Struggling to catch the fish in your aquarium? Are they moving too fast? Are there too many? Are your fish just simply being difficult? Whatever your issue is, we know that it is not easy and can become a bit frustrating.
We know that it’s unpleasant for you, but it’s also stressful for your fish. Chasing them with a net for a long period of time, moving decor items around in the tank and backing them into a corner doesn’t sound good at all. We have put together a few tips of what to do, and what not to do, so that it is an easier process for you and for your fish.
Let’s start with what you should do.
Move slowly
Don’t move around too fast because it will startle your fish, stress them out and make the process a lot more difficult. Place the net into the tank slowly, move it around without disturbing your fish and make sure that they are used to it.
Try using food
If you find that your fish are not interested in the new object in the tank and they are not swimming towards the net, try adding a few sinking pellets or a wafer into the net to attract them.
Use the corners
Try to get your fish into a corner of the tank and into the net. Note that if you have tried to scoop your fish into the net, but you are unsuccessful after a few tries, you should stop. Do not carry on as it may cause your fish unnecessary stress. Rather stop, let your fish calm down and try again or move onto another method.
Lower the water level
It may be easier for you to have the water level in your tank lowered so that your fish cannot escape the net too much because they don’t have a lot of space to swim.
Use two nets
Use one net for catching your fish and another one to guide them into the first net. This may help because they are being pushed to swim in a certain direction, but there are also more objects in the tanks now which means that they have less space to escape the two nets.
Use your hands
This may sound like something you are unsure of or might not want to do, but this method works well if you have bigger fish. You do this by using one hand to catch your fish just above its tail and hold it underneath with your other hand. It’s recommended to have a lot of patience and skill when attempting this method as it is not the easiest and some fish can become defensive.
The Cichlid trap
This method is mainly used for fish that are small, fast and are difficult to catch with nets. For this you will need one plastic bottle, a bit of food and patience. Take the plastic bottle, cut off the top part and save it.
You are then going to cut the rim off, invert the top part of the bottle and slide it back into the bottle. You can glue it back on to make sure that it doesn’t fall off. Then place sinking fish food inside the bottle and slowly put the trap at the bottom of the tank. Your fish will then swim in and now you can seal it and remove it from the tank.
Now that you know what you should do, what are a few things to avoid?
Moving too fast
We’ve mentioned it already, but it’s very important to note that you have to move slow and have patience. You do not want to scare your fish and possibly hurt them.
Space it out
Unless you are changing the water, your fish has an illness or you absolutely have to – you should avoid taking your fish out of the tank. The constant change in temperature and the adjustments are not good.
We know that catching fish can be a bit tricky at times and can really make your blood boil, but having a few tricks up your sleeve won’t hurt. We hope these tips, tricks and methods are useful for you and that we have saved you from a few headaches in the future.
