How to Trap a Fish
It won't be long before you find yourself trying to catch a fish in your own tank. Whether it needs to be isolated because the fish has become a bully, or is injured or sick, the fish will unlikely be willing to go without a chase. Because of the rockwork, and the delicate nature of the small aquarium space, hand netting may not be feasible. In these cases you can create a simple fish trap at home with a few supplies.
To start, you will need a clear conatiner, A two liter soda bottle will work for most small fish, a larger container may be needer for larger specimens. (For larger fish the same ideas below will work, the trap will just need to be larger). You will also need super glue, and a good pair of scissors. Older round 2 litter bottles work better than the newer sleek bottles that look like 20 ounce bottles, like those used by the Coca Cola company.
First, remove any labeling and markings from the bottle. Rinse throroughly, do not use soap. The container should be free of chemicals.
Second, cut the bottle in a circle as shown below. It should be cut where the "dome" portion of the top ends.
Third, cut a hole around the screw top making a hole larger than the fish you want to capture as this will be the entrance of the trap.
By now you should have two pieces, one 2 liter bottle without a top, and one top without a bottle or a spout. The bottom should look like this:
The top should look like this, except it should be clear I used a green two liter bottle for the top for illustration purposes:
Fourth place a thin line of super glue around the base of the modified dome piece of the two liter bottle.
Finally place the dome into the two liter bottle inverted, and allow the glue to dry. Poke a few small holes in the top of the two liter bottle trap, the bottom of your trap should be the area that has label remnants. When the trap is done, it should look like this:
To use your trap, fill the bottle up with water in your tank. Use the holes on the top to allow trapped air to escape. Place food for your fish inside of the trap, and place the trap on the bottom of the tank, preferrably in an area the fish frequents. Now to play the waiting game. The fish will eventually wander into the trap, and because of the convex nature of the dome exit, the fish is likely to miss the opening, and swim down and to the sides, being trapped for at least a short while. Once the fish is caught remove the trap, remember where you have holes so you don't make a mess or spill the fish back into the tank.
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Guest (Mike)
PermalinkI hear a clicking in my tank. Day & night. A few clicks then nothing for a while until it clicks again. I've looked for it over & over with lights on & off. I don't see any pile of shells or ever lose a fish to it. However my clean up crew ends up empty shells over time. Thus my recent order with you. I've tried the bottle trap with no success. I'd love to get this pest out but am out of ways to get it or locate it. Unfortunately the reef is pretty big with large rocks. So figuring out which rock he is in & dunking it is impossible without breaking down the reef. I figure it's a pistol or mantis shrimp. Each time I hear the clicks I hear a cash register ring & say there goes .75 & he getting a steak dinner. it's not caused me anything more than stress so far but as it grows I'm afraid I can't keep up with the clean up crews or he'll get a fish or a star, so I'd like him gone. Any tricks you know of? Or advice?
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Mantis shrimp are a pain because they tend to want to go for live food. What are you using for bait in the soda trap? If you have something plastic and stick shaped, (like a mini tickle stick for lobster), I would poke his hole a bit to see if you can flush him out into the open. If you become sure of what hole he is living in, you can also kill him that way if capturing isn't possible, just jab harder with the stick, or attach a skewer at the end. Cut clothes hanger would work, but something stiffer would be better.
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