My personal house pet and good buddy, a 17 inch smallmouth bass, is beginning to make a 150 gallon aquarium look small. The fish is about 3 years old and appears to still be growing. Before I even think of purchasing a larger tank I would like to explore different ideas for safe capture and removal from the 150 and introduction into another tank. I moved the fish from a 55 gallon to the 150 when it was about 8" long. That was quite the task at that time, but now with over twice the size and strength, I'm definitely more concerned. While, in some respects, the fish is as tame and personable as a kitten or puppy, it's also very excitable and capable of tremendous thrust and velocity. I therefore fear that any kind of a chase with a net could easily result in serious damage to the fish. Has anyone had any experience with safely capturing/moving fish that are this large, powerful, and excitable from an aquarium, or does anyone have any ideas that might work that could minimize the potential damage and certain stress it would cause to the fish? Thank you.
Steve.
Moving large excitable fish?
Started by
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, Jun 25 2012 12:13 PM
26 replies to this topic
#2
Guest_Skipjack_*
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Posted 25 June 2012 - 12:23 PM
Lower the water, and add ice? Put in a large hide, that you can trap him in after he starts hiding in it.
#3
Guest_Yeahson421_*
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Posted 25 June 2012 - 01:54 PM
If you do add ice, make sure you've made it from dechlorinated water.
#4
littlen
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Posted 25 June 2012 - 02:58 PM
Like Skipjack said, lower the water level. On the day that you actually decide to move the fish, continue to drain the water until it literally has nothing to swim in. At that point you could probably pick the fish up by hand, or at least scoop it up with a large net.
I 'had' 2 Muskie that were fingerlings in a 75gal a few years back and while moving them into a 180 gal., one decided to make a break for it and shot to the other side of the tank. He consequently caved his skull in by hitting the glass and died. I worry now as I'm about to move the remaining Muskie into a larger tank (it's ~14" now)...but am going to try what I suggested above. Should be fine. Best of luck, your bass is hardy and should tolerate whatever stress it encounters during the move quite well as all sunnies do.
I 'had' 2 Muskie that were fingerlings in a 75gal a few years back and while moving them into a 180 gal., one decided to make a break for it and shot to the other side of the tank. He consequently caved his skull in by hitting the glass and died. I worry now as I'm about to move the remaining Muskie into a larger tank (it's ~14" now)...but am going to try what I suggested above. Should be fine. Best of luck, your bass is hardy and should tolerate whatever stress it encounters during the move quite well as all sunnies do.
Nick L.
#5
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Posted 25 June 2012 - 04:03 PM
Rather than using ice, if you have room in your freezer a few days before the move freeze several bottles of water. You could use 1/2 gallon milk jugs, 1 or 2 liter soda bottles, etc depending on the room in your freezer and tank. I use them all them time when fishing to keep bait cool.
#6
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Posted 25 June 2012 - 05:27 PM
Perhaps you could set up a large minnow trap and bait it with his favorite food? It would mean that you wouldn't have to chase him at all. If your fish is really curious, maybe you could place a bucket on its side in the aquarium that is just large enough to hold the fish, and take all other decorations out. Hopefully he would then claim that as his cave, and then it would be a simple matter of trapping him in the bucket with a net so that you could take him out while he is still submerged in water (keep the net on the bucket to prevent jumping once he's out). That's how I've moved most of my cave-loving fish in the past, anyways.
All else fails? Grab your fishing gear...
All else fails? Grab your fishing gear...
#7
Guest_EricaWieser_*
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Posted 25 June 2012 - 09:08 PM
I have used this technique with great success. Fish can't swim away if there's no water left.Like Skipjack said, lower the water level. On the day that you actually decide to move the fish, continue to drain the water until it literally has nothing to swim in. At that point you could probably pick the fish up by hand, or at least scoop it up with a large net.
After moving my fish tank 8 times in four years I got pretty good at it. These are the steps:
1. Put filter sponge in its own fish baggie with water.
2. Disconnect and store all equipment attached to the tank.
3. Connect hose that slowly drains out water and begin removing and packing plants into their own baggies.
4. Continue removing plants and tank decorations until all that is left are the fish and a steadily decreasing water level.
5. When the fish have nowhere to run (the water is at their backs and the ground at their bellies), catch them. Bag them in pre-prepared fish baggies with clean water, not the dusty stuff from the tank as it is with lowered water. For a single large fish you can use a cooler.
6. After water is done draining, completely remove all substrate (gravel, sand, kitty litter, etc) and only then, after everything is completely gone from the tank do you attempt to move it.
Have I done it other ways? Yes. One time I put a 55 gallon tank with plants, substrate, and four inches of water in the back of a pickup truck complete with fish and drove it down the highway for over an hour. One hatchet fish (they're oddly shaped and just basically got scraped along the bottom the whole time) and a few fry didn't survive but every other fish did. Would I do that again? hecks no, that tank was three times as heavy as it needed to be and I was worrying about my fish the whole time. I now use the 'bag the fish, plants, and filter sponge and don't worry about them' method. The tank is much much easier to move when empty and the whole stress level is way down.
Edit:
One last tip: If you try the technique above with a tank with lots of small fish, watch out for these ones so you don't miss them:
http://gallery.nanfa...hiding.jpg.html
Edited by EricaWieser, 25 June 2012 - 09:09 PM.
