# Help catching fish



## dudemanguy (Feb 11, 2009)

Hey,

I have a couple mbuna in my tank that i need to remove (i have wanted to get rid of them for a while now)... however they are impossible to catch. mabye i'm just not that talented at catching fish. any tips on how to catch these things? and no, i am not going to remove all the rocks !! 

thanks,

dudemanguy


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## bigcatsrus (Apr 15, 2009)

use a net and hope and pray


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## jfly (Feb 17, 2009)

ask them nicely??


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## under_control (Jan 9, 2008)

Empty your tank to just an inch or two of water. Sure, it's time consuming, but they run out of options.


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## jfly (Feb 17, 2009)

threaten them with a hickory stick


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## frank1rizzo (Mar 14, 2005)

Buy a large t-shirt, or use an old one (but make sure there is no deodorant, or leftover detergent, ect.)

Put the shirt in the tank and use it like a giant backdrop. Slowly move it toward the fish you want to catch, and make sure the bottom corners have no gaps for escaping. Once you get him isolated in a corner, use a net and scoop him out.

I use two shirts on larger tanks, just one works great for a 55 gal.


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## raggs715 (Mar 6, 2009)

do it in the morning, arm your self with a net turn the lights on and scoop em...you have only once shot at it as the light will blind them for a few seconds...


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## Darkside (Feb 6, 2008)

If you're not willing to move the rocks its easiest to just drain the water.


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

Patience..the way I do it, I put the net in the tank and walk away..once they are all used to it being there, they start to go investigate the new thing..go back to the tank..wait for them to calm down(no, your not getting fed )..once calm has been restored, I have even had the one I want swim right into the net..of course, there are the times I have just givin up..thinking to myself, MY God, I can`t even outwit a fish


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## BRANT13 (Feb 18, 2009)

put the net in let it sit in there for a bit ....feed them and them and then wait for the one you want to swim up for some food and then scoop....works pretty well for me anyways


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Guess they are staying, LOL!

I have a Demasoni that was the size of a rice grain that got overlooked when switching my 72" tank over to Tangs 5 months ago. I intermittently try to catch him, but haven't been willing to remove the rocks. Still there!

Seriously, I think we all have that mindset when starting out in the hobby. Then we have to catch a sick fish or find a dead fish or want to remove a species to add another. And we realize that often, the fastest thing is to just remove the rocks.

You end up doing this: Well, I can get him if I just remove this rock. OK, well maybe that if rock over there is gone this will be easier. When you catch the fish, you realize you've removed most of the rocks anyway, LOL.

Set up your decor so you can use a divider to section off one end with no rock removal. Drive the fish to that end and add the divider. Remove 50% of the water. Remove the one rock pile. Catch fish w/two nets.


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## Desi&lt;3 (Feb 13, 2008)

If you have two rock piles (and not just one solid one) remove the rock pile that the fish is in. Thats what I do and it works every time (if your fish are really used to your hands in the tank then tou can just pick them up (I can do that with a few of my guys).


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## dudemanguy (Feb 11, 2009)

Thanks all for the help


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## srook23 (Feb 21, 2009)

I had done this a few time catching fish that I'd take a small hexagon tank and sink it all but a little air so it would float. Then I'd put some floating pellets in there and when the fish would go in to eat I'd hurry and put the net over the end and take the hexagon tank out...it was the easiest way I found without removing decorations...you might get a few fish you want to leave in but just dump them back in the tank and remove the ones you want out. Sometimes it would take a little while for them to get brave enough to go in, but they always did eventually.


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