How to catch a flame angel?

[Reef Devils]

I have a flame angel that he’s been nipping at corals recently. I need to get him out by Friday. What is the easiest way to do it.

If I go in with a net they will probably his in the rocks. Maybe I should try feeding them and try to catch him from behind.

What are your thoughts?

 

[Cthulukelele]

Dwarf angels are some of the hardest fish to catch. They're small, fast, and smart. I'd suggest trying a fish trap, but there's no guarantee you'll be able to catch them in the next few days

 

[Enrique7]

I used the Nyos Floating Fish Trap and got my Emperor Angel trapped within minutos.

Nyos High Level Reefing

Nyos - High level reefing

www.nyos.info

 

[Miami Reef]

Try with a net. If that doesn’t work, get a fish trap.

I swear by my Bubble Magus fish trap. I’ve caught so many fish that kept eating my trachyphyllia corals.

Blue tang, yellow tang, Lamarck angel, bellus angel, pyramid butterfly, and foxface were all the fish I removed last year with that fish trap. I couldn’t have caught them with a net.

The longest it ever took was 2 days. The quickest was less than 30 min

 

[Reeferbadness]

I've been trying to catch mine for years LOL. I tried a fish trap, no go, too smart. No way to net him with all the rockwork (in a 180g tank). Now i just try and feed him (and the emperor angel tank mate) lots of nori, mysis and pellets. So far, heavy feeding is keeping them away from the softies as well as the LPS and acros.

 

[jda]

Stop feeding the tank. Get a fish trap. Put some tasty treat in there. They all go in eventually if you keep withholding food, although I it might not care for your timeline of Friday.

Sometimes nets at night work for fish that do not disappear into the rockwork.

 

[Reef Devils]

I used the Nyos Floating Fish Trap and got my Emperor Angel trapped within minutos.

Nyos High Level Reefing

Nyos - High level reefing

www.nyos.info

I will give that a try! Thanks

 

[Reef Devils]

Try with a net. If that doesn’t work, get a fish trap.

I swear by my Bubble Magus fish trap. I’ve caught so many fish that kept eating my trachyphyllia corals.

Blue tang, yellow tang, Lamarck angel, bellus angel, pyramid butterfly, and foxface were all the fish I removed last year with that fish trap. I couldn’t have caught them with a net.

I will try catching him with a net. If that doesn’t work I will order a fish trap.

 

[Reef Devils]

I've been trying to catch mine for years LOL. I tried a fish trap, no go, too smart. No way to net him with all the rockwork (in a 180g tank). Now i just try and feed him (and the emperor angel tank mate) lots of nori, mysis and pellets. So far, heavy feeding is keeping them away from the softies as well as the LPS and acros.

Let hope mine is not that hard to catch. I have been feeding it a lot but it still goes and nips at some of my acros.

 

[Cthulukelele]

I will try catching him with a net. If that doesn’t work I will order a fish trap.

Be forewarned I'm serious when I say they're sharp as tacks. Angels may be the smartest fish we regularly keep (outside maybe beaked fish that have to problem solve to crack shells). You'll likely have 1 shot at every method you try before they learn the score.

 

[Reef Devils]

Stop feeding the tank. Get a fish trap. Put some tasty treat in there. They all go in eventually if you keep withholding food, although I it might not care for your timeline of Friday.

Sometimes nets at night work for fish that do not disappear into the rockwork.

Is there a way I could divide the tank in half or even a quarter and trap him in a section of the tank?

 

[Reef Devils]

Be forewarned I'm serious when I say they're sharp as tacks. Angels may be the smartest fish we regularly keep (outside maybe beaked fish that have to problem solve to crack shells). You'll likely have 1 shot at every method you try before they learn the score.

Oh yeah, I can tell this fish is smart. Right when I come up to the tank with the net and I haven’t even put the net in the tank he goes straight to hiding.

I think he knows what’s happening.

 

[Reeferbadness]

Let hope mine is not that hard to catch. I have been feeding it a lot but it still goes and nips at some of my acros.

mine would target a specific coral, sometimes sps, and then nip it to death and stop for a while. Currently i'm at around 3 months without any casualties. I did move some corals that were on his menu to another tank of mine.... getting these angels was a mistake, but i honestly love the emperor angel too much to get rid of him (he would be easy to catch, he eats nori out of my hand)

 

[Reef Devils]

mine would target a specific coral, sometimes sps, and then nip it to death and stop for a while. Currently i'm at around 3 months without any casualties. I did move some corals that were on his menu to another tank of mine.... getting these angels was a mistake, but i honestly love the emperor angel too much to get rid of him (he would be easy to catch, he eats nori out of my hand)

I wish my flame trusted me enough to eat Norita my hand. I’ve only had him for about a month and half so he doesn’t really trust me yet.

 

[tsouth]

Best bet is to use a bright flashlight at night to stun them. Find their sleeping location and in the middle of the night, shine the flashlight at their eyes. Then net them out. Even better if you have someone able to help with the flashlight. I can attest the efficacy of this is super good

 

[Sushitheshiba]

Have you tried catching it with a net while having just red lights on in the tank (like spectrum for growing chaeto)? It was the trick that worked for me to catch a tang and it was super easy. I’ve also used traps before and I’ve been successful with them to catch wrasses, but that took days.

 

[Budman93]

random but do you have a lid? Whenever i need to catch a fish i turn it vertical, put it in the tank and trap the fish in the open on one side. Much easier to catch

 

[BriansBrain]

I had to drain my entire tank! It makes it extra hard because they naturally stick close to the rock, are cautious, and elusive. I’ve tried all of the tricks. Net, red lights, clear cup, trap etc, everything but a literal fishing hook.

Luckily it was a new tank, and not overly large but it was impossible for me otherwise. If it’s a smaller tank I’d definitely recommend or you’ll pull your hair out and waste a weekend trying. Once drained, I grabbed him in like 10 seconds then refilled the tank. Took 30 minutes all together

 

[Cthulukelele]

Yeah even though I'd argue fish like copperbands and filefish are more likely to be problematic with nipping, I think one of the reasons people really caution dwarf angels is because if they DO nip getting them out is a massive headache

 

[dzolot]

I’m a self proclaimed fish whisperer! Ha

Have caught so many fish out of my 150g and 225g mixed reefs, including three flames angels (some people never learn! Ha).

They’re smart and very difficult to catch, but you WILL catch it!

Do NOT use a net to just go in there and catch it. It will just tip him off that’s somethings up and make him even more skittish than usual.

Here three effective methods, and you can try all three together.
1) the red light approach can work. At night when the room is dark but tank lights are still on, flip on red spectrum lights only (or get a red hunting flashlight). Fish (like deer) can’t see in red light. Wait for the flame to swim to a vulnerable spot, flip to red and quickly scoop him with a net.
2) in the middle of the night when the tank and room are pitch black, turn your lights on full power white light. Fish will typically swim out of their caves stunned and confused. Scoop with a net. Even better, if you know where the flame sleeps you can poke him out to encourage him swimming out when the lights go on.
3) I’ve had the most success with fish trips. I have a large rectangle one that i can bait with frozen food. Only source of food is in the trap 1x/ day. Key here is patience. It can take days or even a week or two. You can even play the long game and just leave the trap in the tank and bait it once a day without ever dropping the door - this will get the fish more comfortable swimming in and out of the trap like it’s part of their natural habitat. When fish is all the way in, boom - drop the door!

That’s what i got! Let us know how it goes, and feel free to DM me with any other questions.