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Jpaul

Advanced Reefer
Location
North Babylon
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34   0   0
I have ick in my tank, all fish are dead except my purple fire fish. I can't catch the bugger, took rocks out(water gets so cloudy I can't see!) put a 1 liter soda bottle with the top funnel inverted with some shrimp inside and he hasn't gone in. I know my tank has to be empty for the ich to die, he comes out looks at me and laughs, I don't believe he has ich himself. Any other suggestions on how to catch him?
 
C

Chiefmcfuz

Guest
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34   0   0
Don't feed and put food in the bottle. He will swim right in when he is hungry.
 
C

Chiefmcfuz

Guest
Rating - 100%
34   0   0
Yes, be patient, but when you do feed stand the bottle up straight and put the food only in the bottle.
 

Flamehawk

Experienced Reefer
Location
Miami, FL
Rating - 100%
8   0   0
The Bottle trap is for rookies Or the ones with a lot of patience. Just joking :sleeping:!

Here is how to catch ANY fish with your bare hands: :thrash:
I've caught tangs, damsels, wrasses, blennies, hawks, butterflies, etc. My wife has emptied of fish a whole 180 gal that was full of rock and water with her bare hands. 20 plus fish in total with her bare hands. And no, no cyanide, ha , ha. Most recently, I caught a spotted hawk that ate 4 peppermints that I had put to control my aptasias. That was an expensive snack, i learned. He has been the hardest fish to catch for me to this day because of his behavior. Please, before I tell you how to do it (you and anybody reading this) please have the curteousy to come back and report your results. Ok, here we go:

1. find out where the fish sleeps. Yes, fish sleep, usually in the same spot every night, Observe the time when they are the most somber asleep. For me and most is about 3-4 in the AM.
2. Gather:Brightest flash light you can borrow, large clear plastic container (acrylic container, clear fish bag, etc) or net (not necessary once you become good), 1 helper, bucket where to put fish.
3. The night you go catch the fish, make sure the tank is absolutely dark. That means no ambient light. At around 3 in the morning simply have our helper point the the strong flash light on the fish and scare him into swimming into your vessel with one hand or simply catch with your bare hands! Sometimes, if you have bright room lights, you can flip those on all at once and work quickly to gather ALL the sleeping, obtunded fish at once.

Simple as that! Hope this helps, JOHNNY
 
Last edited:
Location
Huntington
Rating - 100%
26   0   0
1. find out where the fish sleeps. Yes, fish sleep, usually in the same spot every night, Observe the time when they are the most somber asleep. For me and most is about 3-4 in the AM.
2. Gather:Brightest flash light you can borrow, large clear plastic container or net (not necessary once you become good), 1 helper, bucket where to put fish.
3. The night you go cathch the fish, make sure the tank is absolutely dark. That means no ambient light. At aroung 3 in the morning simply flash the strong flash light on the fish and wither scare him into swing into your vessel or simply catch with your bare hands! Sometimes, if you have bright room lights, you can flip those on all at once as well and work quickly to gather the sleeping, obtunded fish.

Simple as that! Hope this helps, JOHNNY

Aren't you forgetting the black hood and chloroform?
 
Location
New York
Rating - 100%
88   0   0
1" inch hose. Strategically place it near his home or in a spot you will feed. Wait for him and start a syphon. It will work. Worked for me an 3 small fish

1 tiger blenny
2 masked gobies.

Couldn't catch them for weeks until I tried this method.
 
Location
Great Neck
Rating - 100%
31   0   0
If you are trying to remove a fish with ich, you want to be as noninvasive as possible. Stressing the fish more than is necessary is only going to make it worse.

Which are you saying is the more intrusive method? Although I agree to minimize the stress on the fish, within all means, the bottle and syphon method both have merits and demrits that can be argued both ways.
 
Location
Great Neck
Rating - 100%
31   0   0
Agreed on the long, tiresome chase stressing (both) the fish (and aquariast)!

I still think both have it's equally equivalent demerits. Ever see a fish bash itself into a mess trying to get out of a plastic container?

The person's comfort zone in choosing and executing a method also carries some weight into the decision, of course :) The bottle method is laid back and easy.

I still prefer the syphon trick mostly because of the instant gratification aspect of the result, if successful. The fish goes to hides in it's place, the person starts the syphon into a 5g bucket, point hose in that genera vicinity, finsh and all sand instantly ends up in bucket.
 

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