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	the art of catching plecos by hand...
Cup_of_Lifenoodles Fish Guru Posts: 2755 Kudos: 1957 Votes: 30 Registered: 09-Sep-2004	The area just before the middle of the eyes is the proverbial "off button" of most loricariids. With large hypostomids, fine nets are appropriate, as odontodal growths are minimal in these species. Last edited by Cup_of_Lifenoodles at 21-Sep-2005 17:07
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:06
tiny_clanger Fish Guru Posts: 2563 Kudos: 571 Votes: 12 Registered: 17-Sep-2002	The clear jug technique works pretty well, they cant see it, so they dont stress. My BN plec (OK, so a smallie, but I do use a large jog) will just swim in, esp if there is a little gravel and a plant in the jug. ------------------------------------------------- I like to think that whoever designed marine life was thinking of it as basically an entertainment medium. That would explain some of the things down there, some of the unearthly biological contraptions
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:06
chrism Enthusiast Posts: 152 Kudos: 109 Votes: 19 Registered: 14-Jul-2004	all of a sudden this thread has become very relevant! In the process of moving tanks, managed to get him out, using two nets one from either side, still to scared to use my hands and got him into a 50l bin full of the old tank water... he's staying in there till sat when my new tank arrives! I don't think I'm going to be lucky enough to get him out using the same method, seems very sketchy... god knows how I'm going to get him out and back in the new tank
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:06
Cup_of_Lifenoodles Fish Guru Posts: 2755 Kudos: 1957 Votes: 30 Registered: 09-Sep-2004	Odd. All my hypancistrus, including my zebras (in fact, they are the shyest of the bunch) are incredibly reclusive and won't come near me until after the food is deposited.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:06
Crazy_Coyote Hobbyist Posts: 126 Kudos: 103 Votes: 17 Registered: 05-Sep-2005	Yes it is very fun to see if you can get these things exept when they poke you. i dont know how but i tought my zebra pleco to eat out of my hand so catching him is a lot easier now
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:06
houston Fish Guru You want what when? Posts: 2623 Kudos: 2462 Votes: 337 Registered: 29-Mar-2003	I don't know how many times I've played "catch the big pleco with an awful attitude" it has yet to be fun, always adventurous, always a challenge, usually ends up destroying the tank in question Thanks for the laughs i'll keep these thoughts in mind for next timeb/c if these two bn don't get busy, they are gonna be going back to the lfs soon "I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:06
Patchy Enthusiast Posts: 224 Kudos: 195 Votes: 0 Registered: 25-Sep-2005	Always remeber the day trying to catch my plec by hand....when i went to lower my hands into the tank oscar thought it was feeding time....
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:06
chrism Enthusiast Posts: 152 Kudos: 109 Votes: 19 Registered: 14-Jul-2004	haha yup scare the life outa me too!! Was a good laugh moving my common from my mates tank to mine across the other side of town... when we eventually caught him using two nets from his left and righthand sides, to kinda lift him out, got him in the bag... and then realised there was a hole in the bag!! so had to stick him in a bucket... all good fun!
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:06
heaven2 Mega Fish Posts: 1065 Votes: 0 Registered: 10-Jun-2002	I'm afraid to hand catch my plecs. Instead I gently shush or hand wave them into a large clear plastic juice pitcher, then raise it out of the tank. Works well for me, but I am dealing only with plecs 5.5 inches or less.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:06
moondog Moderator The Hobnob-lin Posts: 2676 Kudos: 1038 Votes: 4366 Registered: 30-Sep-2002	apparently this method is ineffective on larger cichlids like severums. and i have the mark on my hand to prove it "That's the trouble with political jokes in this country... they get elected!" -- Dave Lippman
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:06
moondog Moderator The Hobnob-lin Posts: 2676 Kudos: 1038 Votes: 4366 Registered: 30-Sep-2002	never thought i'd have to quickly master this, but i managed to finally corner my big common after about 10 minutes of chasing him around the tank. luckily for me he swam into the top corner right near both my hands and i discovered that if i gave his head a slight squeeze that he basically went stiff enough to let me move him out of the tank. hopefully i never have to do this again for some time to come... "That's the trouble with political jokes in this country... they get elected!" -- Dave Lippman
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:06
sirbooks Moderator Sociopath Posts: 3875 Kudos: 5164 Votes: 932 Registered: 26-Jul-2004	Probably, and also the elbow-length gloves mainly sold for marine aquarists that you can sometimes find in shops. Gloves are a good precaution, especially when working with venemous fish and invertebrates. And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:06
Babelfish Administrator Small Fry with Ketchup Posts: 6833 Kudos: 8324 Votes: 1570 Registered: 17-Apr-2003	Those spines can do a number on your fingers. Compleatly random idea, but would reef gloves work? They're thin gloves worn by divers to protect them in the event that they go crashing into something they shouldn't. ^_^ [hr width='40%']"So take the photographs, and still frames in your mind. Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time... It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right [link=I hope]http://babelfish.qwertydigital.com/" style="COLOR: #EB4288[/link] you had the time of your life"
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:06
moondog Moderator The Hobnob-lin Posts: 2676 Kudos: 1038 Votes: 4366 Registered: 30-Sep-2002	plus if your net is not nearly large enough to catch your fish in it, you have to do something to catch them "That's the trouble with political jokes in this country... they get elected!" -- Dave Lippman
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:06
jasonpisani Ultimate Fish Guru Posts: 5553 Kudos: 7215 Votes: 1024 Registered: 24-Feb-2003	With Big fish, it's easier by hand than with nets. They get tangled easily & you'll waste more time chasing them. http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/s8xi5heh/my_photos http://www.geocities.com/s8xi5heh/classic_blue.html http://groups.yahoo.com/group/buzaqq/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/ Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970. http://www.maltaaquarist.com
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:06
Natalie Ultimate Fish Guru Apolay Wayyioy Posts: 4499 Kudos: 3730 Votes: 348 Registered: 01-Feb-2003	Most plecos, especially large ones, quickly become tangled in nets. I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:06
von dutch Hobbyist Posts: 65 Kudos: 76 Registered: 11-Jun-2005	isnt using two nets easier than by hand? ~elaine~
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:06
moondog Moderator The Hobnob-lin Posts: 2676 Kudos: 1038 Votes: 4366 Registered: 30-Sep-2002	well, getting my clown plecs to sit somewhere i could find them was quite a chore, nevermind trying to get the big guy to sit still long enough for me to touch him without him running away the catching behind the head trick was a nice discovery, but i'm hoping these fish won't be moved for at least several more months. "That's the trouble with political jokes in this country... they get elected!" -- Dave Lippman
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:06
sirbooks Moderator Sociopath Posts: 3875 Kudos: 5164 Votes: 932 Registered: 26-Jul-2004	Grabbing them behind the head seems to make them freeze for some reason, and lets you break their hold on the glass easily. For some reason, I think it's fun to catch plecos with this method at work. The big plecs are tough though. Those spines can do a number on your fingers. And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:06
bettachris Ultimate Fish Guru Posts: 3875 Kudos: 4173 Votes: 452 Registered: 13-Jun-2004	wow seems like alot of trouble today with catching bottom fishes.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:06


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