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Unread 11/12/2005, 11:26 AM   #1
Anthony Calfo
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Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 5,436
How to Catch Fish and Critters in Displays

The DRAIN METHOD:

Prompted by a query in another thread, I thought it might be useful to remind folks that need to remove fishes or motile invertebrates from established tanks that it is not effective or helpful to relentlessly chase the animal around the tank with a single net until exhaustion. Thats not good for anyone... especially a sick fish that needs to be pulled for QT.

And... there is not need to tear down the rockscape in part or whole just to make the same above attempt in what will be muddy/turbid water

No...if you need to trap this or any such fish... DO NOT tear down the tank, but instead set up some water holding vessels/clean garbage cans (well worth the $8 at Walmart if you have to buy new)... and use one of your powerheads/pumps or just a length or large bore tubing (1-1.5" from Home Depot) to drain the tank fast. Even a small powerhead of say 400ghp will pump a typical tank dry in mere minutes.

Thus... when the fishes are in low water (scoop a low spot in the sand if substrate is in the tank to force them into a really tight spot) you can effortlessly catch the targeted creature without stressing it or other fishes badly.

Then... simply pump that water right back in. You can drain and fisll even large aquarium in less time than it takes to eat lunch

As for the exposed rock/coral... I promise you that the 2 week dry import of live rock and the daily exposure of most reef corals to equatorial sun at low tide is far more stressful than the 15-20 minutes in a climate controlled house that it takes for you to drain and refill your tank

Ah, but what of anemones? Well.. the anemones would be better than most any other creature with this imposed "low tide." Wholesaler's ship and import most all of them without water to improve shipping survivability (they cannot pass waste in their own shipping bag water and pollute/kill themselves).

In time I will post other methods of trapping fishes and critters... and I'm asking fellow aquarists to do the same here too.


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"If you give a man a fish, he eats for a day... but if you teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime."

Current Tank Info: 2K gallon fishroom, garden ponds

Last edited by Anthony Calfo; 11/12/2005 at 12:48 PM.
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