how can i safely catch & move 2 large common plecos??

jojitsui · Post by **jojitsui** » 04 Nov 2005, 11:28

Hello all you wonderful ppl,

does anybody know how i can catch 2 large shy common plecs?
we have bort a "special" net that the woman in the pet shop said would not hurt their spikes but on having a closer look i am not so sure.
could we use a plastic clear bag like the ones you get when you buy new fish ??
or shall we empty the old tank of bog wood plants etc leaving only a small amount of water in it and just pour them in (think this wil stress them out just as much tho)
can some1 pls help

not sure wat to do for the best
Cheers hopefully with your help i will get my new set up complete b4 xmas woooooooooo hooooooooooooooo

snowball · Post by **snowball** » 04 Nov 2005, 11:48

imo the best way would be to gently herd them into a large plastic bag submersed in the tank with them, if you can keep them in the water all the time it is far less stressful than netting them (there's a risk of fins getting caught) or tipping them in.

racoll · Post by **racoll** » 04 Nov 2005, 12:01

I usually just catch them by hand. This is very fast and you won't damage their fins. They will struggle surprisingly hard, so grip them quite tight!

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 04 Nov 2005, 12:03

A pipe that they can hide in, and removing all the other hidey stuff will often work.

Getting the fish to hide in the pipe can be difficult, but once it's in hiding, you can just lift the whole thing out and place it in the new location.

This works for most fish that likes to hide, but it's particularly good on pleco's etc, since they tend to STAY in the pipe no matter what happens. It's obviously a good idea to cover both ends to make sure it doesn't fall out, but they generall will try to stay hidden even if you move them about.

Although any capture is stressfull to the fish, big pleco's aren't too sensitive on it.

A net isn't that great, because they tend to get stuck with all the bristly bits. A fine net is probably better than one with bigger holes, if you still go down that route.

--
Mats

jojitsui · Post by **jojitsui** » 04 Nov 2005, 12:38

wicked thanks for you advice think i will try the pipe idea, (i couldn't pick them up by hand coz im a typical shreeking girl when it comes to stuff like that and would prob drop them

) and then the bag idea only thing is i am not sure i would be able to get a bag big enough for the fat 1 without holes in it lol

Phathead6669 · Post by **Phathead6669** » 04 Nov 2005, 17:29

I always use a net. I have one with very fine holes and the only issue I have is the pl*co sucking on the net itself. The pipe idea is an interesting one though.

My friend told me that he catches them in a net and then turns them upside down. When they are upside down they act pretty much dead, they don't move at all. If this works on all pl*cos i don't know, haven't tried it myself yet.

Jackster · Post by **Jackster** » 04 Nov 2005, 18:08

I always catch plecos with my hands.I never use nets for them as they almost always
get tangled and end up with fin damage. Some plecos will vibrate or squeak which can
be a bit shocking the first time it happens. Using a tube sounds like it will work if it is
the right size. I had a pleco once that attached itself to the glass so strongly that I could
not remove it. I was afraid that I would injure it so I just left it in the same tank all it's life.