How to catch fish with so many rocks.

[Rmckoy]

You can go to the lfs for styrofoam shipping boxes or cheap Rubbermaid totes from Walmart .
do not pile too much rocks or water in the containers as they will bow as they fill .
Setup quarantine tank with minimal filtration or a air stone .

retrieve fish and setup display again .

 

[Uncle99]

I caught many a fish in my DT with this... works like a charm. Set it up, grab a drink, add food to trap, and wait...

Fish Trap

Get that troublemaker out of your aquarium! IceCap Fish Traps are by far the easiest solution to catching fish or even invertebrates out of your aquarium while minimizing stress and potential physical damage. Just place the trap against your tanks glass or acrylic pane and dispense some food...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Yup, this thing worked great.
Could not resist a meal in a box.

 

[coralcoralcoral10]

Been there and I feel your pain. My wife was the same as your fiance. She was beside herself... Lost a lot of fish when I went through it... It's a hard lesson learned and one I won't repeat.
Traps work, it just takes patience. You may want to try a couple different ones. The Nyos one wasn't out when I was going through this, so it may be an option. Not every trick will work with all the fish... you may have to try different tactics for different fish. I wasn't about ready to remove 300lbs of rock to catch them, so I had to be very creative. Netting at night is a good option if you can get a net to all the crevices; I couldn't.
One thing I did learn is that putting the trap in the tank for a day before baiting is key... the fish aren't as alarmed by the presence of the trap. Another trick was to use different foods for different fish. Tangs love nori, etc... Use the bait that they can't resist

 

[coralcoralcoral10]

It really is a hard lesson to learn. When you say you didn’t repeat it what did you do in to prevent it. Did you go the QT route. I just have to save for a big enough tank and set up. I may try these NYO traps or try to catch at night. How was your experience? It seems that with this tank it’s 2 steps foward 3 steps back. Any tips going forward that you think would be helpful would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[jassermd]

It really is a hard lesson to learn. When you say you didn’t repeat it what did you do in to prevent it. Did you go the QT route. I just have to save for a big enough tank and set up. I may try these NYO traps or try to catch at night. How was your experience? It seems that with this tank it’s 2 steps foward 3 steps back. Any tips going forward that you think would be helpful would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

The lesson learned was that I will ALWAYS QT my fish and not trust any LFS to do so.
When I went through it, I caught more than 8 fish over 2 days and lost 8 fish in the same time frame. Heartbreaking to say the least!!
I spent 2 afternoons/evenings with my wife and a drink catching the fish using the trap I posted... I never tried the Nyos one. The Icecap one was great for my purpose. It just takes patience...

Once the ones that survived were caught, I went fallow for 85 days. Why 85? I wanted to be extra sure I went fallow long enough... and my temp was at 80-81, and I was running UV.

After that, I made a commitment to myself and my wife (who was more heartbroken than I) that we will QT every fish. Since then, I have done so... That was the best thing I did. Knowing that the risk has been mitigated (as much as possible) is a big relief. I will never say that my tank is disease free, as I'm sure, it's not. I truly believe that healthy fish in good water and a healthy ecosystem can deal with most diseases. It's our responsibility to ensure that.

All you need for QT is a 10g tank (you can pick up a full set up from Petco or Petsmart for $50... tank, power filter, and heater). I also always have extra media in my sump in case I have to set up a quick hospital or observation tank. By extra media, I'm referring to several sponge filters and lots of matrix ( or similar). Here's a great thread from Jay outlining all you need...

Current Quarantine Protocol

2023 Quarantine Procedures Jay Hemdal David Scarborough Protozoans (Cryptocaryon/ich, Amyloodinium/velvet) and Metazoan trematodes/flukes are by far the most common parasites found on newly acquired fish. A carefully managed quarantine process can effectively eliminate these parasites before...

www.reef2reef.com

Early on, it's easy to say, "oh, no big deal, I can always catch them" or "I only have 2 fish, what's the harm..." When you have 12 or more grown fish that are well established, happy, and healthy, it's becomes an ethical dilemma... If I add this new fish, what will I do if it gets sick and infects all the tank mates?
We have a lot of time invested in the hobby, and even more so in the fish and livestock... an extra bit of time and effort to ensure that they are healthy and disease free is not much. The heartache alone is enough to deter...

 

[coralcoralcoral10]

The lesson learned was that I will ALWAYS QT my fish and not trust any LFS to do so.
When I went through it, I caught more than 8 fish over 2 days and lost 8 fish in the same time frame. Heartbreaking to say the least!!
I spent 2 afternoons/evenings with my wife and a drink catching the fish using the trap I posted... I never tried the Nyos one. The Icecap one was great for my purpose. It just takes patience...

Once the ones that survived were caught, I went fallow for 85 days. Why 85? I wanted to be extra sure I went fallow long enough... and my temp was at 80-81, and I was running UV.

After that, I made a commitment to myself and my wife (who was more heartbroken than I) that we will QT every fish. Since then, I have done so... That was the best thing I did. Knowing that the risk has been mitigated (as much as possible) is a big relief. I will never say that my tank is disease free, as I'm sure, it's not. I truly believe that healthy fish in good water and a healthy ecosystem can deal with most diseases. It's our responsibility to ensure that.

All you need for QT is a 10g tank (you can pick up a full set up from Petco or Petsmart for $50... tank, power filter, and heater). I also always have extra media in my sump in case I have to set up a quick hospital or observation tank. By extra media, I'm referring to several sponge filters and lots of matrix ( or similar). Here's a great thread from Jay outlining all you need...

Current Quarantine Protocol

2023 Quarantine Procedures Jay Hemdal David Scarborough Protozoans (Cryptocaryon/ich, Amyloodinium/velvet) and Metazoan trematodes/flukes are by far the most common parasites found on newly acquired fish. A carefully managed quarantine process can effectively eliminate these parasites before...

www.reef2reef.com

Early on, it's easy to say, "oh, no big deal, I can always catch them" or "I only have 2 fish, what's the harm..." When you have 12 or more grown fish that are well established, happy, and healthy, it's becomes an ethical dilemma... If I add this new fish, what will I do if it gets sick and infects all the tank mates?
We have a lot of time invested in the hobby, and even more so in the fish and livestock... an extra bit of time and effort to ensure that they are healthy and disease free is not much. The heartache alone is enough to deter...

Then you so much for this. There is so much to learn doing this and I’m trying my best to ensure a safe environment for these guys. I really appreciate it.

 

[coralcoralcoral10]

Do you have uv sterilizer?

Not yet but I’m about to purchase one I just don’t know where to start and what wattage and do you always run UV once you have it?

 

[swampy]

After reading this thread and having not luck trying to catch my two clowns in my fully stocked 125 we tried cheese cloth as a big net. Basically we made a big pocket in the net, added food, and waited. Worked like a charm. We also used some other nets to help push them towards the big one but in the end they found their own way. Just wanted to share in case this is helpful for others.