Baby Bristlenoses

[roddy]

Just wondering if anybody has any tips on how to catch young BN from a planted tank. The pair I have regularly manage to get four or five to survive out of each batch they produce. No mean feat given they share the tank with angelfish, lined and red-lined barbs, silversharks and clown loaches. There is no agression between the adults and the youngsters, despite the fact some are now well grown, but the tank is starting to look a bit over run and the plants are beginning to suffer from all the attention. Any attempt to catch them so far has proved futile and just results in stressing everything else. Help!

 

[karawr]

If it's fully planted it would be a pain to rip everything out; but I normally suggest to remove as many decorations as you can...

Also having the tank half empty helps a ton.

As well as using two nets to shepherd them into a corner and the other net to catch them!

 

[Baccus]

I have a fry net that can be suspended in the tank and has a solid frame, when I want to catch some of my BN's I simply let the net sink to the bottom of the tank and bait it with some of the BN's favourite food. It doesn't take them long to start piling in for the food and then you just lift up the net and dudda you've caught some of the fish you wanted/ needed to move. This trick also works well with cory's, but loaches I find you have to be sneakier.

 

[roddy]

Thanks for the ideas, reckon the fry net might work with little disturbance to others, will give it a try

 

[TwoTankAmin]

You can try that trick with a plain net like we use to catch our fish. Put an algae wafer or piece of blanched zuchini in the net and stick in the tank so the net rests on the bottom. The plecos find their way in to eat and you just lift em out. Then repeat the process til you have them all.

 

[roddy]

Just to say thanks for ideas, a bit of pleco tablet and a large net and got some out. Mind you think others have twigged to whats going on so might need to give it a rest for a bit