How To Catch Shrimp?

[JustKia]

I've got a new tank on the way and so my inhabitants are going to need to be caught up and moved over.
I've got catching fish pretty much down to an art now but i've never tried catching shrimp.
I've got cherry shrimp and amano.
I'm going to guess that I might as well leave them til last?
Move all plants, decs, lower water, move fish, then go for the shrimp?
I've got two (very) fine mesh nets - will they be suitable for shrimp?

 

[Shrimper]

If its a small tank it is normally easy enough to corner them with one net and catch them with the other...

A method i have used for catching shrimp in my big tank is to make a trap by cutting a washed coke bottle in half, wedging the top upside down inside. you then put some shrimp food inside and sink it near the moss. The shrimp climb in and find it hard to get out again.

 

[wackystarfish]

Just use a net The Trick is stopping them climbing out again, so, once netted, kinda keep the net vertical so it forms a little pocket with the shrimp in it barred by the bar bit of the net so it cant get out
A tip for catching them is following them as they race up the tank glass!

 

[Shred]

Or you could spend a fortune on one of those special shrimp nets, like a normal net, but smaller! (and its a triangle so I guess it does make it slightly easier)

 

[mooey65]

Could try dimming the lights? If I put a net into my tank the shrimp swim to making it nice and easy for me.

 

[OneOnion]

A method i have used for catching shrimp in my big tank is to make a trap by cutting a washed coke bottle in half, wedging the top upside down inside. you then put some shrimp food inside and sink it near the moss. The shrimp climb in and find it hard to get out again.

Hmm I have a shrimp tank too but it has other fish in it also(At least, it will have other fish in it soon) and I'm wondering if the smaller fish go into the coke bottle too and get stuck ? Thanks.

 

[saltynay]

Use a shrimp trap like normal people do small water or coke bottle punch 5-6 small holes in the side and put some algae wafers in close the lid and sink in the tank. They will climb through the holes and into the bottle its how breeders move their stocks.

 

[JustKia]

Will give the 2 trap versions a go

Saltnay - how big should the small holes be and don't they just climb back out of them (surely they can if they can climb in through them)?

Then if that doesn't work (or doesn't get them all) I'll try and net the rest or chase into a container with a net (hopefully).

 

[Shrimper]

A method i have used for catching shrimp in my big tank is to make a trap by cutting a washed coke bottle in half, wedging the top upside down inside. you then put some shrimp food inside and sink it near the moss. The shrimp climb in and find it hard to get out again.

Hmm I have a shrimp tank too but it has other fish in it also(At least, it will have other fish in it soon) and I'm wondering if the smaller fish go into the coke bottle too and get stuck ? Thanks.

I tend to get one or two guppy fry swim into the bottle, the bigger fish wont fit through the hole.

 

[saltynay]

Bit delayed in my response soz been travelling. The holes should be about 5mm max. They can't find there way out as they don't see the difference between the clear plastic and the small holes so walk along the outside looking for the food find there way in but rarely find there way successfully out again. Also they can't walk at a severe gradient on clean fresh plastic they are actually walking on little algae colonies when they walk up the glass/plastic of your tank sides.

 

[JustKia]

Well, all the fish are out, so it's just shrimps and snails in there right now.
I've had 2 bottles in there - 1 with the top cut off and inverted into itself and 1 with holes cut into it.
Not one single shrimp in either of them.

So... Plan B

I can get the shrimp to move into the net (or rather they kept getting into the nets when I was trying to catch fish!) - just I'm terrified of damaging them, breaking their antennae and the like so if I can persuade them back into the net how do I get them out?
The nets I've got are the really fine white mesh ones - more like net curtain than actual net so to speak.

 

[eschaton]

Catching cherries is no problem at all. Unlike most non-guppy fish, they do nothing to avoid being netted. When you take them out though they curl up and can "jump" out of the net and onto the floor. Getting them off is often a pain, since they're so small and fragile. Best bet if this happens is to lift them by their antennae. Even if you damage one, it will regrow next molt.

Amanos, on the other hand, crawl right out of nets like little cockroaches. You must have your hand over the net when you take it out of the water.

 

[JustKia]

So, I won't hurt them to just net them, hand over net, net into bucket and let them out?
As yet still no shrimp in the traps - haha I obviously have (so they think) smart shrimp.

 

[JustKia]

Well, traps didn't work for my shrimp - not a single shrimp in any of them.
So, I've been putting the task off for a while now...
Decided to bite the bullet today and try netting them instead (after watching Paul from on here catch his the other day).
OMG It was sooooo easy wish I'd have just tried netting them to begin with now.

One thing though - I can cope with fish touching my hands, that's a feeling I can deal with but shrimps they are REALLY hard and feel very odd.
For some reason I thought they were going to be kind of soft and squishy. I know I know they have an exo skeleton but I still thought they'd be some what soft.

Oh and they jump especially Amano's