# How to catch these *X*Y*Z fish?!!!



## edwardn (Nov 8, 2008)

I decided to get rid of the Redtail Garras and it is already a second day that I'm trying to cach them in my heavily planted 180 g. tank. 

Yesterday I set a fish trap which I borrowed from my friendly LFS and managed to trap 2 out of 9 this 'runaway train' fish. One promptly died from shock, and the other I placed in a small, plastic tank with drilled bottom and a cover. During the night the fish managed to knock open the snap-on lid and with the tank 90% covered , it somehow landed back in water, and not down on the floor.

The fish lost some scales, but is none the worse for its experience today. All the other Garras avoid the trap with a piece of blanched squash in it, which they like and usually go after right away. 

There is no chance for me to net these fish, for they are lightning fast and extremely vary of me now. They used to come to the front glass and watch me in my cage, but now they only hiding in the spaces below my hardscape.

The lid on the trap is attached to one of the chairs(...), so to lower it, I have to be present and kick the chair towards the tank to close it.

My RCS-es dish out on blanched squash without any fish disturbing them, and already are in a process of finishing a second 1/2inch slice...

Does anybody have any idea if there is some harmless substance I could use to knock fish out without harming any living thing in my tank? 

Or any other workable idea???


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## mudboots (Jun 24, 2009)

Some folks have used a short duration blast of CO2 to semi-suffocate the fish ainkille and then blast the lights and agitate the water to replenish oxygen (from plants) and gas out the excess CO2. The problem is that if you overdo it you'll kill your critters, but it would definitely make it easy to pick the unwanted fish by hand. Ethics concerns? :-#


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## edwardn (Nov 8, 2008)

I experienced once an overdose of CO2 in my tank. All the fish were sluggish, my two yellow plecos were lying on their backs and breathing heavily, while Garras were nowhere to be seen, hiding in an extensive cavities I arranged in my hardscaping.
With further obstruction of view by burgeoning plants, I'm at their mercy now, hoping that the trap will becoming in a few days ( hopefully so...) a part of their world. And especially that the only available squash in tank will be the bait inside the trap - they love squash!

Thanks for the thought!


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## Six (May 29, 2006)

Put in a cave they like. Cover it with a net/your hand and yank them out cave and all. I guess that's similar to the trap, but less obvious to them.

GL


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## THHNguyen (Dec 2, 2006)

Turn on the lights suddenly at night and catch them as they swim around frantically, blinded. Unless they hide in the hardscape at hight... That's how I caught unwanted fish in the past.


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## OrangeCones (Aug 15, 2009)

I've had good luck with a two liter bottle, cut in two, creating a funnel in. They have a hard time finding the smaller hole to get out, especially if its clear.


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## edwardn (Nov 8, 2008)

THHNguyen said:


> Turn on the lights suddenly at night and catch them as they swim around frantically, blinded. Unless they hide in the hardscape at hight... That's how I caught unwanted fish in the past.


I tried that yesterday evening and managed to notice only Garras tails.

Just for a second!!!!


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## Jessie (Apr 23, 2007)

This takes a little patience, but when I had to catch some of my SAE's, I let the net sit in the tank for long periods of time so they got used to it. I would also feed with the net in there. Eventually, they wouldn't immediately spaz around the net and I could just scoop them up.


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## rich815 (Jun 27, 2007)

Drop your water level down 80-90% and then corner them. Works like a charm. That was the only thing that worked for me with some SAEs a while back.


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## tanker (Jun 12, 2009)

Try at night with a "RED" filtered flash light. Fish cannot see red.


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## edwardn (Nov 8, 2008)

Jessie said:


> This takes a little patience, but when I had to catch some of my SAE's, I let the net sit in the tank for long periods of time so they got used to it. I would also feed with the net in there. Eventually, they wouldn't immediately spaz around the net and I could just scoop them up.


Today I pulled out the trap. Garras would not even come out from their hideouts.

I decided to look for a netting fabric and make a very deep net, lay it down on the substrate and start feeding right in the middle of it. I will have some fishing line attached to four corners and rapidly lift it up when the fish will hopefully start feeding. The depth of such a trap should be the deciding factor ( and my fast pull...) and I dream that this way I would be lucky...

The problem is where I can find fish netting fabric - the same as all the green fish nets are made of ?!


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## Jessie (Apr 23, 2007)

I just used my normal, large aquarium nets.

rich815's idea is great too. Just have to consider all the plant lay-over that may get in your way.


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## edwardn (Nov 8, 2008)

Jessie said:


> I just used my normal, large aquarium nets.
> 
> rich815's idea is great too. Just have to consider all the plant lay-over that may get in your way.


My wife made something like a 12-15 inch deep net. The problem is that she used some part of her old undergarment (...), and is pink!

I just made and attempt to catch these Garras this way, and as fast as I pulled this 'net' up, it was not fast enough! Three Garras jumped back into the tank, and the fourth one landed on the floor.

It is O.K. in a small tank, lost a few scales though. All this show that it can be done this way. I will look for a dark tan, or green netting and I hope to construct the opening of the net as wide, as possible in my scaping, so i can scoop several at the time...

I see that Seagrest Farms has some Hummingbird Characins, which behave like a Gobies and I would like to oder a dozen for me, but those d*x* Garras look and behaving as sharks in a panic, and scaring everythinh on their way....


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## geeks_15 (Dec 9, 2006)

I used a large net made to put around trees to keep bugs off the tree.

I cut a large section of the net that was nearly as big as the tank and lay it atop the plants. Then I start feeding small amounts. Eventually (after a couple minutes) the flakes land in and around the net and the target fish go for the food. Then I take my regular fish net and pin the fish against the large piece of netting.

The large netting is white/clear and the fish dive into it to try to get away from my green fish net. Once they do this they are sitting ducks.

I've used this technique to get some very fast and very smart thorichthys ellioti out of my planted and rock filled 150 gallon and it works great.


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## phreeflow (Aug 4, 2007)

OrangeCones said:


> I've had good luck with a two liter bottle, cut in two, creating a funnel in. They have a hard time finding the smaller hole to get out, especially if its clear.


I've also used this method to catch fish and it works likes a charm. You can use a 2 liter but I prefer a small water bottle. Like OrangeCones said, you cut the bottle (I leave 2/3rd on the bottom and cut off the 1/3 with the mouthpiece on top), then you invert the smaller portion and shove it into the bottom 2/3rd. Bait your trap and place them in several areas around the tank. Once the fish go in, they can't figure out how to get back out. Worked great for me everytime. good luck


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