Catching fish...advice?

[Roosterjack]

I am looking for recommendations for catching a variety of fish from my 90g display to allow for them to move out permanently to another tank.

I DO NOT want to drain or disturb corals and rock work if possible. There is no time urgency to this so I can attempt various methods. I have a fish trap but none of them will enter it even after a week of it sitting in the tank.

Fish are:

Mandarin
Wardley Wrasse
Royal Gramma
Pair of False Perculas
Diamond Goby

Thank you for any tips in what seems like an exercise in futility.

 

[Mariette]

Put out some pvc pipes. Some fish will decide to live in them. If they do, reach in, cover both ends w your hands, and pull em out. Easy peasy

 

[C. Eymann]

This looks really promising

Tankmatez Came Up With A Very Innovative ‘Bubble’ Fish Trap | Reef Builders | The Reef and Saltwater Aquarium Blog

Tankmatez is a company promoting a new kind of fish trap which is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. The Tankmatez ‘Bubble Trap’ uses a combination of unique attributes to trap fish safely &

reefbuilders.com

 

[symon_say]

The only thing that worked for me with fast swimming fish was turn all the lights on at 3 am, they wake up kind of dumb and are really easy to catch.

 

[foxt]

Normally I put the fish trap in the tank, and then start feeding the fish from the trap. Eventually the fish get used to entering the trap to eat, and that's when I can catch them.

That is going to be tricky with a mandarin and diamond goby. Have you tried waiting until they are out and about, and then just starting to partition the tank off with egg crate and force them into a smaller and smaller section of the tank?

Clownfish don't usually fall for the feed-the-trap trick either. I have had some luck shining a light in the tank at night, somewhere in a corner, and attracting them to the light and then snagging them that way.

 

[Jesterrace]

Fish Trap (either DIY) or purchased are by far the most effective methods I have found for removing fish. I removed a Flame Angel and Red Head Salon Fairy Wrasse with a water bottle with the top cut off and the plastic at the top folded down. Then I put some shells and substrate in to weigh it down and put some pellet food in the bottom. I leave the bottle standing up vertically as it forces the fish to swim down in to get the food. Then wait a while and a fish will generally go in and you just pull the bottle out. I also bought a fish trap which has worked well, but I found it took patience (ie getting them used to it for a few days). This is my trap in question and I have a review of it here:

 

[Jesterrace]

Normally I put the fish trap in the tank, and then start feeding the fish from the trap. Eventually the fish get used to entering the trap to eat, and that's when I can catch them.

That is going to be tricky with a mandarin and diamond goby. Have you tried waiting until they are out and about, and then just starting to partition the tank off with egg crate and force them into a smaller and smaller section of the tank?

Clownfish don't usually fall for the feed-the-trap trick either. I have had some luck shining a light in the tank at night, somewhere in a corner, and attracting them to the light and then snagging them that way.

Agreed, I used this method twice and it works well. Although ironically a snowflake occ was caught via the feed from the trap. Mine was an aggressive little jerk though that was jealous of all the food the other fish were getting.

 

[Huff747]

One of my LFS will rent a fish trap so maybe you have one around that would do that. I think to buy them they're often $75+. I think I paid a $25 deposit and then a $10 rental and they returned the deposit when I returned the trap. It's worked very well for me. Not sure my diamond goby ever went in it but I wasn't trying to catch him and I baited the trap with algae so not really his food of choice.

 

[Jeff Jarry reef]

I am looking for recommendations for catching a variety of fish from my 90g display to allow for them to move out permanently to another tank.

I DO NOT want to drain or disturb corals and rock work if possible. There is no time urgency to this so I can attempt various methods. I have a fish trap but none of them will enter it even after a week of it sitting in the tank.

Fish are:

Mandarin
Wardley Wrasse
Royal Gramma
Pair of False Perculas
Diamond Goby

Thank you for any tips in what seems like an exercise in futility.

I just bought a aqua medic traps really nice.

 

[billwill]

I have great success with very small flies from my fishing vest. Size 14 to 16, with a tiny piece of shrimp or other seafood attached. Works so good I've even recaught fish I'm not trying to catch that don't learn. Always always always make sure you've debarbed the hook.

 

[Jono1487]

I have great success with very small flies from my fishing vest. Size 14 to 16, with a tiny piece of shrimp or other seafood attached. Works so good I've even recaught fish I'm not trying to catch that don't learn. Always always always make sure you've debarbed the hook.

You’ve done this without hurting the fish?

 

[Aquageek]

As I have noted elsewhere the Tankmatez trap didn’t work for me. Right now it’s a prototype, not a finished mass-produced product. Design is promising. I had trouble with shipping and a lack of customer service as well.

 

[JakeAndAmanda]

I am looking for recommendations for catching a variety of fish from my 90g display to allow for them to move out permanently to another tank.

I DO NOT want to drain or disturb corals and rock work if possible. There is no time urgency to this so I can attempt various methods. I have a fish trap but none of them will enter it even after a week of it sitting in the tank.

Fish are:

Mandarin
Wardley Wrasse
Royal Gramma
Pair of False Perculas
Diamond Goby

Thank you for any tips in what seems like an exercise in futility.

Boat, rod,reel,hook,line, and sinker