#8
Guest_exasperatus2002_*
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Posted 25 June 2012 - 09:36 PM
two large nets one to catch him in & the other to close the 1st one so it cant jump/flop out of the net & onto the floor.
#9
Guest_keepnatives_*
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Posted 25 June 2012 - 09:39 PM
Take an appropriately sized landing net and line the inside with a dark fabric or old quilt. Set it across the top hanging slightly into the water for a day or 2 then actually place it into the tank wedged in so it resembles a cave if he enters grab the handle a pull it out. Putting it into the new tank may be a bigger problem.
#10
Guest_steve_*
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Posted 26 June 2012 - 12:22 AM
Thank y'all so much for the replies. Great ideas. I feel more confident now that it can be done without turning into complete disaster. I'll post with pictures when the task is accomplished. I'd like to be able to quickly measure and weigh him while I'm transfering him too, but I'm not sure if I'll have the nerve to go that far or not. It'll likely still be a while though. I just wanted to start planning ahead since I know he'll be more than a handfull. Funny, I've caught, weighed, measured and released many smallmouths without issue and wouldn't even think about them sustaining any life threatening damage, but when I know one personally, I'm nearly as concerned about it as if it were a child. Thanks again to everyone for the great ideas and replies.
Steve
Steve
#11
Guest_gzeiger_*
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Posted 01 July 2012 - 03:31 PM
In addition to the ideas above, I would suggest doing it at night after several hours of darkness. Juvenile bass at least are readily netted at night when you really can't catch them any other way.
#12
Guest_Irate Mormon_*
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Posted 04 July 2012 - 11:18 PM
I move large fish with my dipnet, removed from the handle. If you are worried about excitability (e.g. crashing into the glass), you might consider a trank like clove oil (I got mine from my small-town pharmacy).
#13
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Posted 05 July 2012 - 12:16 AM
Clove oil is very useful for sure. I have never found an exact dosage though. Martin do you have a formula?
#14
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Posted 05 July 2012 - 06:26 PM
I used to move many bass many times for purpose of determining length and weight. Some became so accustomed to process that effort to avoid was minimal. Following process should get your bass prepared to stressor to come.
Leave net(s) to handle it with in tank for several days. Each day gently handle nets in and even touch fish with them. At some point actually confine fish only breifly, then release it. Each time increase duration of handling. Feed fish an hour of so later with a small meal. On day to be moved, use exact same proceedure and move from small to large tank quickly and smoothly. Have lights subdued in receiving tank.
Leave net(s) to handle it with in tank for several days. Each day gently handle nets in and even touch fish with them. At some point actually confine fish only breifly, then release it. Each time increase duration of handling. Feed fish an hour of so later with a small meal. On day to be moved, use exact same proceedure and move from small to large tank quickly and smoothly. Have lights subdued in receiving tank.
#15
Guest_Irate Mormon_*
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Posted 05 July 2012 - 08:10 PM
Clove oil is very useful for sure. I have never found an exact dosage though. Martin do you have a formula?
Bruce posted one to this forum - It's around here somewhere. I haven't used the stuff in a long while...
#16
Guest_fundulus_*
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Posted 05 July 2012 - 09:37 PM
The key to using it is to premix one part of clove oil to nine parts of alcohol, either ethanol (white lightning?) or isopropanol, so that the clove oil will mix in solution. A surprisingly small amount of that mix will have anesthetic properties, even 1 ml per 500 ml will probably knock out a fish and if you don't put the fish in a fresh water solution, kill it. I use it as a euthanizing agent, with 2 ml in about 300 ml of water. It will knock fish out pretty quickly; the active ingredient is eugenol, a cell membrane disruptor. Of course the downside is that everything will smell like cloves, which I guess is better than, say, formaldehyde.
#17
Guest_gzeiger_*
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Posted 06 July 2012 - 02:27 AM
Is there any possibility of permanent damage from that?
#18
Guest_centrarchid_*
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Posted 06 July 2012 - 07:09 AM
Is there any possibility of permanent damage from that?
Yes, move fish after it obviously becomes disoriented but prior loosing equilibrium. Fish will appear slow and react very little to handling. Transfer to receiving tank will effectively stop exposure.
I stress again, the new habitat itself can be a stressor. Subdue lighting, cover tightly, and avoid disturburbance for a couple days. With larger fish it is not simply the act of moving that is a stressor when such animals already have well developed concept of home range.
#19
Guest_steve_*
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Posted 06 July 2012 - 12:54 PM
With larger fish it is not simply the act of moving that is a stressor when such animals already have well developed concept of home range.
I didn't realized just how strong this was until I moved this fish from a 55 gallon to the 150 gallon when it was about 8" long. The tanks are about 7 feet apart and for the first several weeks all it wanted to do was stare back at the 55 gallon where it had just come from. I was amazed that it could tell where "home" had been from the outside looking in - a perspective it would have never known that tank from before.
#20
Guest_steve_*
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Posted 12 July 2012 - 11:41 AM
If clove oil is used, and water is drained afterward, would there be a danger of enough clove oil seeping into wood, gravel, or other tank ornaments, thereby making them unusable in later set ups?
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