How do you catch a Purple Dottyback (Yes, I'm stupid)

[Siberwulf]

I didn't do my research well enough. I've got one in my 90 and he's absolute turd. And he's fast. And he hides really well. What do you do to catch these without breaking down the whole tank?

PS I'm going to drop him off at the LFS and they said they'll re-home him.

 

[Andresnyc93]

I didn't do my research well enough. I've got one in my 90 and he's absolute turd. And he's fast. And he hides really well. What do you do to catch these without breaking down the whole tank?

PS I'm going to drop him off at the LFS and they said they'll re-home him.

Try one of these, you’ll have to step away from tank and is just like going fishing but it does the trick without unnecessary stress

SaltwaterAquarium Small Acrylic Fish & Pest Trap 6" x 4" x 4" for Aquarium | Acclimation Isolation Box Fish Tank Breeding Box

Shop The Best Saltwater Aquarium Equipment & Supplies at Saltwater Aquarium. We Carry Everything you will Need for your Fish Tank.

www.saltwateraquarium.com

 

[Mav88]

I caught a neon dottyback by cutting the top couple inches off a water bottle and putting the open end into the bottle with some food. Attached a fishing line for fun and pulled him up when he went to eat. Can take a while but if you don’t try to catch him but condition him to eating out of it you’ll grab him quick on the third day. Good luck!

 

[Midrats]

If the trap route fails get yourself a size 32 hook and the finest line you can find. Crimp the barb, bait with his favorite food, and have a net at the ready. I've caught so many fish out of tanks this way I don't even bother with traps anymore.

 

[Unitylover]

use the paralyze technique, make the tank pitch black, and keep it like that for a few hours, when you turn the tank lights on, the fish will be paralyzed, then net 'em up.

 

[fish farmer]

If the trap route fails get yourself a size 32 hook and the finest line you can find. Crimp the barb, bait with his favorite food, and have a net at the ready. I've caught so many fish out of tanks this way I don't even bother with traps anymore.

This...although I think I used a size 20 or 22 and a piece of mysis shrimp.

Google flyfishing hooks....make sure the bugger doesn't cut you off on the rocks.

Good luck with whatever you try.

 

[Siberwulf]

Try one of these, you’ll have to step away from tank and is just like going fishing but it does the trick without unnecessary stress

SaltwaterAquarium Small Acrylic Fish & Pest Trap 6" x 4" x 4" for Aquarium | Acclimation Isolation Box Fish Tank Breeding Box

Shop The Best Saltwater Aquarium Equipment & Supplies at Saltwater Aquarium. We Carry Everything you will Need for your Fish Tank.

www.saltwateraquarium.com

This one seems the least intrusive to the whole tank, so I'm gonna give this a shot. I love the look of the little &!@# but I don't like his attitude!

 

[Andresnyc93]

Put something you know they really like and just be patient… I’ve catches many of my fish this way when they try anything

 

[workhz]

Purple as in orchid dottyback? What’s it doing?

 

[Siberwulf]

P

Purple as in orchid dottyback? What’s it doing?

Purple...not orchid. Was harassing the other dottyback (who I moved to the sump) and now eating my new peppermint shrimp.

 

[Uroplatus]

Snatch and grab at night

 

[spsick]

In my experience it takes ripping every single rock out of the tank and then figuring out which rock they hid in. Not fun. Never though of the light shock method!

 

[rwreef]

Mine slept in a porcelain skull at night. I literally just picked the skull up with him in it lol. Not useful, but what I did. I suggest the trap method with food as bait.

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

I like the Fridmani pseudo. Better citizens then the purple

 

[Uroplatus]

In my experience it takes ripping every single rock out of the tank and then figuring out which rock they hid in. Not fun. Never though of the light shock method!

Oh always worked for me

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

I had MelevsReef make me a trap. Caught every fish but the one I got the trap for. Lol. Had to rearrange the furniture and cut off half the tank with a mesh screen. Took longer to do that then finally get him cornered and scooped up safely.

 

[workhz]

I like the Fridmani pseudo. Better citizens then the purple

Yeah. I like the orchid dotty aka pseudo fridmani. That’s why I was curious which one it was. The orchids that I’ve had (a grand sample size of 2) have been pretty good.

 

[Siberwulf]

Closing the thread on this...I managed to catch him today (I left the trap in the tank for a week for him to get used to). He swam in for some food and dropped the door. He's now at the LFS waiting for someone to enjoy.

Thanks all!

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Closing the thread on this...I managed to catch him today (I left the trap in the tank for a week for him to get used to). He swam in for some food and dropped the door. He's now at the LFS waiting for someone to enjoy.

Thanks all!

A good tap is worth it's weight in gold.

When I need to use it I set it up and only feed into it for a few days.

In an absolute pinch, draining the tank and watching the fish is useful as well. Eventually the level drops low enough that all of their normal caves are out of the water and they're in a few inches of water over the sand.

 

[131696]

Fish trap you can buy 1 online put a little food in it and leave alone.