ScooterV
Well-Known Member
Not long ago I got bit by velvet after skipping my own previously strict rules of QT 
Anyway, I ended up with one royal gramma I could NOT catch so I could start the fallow period. I tried bottle traps, I tried an Aquamedic trap, I tried a tiny barbless hook (I did get a blue spot watchman out finally with that), I tried a net. I tried middle of the night and crank the lights up. I even tried to find his most recent hole and contemplating just sucking him out with a shop vac. No idea if it would have worked because the angle was never right to even try.
Also, I couldn't just pull rock out because at least the lowest ones all have pvc running through them as a frame and some are cemented I considered a shopping run for may trash cans and see how fast I could drain, and refill, 270 gallons. But, something told me he'd just run right down into that PVC and I'd still fail!!!
Eventually, he decided to hide in a hole in the back of a large piece of pukani I have. Too big for me to just lift out. However, I suddenly had an idea!!! So, when company showed up for an afternoon at our pool they instead found me on top of a ladder, dive mask on, and head in the water so I could reach down far enough!! I used a kitchen trash bag and bagged the rock!! Lots of saran wrap around the base to be sure and edges buried in the sand. I then cut a small hole in the top of the bag, slipped in the neck of a vodka bottle, and more saran wrap. (Don't want the bottle falling out). Everyone thought I was nuts, but I felt sure he would see one little hole of light and go for it. It worked!!! Two hours later my wife was screaming to come quick, because it was in the bottle.
LOL, I make fun of my wife for naming the fish, but I have named him "Houdini", and look forward to getting him back into the DT
And no, there are no pictures of me with my head and upper body entirely in the tank!! But, maybe it's something someone else can use. I was JUST at the point to start adding coral, so this would have never worked if it happened later without some destruction.
Anyway, I ended up with one royal gramma I could NOT catch so I could start the fallow period. I tried bottle traps, I tried an Aquamedic trap, I tried a tiny barbless hook (I did get a blue spot watchman out finally with that), I tried a net. I tried middle of the night and crank the lights up. I even tried to find his most recent hole and contemplating just sucking him out with a shop vac. No idea if it would have worked because the angle was never right to even try.Also, I couldn't just pull rock out because at least the lowest ones all have pvc running through them as a frame and some are cemented
I considered a shopping run for may trash cans and see how fast I could drain, and refill, 270 gallons. But, something told me he'd just run right down into that PVC and I'd still fail!!! Eventually, he decided to hide in a hole in the back of a large piece of pukani I have. Too big for me to just lift out. However, I suddenly had an idea!!! So, when company showed up for an afternoon at our pool they instead found me on top of a ladder, dive mask on, and head in the water so I could reach down far enough!! I used a kitchen trash bag and bagged the rock!! Lots of saran wrap around the base to be sure and edges buried in the sand. I then cut a small hole in the top of the bag, slipped in the neck of a vodka bottle, and more saran wrap. (Don't want the bottle falling out). Everyone thought I was nuts, but I felt sure he would see one little hole of light and go for it. It worked!!! Two hours later my wife was screaming to come quick, because it was in the bottle.
LOL, I make fun of my wife for naming the fish, but I have named him "Houdini", and look forward to getting him back into the DT
And no, there are no pictures of me with my head and upper body entirely in the tank!! But, maybe it's something someone else can use. I was JUST at the point to start adding coral, so this would have never worked if it happened later without some destruction.
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