# Fish trap



## cmay194 (Feb 18, 2008)

I used mollies to cycle my tank when I first set it up and now I cannot catch them. I've tried using feeding cones full of bloodworms then netting them when they came up and eat, but I think once I caught about 6 or so they were on to me. I looked at the Aqua Medic fish trap and I was wondering if anyone here has used it and had success. I don't want to spend that much if it doesnt work. Any suggestions would be great.


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

Have you tried a bottle trap? Cut the top off a 2 liter bottle just after it reaches it's widest point (where it becomes the straight side) and then invert the top of the bottle into the base. This will make a funnel for the fish to go into the trap. When I've made this trap friction has kept the top and bottom together, but some people will punch holes and tie the top and bottom together with wire or twist ties. Once you have the trap made put the bottle on its side in the tank with a tempting treat like bloodworms in it and then leave it for 10-15 minutes. The fish should swim in to get the food and then they'll have trouble finding their way out again so you can remove the trap and fish with no problems. If you plan on leaving the bottle for longer punch some small holes in it so the water inside doesn't stagnate and kill the fish that are in it.


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

cs_gardener said:


> Have you tried a bottle trap? Cut the top off a 2 liter bottle just after it reaches it's widest point (where it becomes the straight side) and then invert the top of the bottle into the base. This will make a funnel for the fish to go into the trap.


I was JUST thinking about how to make a good home-made fishtrap when I saw this. WOW! That sounds ALOT easier than the idea I had. (It involved a large plastic cup, my hand, and waiting with my hand in the tank...)


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

Thought I'd share this bottle trap design I tried this afternoon with my SAE's.

I cut the top off a water bottle like cs_gardener said and punched several holes in the body of the bottle (to let water move through and circulate the smell of the bait.










Then, I took another bottle and punched several holes in it for use as a "holding pen". Since I could not catch them all at once, this worked out very well for me.










This guy took the longest to take the bait (10 minutes). His buddies all went in together within 1 minute of setting the trap.










Once I had the fish in the trap, I removed the cut-out top and used it as a funnel to pour the fish into the "holding pen" and simply screwed the lid back onto the "pen". You can see I roughed the edges of the bottle top (with superglue) to improve friction/holding. With a larger container you probably don't have to do this.










Anyway, it was free and took me about 11 minutes total (including the time to catch all the fish).

Regards,
Dave


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## orlando (Feb 14, 2007)

Well done and your right its basicly free and good for you if you drink the water


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