Trapping Clowns in my tank

[saphphx]

Hi - long time no see guys! how have you all been??

Bad news is Squishy died a year or so back - still slightly deformed but had years of love and wormyfoods. His buddies have moved into my 6.5x2x2 foot display tank and harass my cats

Good news is, I got them some friends who I've been growing out in my 5x1.5x2 footer, however they need to pack up and shift as the pleccies have decided to start a family! I've managed to catch two loaches by using the "food in a tube and net the whole tube" method, but the other two are a little clever for that. I've also been sucking out baby pleccies as I've found them to reduce the omnom temptations! The clowns are about 2 inches long, half an inch tall.

Unfortunately the tank looks like this:

(the jar full of java moss has the babies I've not moved upstairs yet)

and is full of tiny babies, 5 small corydoras, 6 Blue Phantoms, some Zebra Pleccies, a harliquin rasbora*, a galaxy rasbora* and ABN Pleccies in addition to my lovely loaches, so turning it upside down isn't an option. None of my ABNs have been caving or showing any breeding behaviors, and all 5 have reported to the caf for lunch, so I have no idea where these babies have come from, but they are albino looking, so I think I may have 6 of them in there still (friend was watching fish and "took out a dead white one" last year, only ones who are white without stripes are the ABN! maybe I was wrong lol)

so yeah anyway - how do I get the clowns out? I've thought about using a 2ltr bottle with prawns, like a snake trap (this sort of thing, but plastic strips instead of cardboard!http://www.ehow.com/how_5553566_make-bo ... snake.html)

It worries me that about half of the babies still have egg sacs, so trying to get them all out to raise away from sharp edges, but yeah. Easier said than done. The loaches have caught on and run for cover when I walk past the tank. However, there are loads of babies out and around in the open, and the clowns just don't seem fussed. The Harliquin has taken a go at one or two fry, but hasn't actually done them any damage, and failed to catch 90%, he is going to a different tank when I can catch him.

* they are spares - last survivors of an old display tank who are happily living out their last year or so in my tank. I will be moving them to the fish room and finding them friends I think.

(sorry, that was all over the place)

[saphphx]

I made one using a fish bag instead of cardboard, set in the tank and bated with tubiflex cubes. Hopefully come morning the two loaches can go join their mates upstairs!

[saphphx]

and as soon as it went in, I caught a ABN *head desk*

[saphphx]

ONE LOACH CAUGHT! Common lad, be social and go visit your mate!

[glenna]

I like the tent style caves in the front there.
And new babies!!! Always such a treat to find them!

I hate to catch clowns...such wiley fish.

I guess it would be impossible to catch the babies, rather than the clowns???
I mean, once they lose their egg sac, won't they need a special environment where you can feed them specifically anyway?

NOTE: I have not been doing this very long, so take this with a grain of salt.

[saphphx]

Well, I had been catching babies with a turkey baster. Had them in a jar in their parents tank, changing water daily with pippet, feeding, etc, and killed about half of them somehow. So I tipped them back out into the tank lol. I imagine they've been eating the film on the glass instead of the baby food, and the parents have been moving them to the better parts of the tank - they'll also eat the slime on the bog wood like their parents, so they are probably better off in there then a brand new setup with no slime to eat.

Thanks They all looked like the square one, but the silicon on one side of those gave way, so they are tents now LOL. I can't be bothered fixing them, and they are twice as popular as they were, so that is all I will make from now on. I am a bit miffed I spent a lot of money on tank silicon for it to go to bits in under two years. So glad I didn't make a tank with it!!!

The trap has worked well so far. the last clown standing is very interested in it but not going in. I am upping the game tonight and putting their favorite pellet in it before I head to bed. I'll have to dump 90% of the tanks fish back into the tank tomorrow, but hopefully little Solo will be in there Fingers crossed