how to catch fish...

MegsB · 09/30/2007, 01:10 PM

i have a purple firefish who gets bullied by my perch, so i want to get it out and put it into my 33 gal (no other fish yet, and when i get a few they will be small and non-agressive)

how do i lure him out and catch him? my other fish are always out, he only comes out to eat (and even then another fish goes near him and hes gone back into his rock)

i thought about taking his rock out, maybe i would get him inside it and put it in the other tank, but i dont think i can, and am not sure if that is a good idea anyways, it is on the bottom and would stir up the sand a bit, which is never great :S

any suggestions welcome! its one of my favorite fish and used to be out all the time, until it settled in and the perch now chases it

IndigoSea · 09/30/2007, 01:24 PM

I have a similar problem with my Flame Angel. He's fast, clever, and knows to stay the heck away from nets. My other fish will just be like "oooh! net!" and swim right in.

I would recommend removing all hiding places (within the realm of practicality) and leave the net in the water for a while so he gets used to it being there. Then perhaps put some food in to get him swimming around and then see if you can nab him.

I must admit, I still haven't caught my flame angel, but doing the above is what's gotten me closest to catching him!

sheepdog43 · 09/30/2007, 01:53 PM

Fish are not all that dumb, unfortunately.

I put my net in there for 2 days, they seemed ok with it, but as soon as it moved the slightest bit or my hand went near it, they ran.

I had to clear the tank to catch the last one.
Which actually may be the best way. Chasing them around with a net is not good for them.

Do what you have to make it as fast as possible or buy a trap.

gmonticue · 09/30/2007, 02:07 PM

I had a problem with a domino damsel and for two weeks i tried everything. finally a person at my LFS told me to go fishing so i went to gander mountain and got the smallest hook i could find and baited it with fresh shrimp it took five minutes and i caught him and took him back to the store.

specopsteam · 09/30/2007, 02:57 PM

LOL thats great fishing in a SW tank in your house its a new sport!

lubyone1 · 10/01/2007, 09:15 AM

You have a perch in your saltwater tank? That's incredible.......sorry couldn't resist

bayvillian516 · 10/01/2007, 09:47 AM

have you tried a night attack, go in there with a low powered flashlight or a red light if you have one

I had 3 damsels, I tried everything on them but eventually had to take all my lr out

jamiep · 10/01/2007, 10:21 AM

You could do the old acrylic box, stick on thread trick. Place a bit of food under it and place it close to his rock, wait till he goes under and pull the thread attached to the stick. Used to see this all the time in cartoons but if you have the patients it can work! You may need to turn off your pumps though incase the food goes everywhere!

MegsB · 10/01/2007, 10:28 AM

humm have you ever caught a fish with the acrylic box idea? sounds like it might be worth a try, because i have 120+ lbs of LR in my 65 and it is not coming out! the poor fish will just have to stay if i cant find a clever way to lure him out, because i have way to much stuff in there to remove it all to catch him unfortunatly.

why is it funny i have a perch in there? i got it for free from a local person taking down their tank (with a few other fish) and they had it for a few years i beleave with no problems, hes been great for me other than being a bit of a bully. but hes got a lot of character, his beety shifty little eyes

edit: the perch is red with white stripes (or vice versa i suppose, hes got about equal of each color stripes) and is about 2.5" long, pointy little nose, and "perches" on his 2 bottom fins, maybe its not actually called a perch? (i googled perch and got fisherman with HUGE fish, lol)

jamiep · 10/01/2007, 11:02 AM

It works but its best with those floating breeder tanks as they have holes to let the water out and you can weight it a bit with gravel in the bubble traps

Make sure you have something to put under it when hes inside it thou so he doesnt swim back out!

otrlynn · 10/01/2007, 07:49 PM

Could your "perch" be a hawkfish? They do "perch" on their bottom fins. I believe they are lacking a swim bladder and need to swim actively to rise to the surface. They seem to spend most of their time "perching" and waiting for food. Some sites describe them as aggressive, though the one that I have is peaceful

09/30/2007, 01:10 PM	#1
MegsB Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: BC Posts: 230	how to catch fish... i have a purple firefish who gets bullied by my perch, so i want to get it out and put it into my 33 gal (no other fish yet, and when i get a few they will be small and non-agressive) how do i lure him out and catch him? my other fish are always out, he only comes out to eat (and even then another fish goes near him and hes gone back into his rock) i thought about taking his rock out, maybe i would get him inside it and put it in the other tank, but i dont think i can, and am not sure if that is a good idea anyways, it is on the bottom and would stir up the sand a bit, which is never great :S any suggestions welcome! its one of my favorite fish and used to be out all the time, until it settled in and the perch now chases it

