A new alternative to nets!

[ReefEngineer]

I can't see it working well alone but combined with a net to chase the fish into it then covering it with the net to prevent jumping when removing should work. I do something similar only I use a specimen container and a net. I can't see being able to scoop a fish up with it unless its a small tank with no rocks to have to work around.

In a fully stocked tank with a lot of rockwork, no method is effortless. Whether you're using a net, container, or anything else, you often have to move rocks or drain the water down or go with a fish trap if you want to avoid rearranging everything. We can all agree on that.

Specimen containers can absolutely work we used them ourselves before the FishScooper but we found that adding a handle makes a big difference in control and reach, especially in deeper tanks. The extremely high transparency also helps reduce fish stress and allows them to swim in voluntarily much more often than you'd expect.

In fact, we've had customers successfully use the FishScooper as a feeding trap by simply offering food inside it. Once fish get comfortable eating from it, you can gently lift it out with no chase or stress involved. You can check out a video of this in action on our Instagram: @fishscooperofficial

Appreciate your input, combining tools like you mentioned is smart. Whatever helps make the process safer and easier for the fish is a win in our book.

 

[ReefEngineer]

Great tool. There used to be an all oval "fish scooper" we used to use years back mainly in QT , and fish stores tanks with less rocks... I love the square shape as it avoids squeezing the fish between the scooper and glass corners ...

Thank you so much we really appreciate the kind words and thoughtful feedback! That’s awesome to hear you used a similar tool back in the day.

We’re glad the square shape stood out to you that was a big part of our design thinking, especially for avoiding those awkward, stressful moments when a fish gets wedged in the corners. We redesigned those corners several times to figure out the best size that worked best.

It means a lot coming from someone with experience using these kinds of tools. Thanks again for the support!

 

[bluemon]

I’ve used a cat litter scoop before to some degree of success, and also a plastic pasta container as well.

So the fish scooper seems like a good marriage of the two.

Always open to try out new products given the price is right!

Congrats on the product, I remember seeing it in a spotlight video on YouTube a couple months back

 

[VintageReefer]

The fish scooper allowed me to safely remove my two new wrasses from acclimation bag (one at a time) without stress or injury

Then doubled as a acclimation container because it floats. My aggressive damsel swarmed and pecked and went through his phases, and when he was bored and showed no interest in the wrasse, I released the wrasse and avoided all chasing and nipping. I then repeated with the second wrasse with the same results.

I 100% avoided injuries and stress for both fish due to the fish scooper

 

[backbayreef]

I’ve just bought one to show support.

This might work for small fish but curious if you offer a bigger size (e.g. FishScooperXL or FishScooper+)? ;) I have a 8”+ blue angel that I would like to rehome and catching him in a big tank has been a challenge with nets. I just don’t have the patience with a fish trap.

 

[KStatefan]

No feedback on the product as I have not seen or used one.

On the website Our story who is we and where is we located?
I like to support small companies and know there is a lot of capital involved to get a mold made to produce these.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I'm going to end up buying one of these whenever I get my tank set back up!

 

[exnisstech]

Specimen containers can absolutely work we used them ourselves before the FishScooper but we found that adding a handle makes a big difference in control and reach, especially in deeper tanks. The extremely high transparency also helps reduce fish stress and allows them to swim in voluntarily much more often than you'd expect.

I totally agree the handle would be much nicer than having my arm in the tank and less stress on the fish as well I'm sure. If I had to catch fish more often than I do I would have no problem buying one.

 

[ReefEngineer]

I’ve used a cat litter scoop before to some degree of success, and also a plastic pasta container as well.

So the fish scooper seems like a good marriage of the two.

We really love seeing all the creative ways people are moving away from traditional nets.

It’s a big step toward safer fish handling. One of our favorite things about the FishScooper is that the fish never leave the water, so there's no panic, flopping, or unnecessary stress.

If you check out some of the videos on our website and Instagram, you'll see how the high transparency of the FishScooper actually encourages fish to swim right in on their own.

One of the coolest examples is the feeding trap video — you can offer food inside the FishScooper, and once the fish are focused on eating, you can gently rotate it out of the water.

The best part?

The fish doesn’t even realize what’s happening because it’s still happily munching away.

Always open to try out new products given the price is right!

Congrats on the product, I remember seeing it in a spotlight video on YouTube a couple months back

Thank you so much for the support. We made several adjustments to the FishScooper along the way because it was important to us to create something that truly lasts not something that breaks after a few uses.

As a longtime hobbyist, I’ve been through the frustration of buying new gear for my tank, only to realize it was poorly made and sometimes broke within a week. You could tell the bare minimum materials were used, with more focus on cutting costs than actually supporting the hobbyist experience.

Our goal with the FishScooper has always been the opposite to build something durable, thoughtful, and truly useful for fellow reefers.

Hopefully, one day we’ll have the chance to welcome you as a customer, and we'd love to hear your feedback after giving it a try!

 

[ReefEngineer]

This wouldn't work for me because the LFS I buy fish from runs low dose copper in their fish tanks, this means that when I drip acclimate and move the fish into my aquarium I need to make sure I'm not putting any of the LFS water into my tank.

Yeah, makes sense you definitely want to keep that copper water out of your tank.

That said, it’s actually awesome that your LFS is running low-dose copper shows they’re taking fish health seriously right from the start.

We’ve seen a lot of hobbyists in similar situations use the FishScooper to pull the fish out of the bag without ever touching a net. From there, they just tilt the scooper to pour most of the LFS water out while keeping the fish inside, then drop it into a larger bucket to start drip acclimation with their tank water.

Some people even start dripping directly into the FishScooper, then slowly pour off the water a few times to dilute any leftover copper before moving the fish over.

