Catching a 6 line !!

Peter Houde

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As the title says, would like to hear from anyone that’s successfully caught a 6 line out of their tank. How you did it and how long it took. I’ve tried the diy water bottle trap…he wouldnt go near it ! Just ordered a trap from tankmatez, but have my doubts. But I gotta try something, this thing is just a butt head and HAS to go !

Thanks for any tips or tricks…and draining my tank is not an option or nets…too much rock work and corals.
I've been thinking of getting a six line wrass for some time now because I read that they (sometimes) eat bristleworms. I've held off till now because I don't want too much competition for my mandarin. My copepod population is healthy but my dottyback all but completely wiped out what was once a conspicuous abundance of amphipods. What I want even less is to add a bully to the aquarium. Is that why you're trying to catch yours?
 

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Try leaving the net in the tank for a few days, the fish get used to it. Then when it's feeding time try to catch him. I've been lucky over the years. I always have a 6 line in my tank over the last 20 years or so and never had a mean one. The one I currently have even lets the cleaner wrasse clean him.
 

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Not a sixline, but another wrasse. 3 days of waiting and watching and skillfully baiting the diy bottle trap, and caught him! I had to place food at the edge, in the mouth, and inside the trap part. I think I may have also placed the bottle bottom in with no top/mouth part once just to tease him in and let him realize what is in there.
I also tried the net in the tank for a few days... that didn't work.
 

IBlameTheDog

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I learned a trick and I think it was from this site, I don’t recall. I wait until the sun goes down and then turn all the lights off in the house then run only the red lights on the tank. The fish seem to not be able to see but you can see them, so far it has worked every time I have needed to do it in either my display or my QT. Good luck fishing.
 

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I’ve not had to catch a fish yet but was advised to do it of a night, when lights are out, using my ‘critter touch’ (which is infrared) to track the fish and net it - made sense to me but not put it to the test yet.
 

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As the title says, would like to hear from anyone that’s successfully caught a 6 line out of their tank. How you did it and how long it took. I’ve tried the diy water bottle trap…he wouldnt go near it ! Just ordered a trap from tankmatez, but have my doubts. But I gotta try something, this thing is just a butt head and HAS to go !

Thanks for any tips or tricks…and draining my tank is not an option or nets…too much rock work and corals.
I had to empty my entire tank, which wasn’t an issue as I was upgrading to a larger tank anyway... He actually wasn’t the hardest one to catch - my Orchid Dottyback and Midas Blenny were stupid fast and took forever...
 
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hans4811

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I've been thinking of getting a six line wrass for some time now because I read that they (sometimes) eat bristleworms. I've held off till now because I don't want too much competition for my mandarin. My copepod population is healthy but my dottyback all but completely wiped out what was once a conspicuous abundance of amphipods. What I want even less is to add a bully to the aquarium. Is that why you're trying to catch yours?
YES !! If you have a mandarin, that 6 line may start bullying it. YMMV…Mine is constantly picking on my leopard wrasse and carpenter wrasse. I like the other wrasses more and want to add more wrasses…hence the 6 line HAS to go !
 
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hans4811

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Not a sixline, but another wrasse. 3 days of waiting and watching and skillfully baiting the diy bottle trap, and caught him! I had to place food at the edge, in the mouth, and inside the trap part. I think I may have also placed the bottle bottom in with no top/mouth part once just to tease him in and let him realize what is in there.
I also tried the net in the tank for a few days... that didn't work.
Thanks, good to know !
 
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hans4811

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I learned a trick and I think it was from this site, I don’t recall. I wait until the sun goes down and then turn all the lights off in the house then run only the red lights on the tank. The fish seem to not be able to see but you can see them, so far it has worked every time I have needed to do it in either my display or my QT. Good luck fishing.
Problem with that method though is he disappears in the rock work at night.
 
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hans4811

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Here’s the trap I’m going to try…should be here Friday it says…
 

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Small fishing hook, barb removed, tied to a section of fishing line baited with mysis shrimp. He'll be caught in seconds if you do your part.
 

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I have used aqua medic fish traps and had 100% success. Only issues were the suction cups were worthless so old pump magnets were used . Patience is needed as some fish are way more skittish. I have trapped six line, yellow tangs,purple Doty, chromis. The key also is to allow fish to go in/out and not catch them straight away. After they get “comfy” with trap in place you surprise them and out the tank they go. I even trapped same fishes multiple times no problem. Good luck.
 

UK softy bloke

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As the title says, would like to hear from anyone that’s successfully caught a 6 line out of their tank. How you did it and how long it took. I’ve tried the diy water bottle trap…he wouldnt go near it ! Just ordered a trap from tankmatez, but have my doubts. But I gotta try something, this thing is just a butt head and HAS to go !

Thanks for any tips or tricks…and draining my tank is not an option or nets…too much rock work and corals.
I have to admit this is my favourite fish, I have probably had five over the years. If I had wanted to catch my last one I didn't even have to try. I was sat on the sofa and he leapt from the tank and landed next to me only for me to quickly put him back in. All the ones I've had have been no trouble at all.
 

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i caught mine when i had mine by waiting in the morning and lifting the rock out he was kinda dazed at the bottom of the tank but the method to catch fish is i feed the tank wait for him to come out to where he’s swimming towards the top of the glass if you can turn your lights to red and have no other lights in the room all you have to do is get a net and scoop him out they can’t see the net in red light i’ve caught 3 fish like this 2 of them being wrasses
 
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hans4811

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I have to admit this is my favourite fish, I have probably had five over the years. If I had wanted to catch my last one I didn't even have to try. I was sat on the sofa and he leapt from the tank and landed next to me only for me to quickly put him back in. All the ones I've had have been no trouble at all.
Mine was the model citizen as well with the other tankmates....UNTIL I put in another Wrasse !! OMG...it was like flipping on a switch...instant DEMON !!
 
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hans4811

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Small fishing hook, barb removed, tied to a section of fishing line baited with mysis shrimp. He'll be caught in seconds if you do your part.
How the heck do you bait a Mysis shrimp ! lol...that is one SMALL fishing hook !
 
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hans4811

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i caught mine when i had mine by waiting in the morning and lifting the rock out he was kinda dazed at the bottom of the tank but the method to catch fish is i feed the tank wait for him to come out to where he’s swimming towards the top of the glass if you can turn your lights to red and have no other lights in the room all you have to do is get a net and scoop him out they can’t see the net in red light i’ve caught 3 fish like this 2 of them being wrasses
I'll give it a shot tonight ! nothing to lose i guess trying....
 

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I used a very inexpensive Ice Cap fish trap. Of course I caught 4 other fish before the Royal Gramma got in there, to snag. The first 4 captives, I just put into the sump. A fish will not starve itself to death. Depending on its size tho, you could wait close to a week before he throws his fins in the air and surrenders.

Good luck
 
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hans4811

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I used a very inexpensive Ice Cap fish trap. Of course I caught 4 other fish before the Royal Gramma got in there, to snag. The first 4 captives, I just put into the sump. A fish will not starve itself to death. Depending on its size tho, you could wait close to a week before he throws his fins in the air and surrenders.

Good luck
He's a small guy, maybe 1.5 to 2 inches is all.

Not sure how to go about using this fish trap I got coming Friday. Do I not feed the other fish while trying to trap this guy ? Only feed thru the fish trap ?
 

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