Catching a Flame Angel

[Gagonzalez]

How do you catch a flame angel?

I have tried to net him - but he's too fast.

I also tried the bottle trick but he won't go in it. I had it baited with PE Mysis soaked in Selcon but he only ate what drifted out of the bottle and wouldn't go in.

Please help. :headwally:

Thanks

[thegrun]

Try feeding the tank for a few days with the food inside a net. The fish will associate the net with food and swin right into it.

[Cdodge1]

Try feeding the tank for a few days with the food inside a net. The fish will associate the net with food and swin right into it.

Never thought of that, it may just as well work. Failing that, you may have to take the bullet and start pulling rocks out.

[dmaynard2]

late at night they tend to be dormant. 2-3am you should be able to grab him. also, BRS has a nice fish trap that I've used. lastly take all your rock out and grab him.

[schatzi]

I had to catch a damsel and made a fence out of eggcrate that fit between an overflow and the front glass, it took some cutting to get it right. It was in a few different pieces and so I put the lower two thirds of it in the tank and waited for the fish to be on the side of the smaller area and then put up the rest, tying it together with cable ties. That cut down the area considerably where he could swim, pulled out a couple of rocks and had him in the net in no time. It was a good bit of work but easier than removing basically all of the rock to get a clear shot at him.

[Craigdillman]

+1 on the night catch, most fish tend to sleep in the same spot try to nab him at night while it's sleeping

[avionixx]

All else fails, drain the tank water to a brute container until there's maybe 1 or 2 inches of water left, then net the little guy!

I tried all of the recommended tricks to catch two aggressive damsels and in the end, none of them worked and I would have saved a whole day's work if I just drained the tank from the beginning. Took maybe 30 minutes for a 55 gallon tank! Of course this only works with smaller tanks.

[BrianB421]

I used a mirror. I hung the mirror on the OUTSIDE of my tank at the top corner. As soon as my Flame Angel saw it, it started puffing up showing aggression towards it's reflection. While it was doing his best "come at me bro!" I scooped him up with my net. Easy.

[shiftless]

remove all of the rock and coral. Drain the tank down to about 1-2 inches. Try netting it again.

[BrianB421]

remove all of the rock and coral. Drain the tank down to about 1-2 inches. Try netting it again.

This should always be a last resort. You are likely to send your aquarium on a mini cycle by doing this. Plus it's time consuming, frustrating, and causes the highest risk for your tank.

I've never had to tear a tank apart to catch a fish. The mirror trick works. The blackout to spotlight trick works too. Heck, the smartest, trickiest fish I ever caught was the hellish 6 line wrasse. He was an elusive SOB. haha. I left my net in the tank for two days. I then started feeding krill to my tank by putting it in the net and putting the net in the tank. It still took 3 days of doing so before the wrasse decided to grab the krill for himself. I let him get the krill out of the net two times a day for two days (he was quick and could elude me if skiddish). After he was comfortable with the krill in the net, I snatched his 6 lined behind out of the tank. Victory!

[reef4life07]

My flame is only aggressive towards my cardinal. I thought of taking it out but it look so good. Kinda wish I should of wait, and added him last.

[Mark9]

remove all of the rock and coral. Drain the tank down to about 1-2 inches. Try netting it again.

I don't think this is the best way to do it.

I've used the clear cover from my API test kit and "herded" the fish into it.

[Salty Dog24]

The Bottle Trap has always worked for me. It requires patience, and time for the fish to acclimate to it. I typically sink it to the bottom for a day, then on the next day start to add food to it, and wait like a buck hunter on the last day of deer season.