Curious do you think your LFS would ever consider using a FishScooper instead of a net to catch fish? We’ve had a few stores starting to make the switch lately and they’re loving the difference in how calm the fish stay.

Appreciate the thoughtful reply love seeing reefers this dialed into fish safety!

 

[ReefEngineer]

So to clarify; one essentially has to slowly move, or not be moving this apparatus to effectively catch a fish with it?

How would this work in a larger tank with fast swimming fish? — considering that it essentially acts like a large sail underwater (high drag coefficient), and effectively blows whatever is in it’s path out of the way…

Hi @UncommonSense, I am not sure if you had opportunity to read are comment above. We discussed your concern regarding the drag coefficient. I added it below.

Thank you

Flat edge concern...you’re absolutely right to consider contact points. The FishScooper’s flat edge is gently beveled and not sharp or rigid like some rimmed plasticware. It was specifically designed to glide along glass and substrate, not to press the FishScooper against a fish in hopes it swims in. Our rounded corners were designed to trap fish in your tanks tight corners up against the glass, without snagging delicate fins or scales — a flaw we’ve seen too often with traditional net frames and even some food-grade containers. Unlike the behavior often observed when using nets, the FishScooper was never intended to be used to zip and zag like a wild car chase in a tank, lol. Although, I understand, it's natural for people to think the same technique applies as nets.

With FishScooper, it's more about allowing the fish to swim inside (which happens all the time due to the high transparency) and then lifting the scooper upwards out of the tank while the fish has a tendency to swim downwards. Stores and hobbyists are shocked how fast this happens, but I totally get it if one hasn't yet experienced using the FishScooper firsthand. To comment on the point further, most also believe the FishScooper will have drag as they naturally try to relate it to a specimen container...this too is also false. A square container doesn't have the same curvature that prevents the drag found in the FishScooper, nor close to the high level of transparency we intentionally designed. Additionally, we were intentional about how we designed the base of the FishScooper, ensuring it isn't an overly enlarged square to maximize the hydrodynamics. Why did we choose a square? We wanted to increase convenience allowing the FishScooper to be self-supporting, allowing you to rest it down on a solid surface allowing for proper inspection of your fish, or a fun photography session. This was achieved over several re-creations and versions of the FishScooper, and months of adjusting our mold.

 

[cdemoss01]

Great tool. There used to be an all oval "fish scooper" we used to use years back mainly in QT , and fish stores tanks with less rocks... I love the square shape as it avoids squeezing the fish between the scooper and glass corners ...

Thanks for popping in!

 

[cdemoss01]

I’ve just bought one to show support.

This might work for small fish but curious if you offer a bigger size (e.g. FishScooperXL or FishScooper+)? ;) I have a 8”+ blue angel that I would like to rehome and catching him in a big tank has been a challenge with nets. I just don’t have the patience with a fish trap.

Appreciate the support.
@ReefEngineer what do you think about this?

 

[KStatefan]

Hello,
I've recently heard from multiple reefers that their nets have hurt their fish before and caused issues for them. Now @ReefEngineer has created the fishscooper! An alternative to nets. Easy to use and no damage will come to your fish!
fishscooper.com check them out here.
And on Instagram at fishscooperofficial and reefengineer
Thanks everyone!

How do you like yours?

 

[cdemoss01]

Hello,
I've recently heard from multiple reefers that their nets have hurt their fish before and caused issues for them. Now @ReefEngineer has created the fishscooper! An alternative to nets. Easy to use and no damage will come to your fish!
fishscooper.com check them out here.
And on Instagram at fishscooperofficial and reefengineer
Thanks everyone!

How do you like your?

I personally think its one of those things that is really useful when it comes to moving fish. Id highly recommend.

 

[ReefEngineer]

Appreciate the support.
@ReefEngineer what do you think about this?

Thank you for the awesome support we really appreciate the Reef2Reef community supporting us, I will be working on responding back to all the messages in the next few hours things have been real busy, if I missed a reply please know I will definitely respond back.

I have been packing everyone's orders and shipped most of them out today.

We are excited to have more members of the Reef2Reef community using the FishScooper as their go to option.

 

[ReefEngineer]

I'm going to end up buying one of these whenever I get my tank set back up!

Thank you so much for your support. We really appreciate it! The Reef2Reef family has been so supportive.

 

[ReefEngineer]

@cdemoss01 check out this video, I think you might like it...We recently rescued a pink damsel that wasn't in great condition...We're currently treating it in our QT system before moving it to its final home. We use the FishScooper to monitor and inspect it up close. We're so happy with the progress seen in the tail and improvements in the fins...looks like it's recovery is almost complete. Feel free to see the before and after videos of the progress thus far....

 

[ReefEngineer]

I’ve just bought one to show support.

This might work for small fish but curious if you offer a bigger size (e.g. FishScooperXL or FishScooper+)? ;) I have a 8”+ blue angel that I would like to rehome and catching him in a big tank has been a challenge with nets. I just don’t have the patience with a fish trap.

Thank you so much for the support! A ton of orders were shipped out today (hopefully including yours), if not it will defintely be out tomorrow. Sorry - since I don't know your name it's hard to tell you definitively, lol. Feel free to DM though if you're curious.

Larger sizes are definitely in the works, yet prototypes have not yet been finalized. Maybe you will be our beta tester once we're ready :)

 

[cdemoss01]

@cdemoss01 check out this video, I think you might like it...We recently rescued a pink damsel that wasn't in great condition...We're currently treating it in our QT system before moving it to its final home. We use the FishScooper to monitor and inspect it up close. We're so happy with the progress seen in the tail and improvements in the fins...looks like it's recovery is almost complete. Feel free to see the before and after videos of the progress thus far....

I saw this! Instagram post was awesome