20-30+ linear inches of the bucket rim. Other aquarists will lay a dinner plate down on the sand and clamp the hose to blast atthe center so that the many inches of the plate's surface diffuse the same.
Sorry it went badly for you my friend.
Another big mistake you made (and lucked out on) was moving the tank with sand and/or water in it. Yikes! Thats a very good way to torque a seam and give yourself a leaking tank
With water and sand weighting around 10lbs per gallon or (much) more... that's a lot of shear force as the tank is carried, driven around, etc. Only and always move tanks completely empty.
I would have taken the sand out in layers... rinsed them with aged aquarium water... and returned them in the same layered order to the new tank FWIW
The returned water simply needed to be diffused. A $3 plastic clamp from Home Depot insures that the return line keeps the hose in place to direct over some rocks as Nicole has sensibly suggested.
I also like to use a small bucket or like container and clamp the hose inside. The water fills and then overflows... except instead of blasting X hundreds of gallons ou tof the 1" tube... the same X hundreds of gallons of water diffuse slowly over the 20-30+ linear inches of the bucket rim. Other aquarists will lay a dinner plate down on the sand and clamp the hose to blast atthe center so that the many inches of the plate's surface diffuse the same.
Sorry it went badly for you my friend.
Another big mistake you made (and lucked out on) was moving the tank with sand and/or water in it. Yikes! Thats a very good way to torque a seam and give yourself a leaking tank
With water and sand weighting around 10lbs per gallon or (much) more... that's a lot of shear force as the tank is carried, driven around, etc. Only and always move tanks completely empty.
I would have taken the sand out in layers... rinsed them with aged aquarium water... and returned them in the same layered order to the new tank FWIW
NicoleC
New member
Anthony Calfo said:Another big mistake you made (and lucked out on) was moving the tank with sand and/or water in it. Yikes! Thats a very good way to torque a seam and give yourself a leaking tank
With water and sand weighting around 10lbs per gallon or (much) more... that's a lot of shear force as the tank is carried, driven around, etc. Only and always move tanks completely empty.
Or, leave the tank on the stand and move tank and stand together.
Anthony Calfo
New member
the problem with that is the sloshing if there is any water at all in it. Again... with water in the 10lbs per gallon range... a single gallon of water in a 30, 50 or bigger tank does not look like much. But it is still 10lbs of force plus (kinetics) sloshing or even slamming against the panes of the aquarium with start-stops in driving traffic... clumsy walking, etc.
I was warned against doing this myself for many years... and moved a bunch of tanks before finally bursting a seam (the tank, not me). I had maybe 3 gallons of water in a 30 gallon tank. iI only had to walk it forty feet. We still twisted or torqued it... the water was sloshing pretty good with me and a much shorter friend carrying the tank together.
I was warned against doing this myself for many years... and moved a bunch of tanks before finally bursting a seam (the tank, not me). I had maybe 3 gallons of water in a 30 gallon tank. iI only had to walk it forty feet. We still twisted or torqued it... the water was sloshing pretty good with me and a much shorter friend carrying the tank together.
Thanks for the reply. Fortunately the move was only a few inches and I had all of the rocks and 75% of the water out when we moved it (and we moved the whole stand) so I did not bust a seam. If I have to empty water again to remove a fish, at least I will have a better idea of what I am doing.
johnstires
New member
I was just tuned into this thread. Anyone know which method would work best for Damsels? I have a full grown Damsel (About the size of a small fist) in a 1000G reef tank. He was there from the previous occupants. Once I put soft corals in, he went to town and devoured them. So I have great bait, but don't know what trap to use. They are very smart and very cautious, yet very curious, especially when something invades thier territory. I've tried the bait and hook, but there are some expensive fish in the tank and I don't want to hook them, so I gave up, too stressful.
I'm thinking a large version of the invereted top bottle method.
I'm thinking a large version of the invereted top bottle method.
NicoleC
New member
A local made a long, rectangular trap out of clear acrylic with eggcrate "doors" that flip up when you pull on long fishline cords. It worked extremely well for the more aggressive fish who are first to investigate anything. Just sit on the sofa with a fine brew in one hand and the trap lines near to the other hand.
Anthony Calfo
New member
teamwork
Anthony Calfo
New member
That tang BTW is over 12"/30cm (inside Knop's 1500 gall reef... thank goodness )
)BARNACLE BOOBY TRAP
BARNACLE BOOBY TRAP
Interesting thread ...
I have found that those large barnacle clusters can come in handy when trying to capture damsels, lawnmowers, and the like. These fish tend to use the Barnacle as a home base .. sleeping in them at night and retreating in them when disturbed.
The damsel etc will retreat into the barnicle and you can simply place the net over the barnicle .. and remove the barnicle/fish ... painless method to catch certain fish which otherwise can be a PIA to capture.
BARNACLE BOOBY TRAP
Interesting thread ...
I have found that those large barnacle clusters can come in handy when trying to capture damsels, lawnmowers, and the like. These fish tend to use the Barnacle as a home base .. sleeping in them at night and retreating in them when disturbed.
The damsel etc will retreat into the barnicle and you can simply place the net over the barnicle .. and remove the barnicle/fish ... painless method to catch certain fish which otherwise can be a PIA to capture.
Anthony Calfo
New member
ah, nice tip Kev. Gracias! It has now been dubbed the "BARNACLE BOOBY TRAP (please excuse the post edit )
(please excuse the post edit )
Randall_James
Premium Member
Anthony Calfo said:teamwork
Ok so he swims in and gets snagged on a suction cup right? So how do you break the vacuum to get him off ? hehehehe
You know if you move that suction cup forward, you could then close the door behind him :lol:
samsfishnchips
Premium Member
try a few way to get the fish out, but decide to do the drain method good technique for smaller tanks
can't see draining a 1500g
only thing I would add is have a turkey blaster and remove the slime from the corals and keep them nice and clean
thx Anthony Calfo
sam
can't see draining a 1500g
only thing I would add is have a turkey blaster and remove the slime from the corals and keep them nice and clean
thx Anthony Calfo
sam