09/30/2007, 01:24 PM	#2
IndigoSea Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Knoxville, TN Posts: 47	I have a similar problem with my Flame Angel. He's fast, clever, and knows to stay the heck away from nets. My other fish will just be like "oooh! net!" and swim right in. I would recommend removing all hiding places (within the realm of practicality) and leave the net in the water for a while so he gets used to it being there. Then perhaps put some food in to get him swimming around and then see if you can nab him. I must admit, I still haven't caught my flame angel, but doing the above is what's gotten me closest to catching him! __________________ <-- I'm a mushroom :D Current Tank Info: 75 gallon- LR, Flame Angel, Oce Clown, Yellow Goby, Cleaner Shrimp, Anemone Crab, Cleaning crew, Zoanthids, Mushrooms. Outer Orbit MH/DA light system.

09/30/2007, 01:53 PM	#3
sheepdog43 Registered Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: midwest Posts: 82	Fish are not all that dumb, unfortunately. I put my net in there for 2 days, they seemed ok with it, but as soon as it moved the slightest bit or my hand went near it, they ran. I had to clear the tank to catch the last one. Which actually may be the best way. Chasing them around with a net is not good for them. Do what you have to make it as fast as possible or buy a trap. __________________ "In any organization there is one person who knows what is going on. That person must be fired." --Robert Orellana Current Tank Info: 9yo. 55gal Fresh, 14 gal reef BioCube

09/30/2007, 02:57 PM	#5
specopsteam Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Indiana Posts: 156	LOL thats great fishing in a SW tank in your house its a new sport! __________________ There is no such thing as death only change RIP Duke I LOVE WILD TURKEY RARE BREED!!!!! Current Tank Info: 55 gal tank, Starting my 75 soon

10/01/2007, 09:15 AM	#6
lubyone1 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Salem Wisconsin Posts: 434	You have a perch in your saltwater tank? That's incredible.......sorry couldn't resist __________________ 210 RR Tank, OctoXtrme200 w/ Bubble Blaster pump, 40gal sump, Eheim 1262 return pump, Vortech x3, K5 - 2 72" VHO w/ IceCap 660, 6x80 T5, Geo 618 Cal Reactor Current Tank Info: 210 Gallon RR

09/30/2007, 02:07 PM	#4
gmonticue Registered Member Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 11	I had a problem with a domino damsel and for two weeks i tried everything. finally a person at my LFS told me to go fishing so i went to gander mountain and got the smallest hook i could find and baited it with fresh shrimp it took five minutes and i caught him and took him back to the store.

10/01/2007, 09:47 AM	#7
bayvillian516 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: NY Posts: 105	have you tried a night attack, go in there with a low powered flashlight or a red light if you have one I had 3 damsels, I tried everything on them but eventually had to take all my lr out

10/01/2007, 10:21 AM	#8
jamiep Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Ireland Posts: 458	You could do the old acrylic box, stick on thread trick. Place a bit of food under it and place it close to his rock, wait till he goes under and pull the thread attached to the stick. Used to see this all the time in cartoons but if you have the patients it can work! You may need to turn off your pumps though incase the food goes everywhere!

10/01/2007, 10:28 AM	#9
MegsB Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: BC Posts: 230	humm have you ever caught a fish with the acrylic box idea? sounds like it might be worth a try, because i have 120+ lbs of LR in my 65 and it is not coming out! the poor fish will just have to stay if i cant find a clever way to lure him out, because i have way to much stuff in there to remove it all to catch him unfortunatly. why is it funny i have a perch in there? i got it for free from a local person taking down their tank (with a few other fish) and they had it for a few years i beleave with no problems, hes been great for me other than being a bit of a bully. but hes got a lot of character, his beety shifty little eyes edit: the perch is red with white stripes (or vice versa i suppose, hes got about equal of each color stripes) and is about 2.5" long, pointy little nose, and "perches" on his 2 bottom fins, maybe its not actually called a perch? (i googled perch and got fisherman with HUGE fish, lol)

10/01/2007, 11:02 AM	#10
jamiep Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Ireland Posts: 458	It works but its best with those floating breeder tanks as they have holes to let the water out and you can weight it a bit with gravel in the bubble traps Make sure you have something to put under it when hes inside it thou so he doesnt swim back out!

10/01/2007, 07:49 PM	#11
otrlynn Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Chester County PA Posts: 1,508	Could your "perch" be a hawkfish? They do "perch" on their bottom fins. I believe they are lacking a swim bladder and need to swim actively to rise to the surface. They seem to spend most of their time "perching" and waiting for food. Some sites describe them as aggressive, though the one that I have is peaceful __________________ Lynn 1 horse, 1 dog, 2 cats, small pond with a few koi. The fish tank is gone.