Fastest way to remove fish from tank

[Miami Reef]

So…I’m doing ANOTHER tank tear down within the same year. This time I’m thinking of removing my rocks to catch the rest of my fish to quarantine because my fish has ich/velvet and I was too stubborn to quarantine them before adding. Turns out waking up wondering which fish would die next would NOT be good for someone with anxiety. I lost too many fish and I really have a bucket list of fish that I can’t add because they are ich prone. Plus seeing spots all over my fish is seriously killing the hobby for me.

I already removed most of my fish. I drained the tank as low as possible and netted the fish. However, some went inside the sand and was impossible to get out without removing rocks.

Luckily my rocks are all glued together except for the structure on the right. Should I remove rocks and drain tank tomorrow?

I will post a video of my tank right now.

 

[Wen]

You’ve gone this far. I’d finish catching all the fish tonight so they can start treatment together.
You can gently and slowly move through the sand with your fingers to rustle up a hiding wrasse. Note: gently and slowly.

 

[Miami Reef]

You’ve gone this far. I’d finish catching all the fish tonight so they can start treatment together.
You can gently and slowly move through the sand with your fingers to rustle up a hiding wrasse. Note: gently and slowly.

Are you saying to tear down the tank tonight?

 

[Miami Reef]

This is photo.

Do you think I can just remove rocks and catch fish or do I need to remove rocks and drain tank again?

 

[Miami Reef]

Take %#!< two

 

[PennyB]

Yup, easiest way is to remove the aquascape and go netting.

 

[Reef and Dive]

Turn lights off for some hours. Then turn it on very bright. They get kindda blinded and won’t see the net. Pretty easy this way.

 

[vetteguy53081]

For me- Cant beat a trap !!

 

[Screwgunner]

Spear gun.

 

[BostonReefer300]

Took me numerous attempts to catch a melanarus wrasse using a trap, but I finally did it. Traps do work---not easy though. One time, I was lucky enough to see exactly where a wrasse buried himself. I put a big net right on the sand over that spot and gently nudged the wire frame into the sand and shook it. The little guy popped right up into the net

 

[MuscleBobBuffPants]

This reminds me of when I had to rip apart my rockscape the first time I attempted my tank.

My fish had ich and I tried to treat them all. Lost every single one. Then I vowed I would never buy another non QTd fish again.

I feel for the OP, this part sucks - a lot

Now about a year later I’m back with a restarted tank and QTd fish and it’s fun again. Don’t give up OP!

 

[KrisReef]

Best of luck with the treatment. I anxious just thinking about the fish being stuck in QT while the tank sits fallow until,... Christmas? I do pray it works out for you. GL.

 

[ZoWhat]

Fastest way is to drain tank down to about 2ins of water and net the fish

 

[Miami Reef]

This reminds me of when I had to rip apart my rockscape the first time I attempted my tank.

My fish had ich and I tried to treat them all. Lost every single one. Then I vowed I would never buy another non QTd fish again.

I feel for the OP, this part sucks - a lot

Now about a year later I’m back with a restarted tank and QTd fish and it’s fun again. Don’t give up OP!

I feel this right now. It feels like the hobby is ruined for me forever. My brother and parents are going to be so mad when they see the tank empty from fish. And some corals went missing. My heart is aching because they will be so mad at me.

I took out ALL the fish and I put the rocks and corals back in. The rock work looks nice, but it’s like before where the corals filled the tank out. I’m so afraid I don’t think I can cope with this anxiety.

 

[BostonReefer300]

You’re doing the best you can with a very complex situation so try to take a breath and cut yourself some slack. This hobby is a very difficult one and challenges like this hit all of us a few times over time

 

[Screwgunner]

I had a 3 to4 mile move in the winter. All my fish survived my serpent star lost three legs and grew them back. Lost 2 chalice and a sea whip that never recovered.

 

[Idech]

My brother and parents are going to be so mad when they see the tank empty from fish. And some corals went missing. My heart is aching because they will be so mad at me.

You can’t be in this hobby without making mistakes. It’s just impossible. Your family should be grateful to you for doing the right thing. It’s a lot of work !

 

[SteveMM62Reef]

Take the top off my tank and turn my back for a second. I was missing a Clownfish, looked all over for him. Was wondering if he had wiggled under the stand. There’s a tiny space due to leveling shims. I gave up, and rolled my Saltwater mixing Brute back under the stair. There he was swimming happily in the Brute Container. Must have jumped four feet.

 

[Screwgunner]

When I feed my fish I have one that splashes my face with water. I don't know witch one it is but when I find out he will be grounded.

 

[SimonDM]

Most people regard marine fish keeping the hardest pets to keep. There is a very steep learning curve and with that comes mistakes. You can research as much as you possibly can but this is a process to try and reduce the number of mistakes you make. Not to iradicate mistakes all together.

I'm pretty sure there's only a handful of people who can say they have never had to deal with ich in this hobby.

I'm a year in and I've had my first experience with it. But thankfully there's so many people here with so much experience and knowledge. All I can say buddy is listen to the advice of experienced people and learn from your mistakes. You will appreciate it soon enough and before you know it. You will be handing out advice to new reefers based on your own experiences!

Keep us updated on progress!

Best of luck champ!