Tips for trapping angel

[fluidimagery]

Hey Guys,

I've picked up a beatiful potter's angel for my tank for about 3 weeks ago. It took him a little while to acclimate to the tank and start eating, now he's accepting everything... but unfortunately he loves my SPS... mostly the pocillipora. One small colony I didn't really care about is just about demolished and now he's on my favorite pocillipora my wife got me as just a small frag.

I really don't want to tear the tank apart to get him and disrupt everything but I need to get him out...

Any suggestions?

 

[fluidimagery]

How is Ultralife's "The Trap" I just read a review on AA

 

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

I removed my potters after 3 months for same reason
I used a 128oz Gatorade bottle. I cot the top say 4" off and the snipped the top mouth off and down a little past it for a ~50/60% opening.
I then put a nori sheet on a small piece of live rock I chipped off and rubberbanded it to the rock and sank it. Over a couple days all the fish went in the trap at least once and some would sit and chomp for awhile before leaving. Once I noticed the potters going in a few times I just waited a two days with no feeding and then sunk a fresh sheet and withinf five minutes I had him and two chromis that i released.
Free and worth a try - imo.

 

[Lenny718]

Great Idea Eagles, I'll have to try that. :bagfish:

 

[fluidimagery]

I ordered the Ultralife trap since I was reading some good reviews. Thanks for the advice Eagles.

 

[fali]

Any fish trap with closing door should work. I had a 3-stripe damsel that nipped on my clams' mantles. So I tried a bottle on my damsel but when i pull up he swims out quickly. When i also put the bottle too close to the surface he won't swim in. I'm not saying the homemade bottle trap doesn't work, but the fish trap is less fustrating and requires less patience. When the fish swims into a fish trap to eat the food, you just release the string and the door will shut and the fish won't realize it.:eat:


However the fish that don't rely on the food you put in the tank might not care like the manderines.

 

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

A trap with a door requires someone to close the door. I think that takes more effort than just waiting and taking out the homemade bottle trap.
The key is to have an opening that is awkward. When the fish tries to swim back out he is met by an uneven exit that is not flat but comes toward him as he gets closer to the exit hole.
I couldn't count how many times the fish would swim into the edge's deepness and have no clue what to do.
With a fish as small as a dmasel you simply need a smaller trap with smaller hole.
-IMO, the string 'might' scare away some fish.

Oh, and it's free

 

[fali]

^^^ true. But they smell the food they don't care about the string. The string is very thin and clear, practicly unnoticed to the fish. I tied the string to a chair and watched some TV, every now and then monitored the situation. So once you see the fish you want go in just untie the string and the door will close. EVERY FISH WENT IN IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was to a point i had to catch the damsel with my yellow tang, because they all go in together like its some kind of all-you-can-eat buffet. All your bold fish will go in first, but the timid and suspicious ones will take longer but will eventually go in.

 

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

6 of one half dozen the other....both can work but one is free to try. If it doesn't work then you can spend money on a name brand trap or build one yourself for cheaper.

 

[crox99]

fluidimagery

let me know if you have success with the Ultralife. i also need to catch two pygmy angels.

 

[jab161]

I made a trap out of eggcrate, simply cut six pieces to desired size and join together with tie straps using only two on one side to create a hinged door. I tied a string to the door and put a small rock on the door so it would close fast. I then put nori in it and got out a very cautious coral beauty.

 

[fluidimagery]

Just as an update the Ultralife trap worked great. It only took about an hour of the trap being in there for the Angel to go in and whala! Sure beats ripping apart the tank to get the fish out. Well worth the $40 or so.

As an aside, it would be a lot better if the door had a little more weight to it took my finger to quickly push it all the way down. I might somehow rig up a weight if I need to use it again (hopefully not)

Thanks for the help.

 

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

$40....that means you paid for your Potters twice. Wish I would have caught this thread before to lend the free advice. Worth a try to avoid $40 to get something 'out' of your tank.