Cheap Fish Trap?

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toehead11183

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Dec 4, 2006
3,538
21
68
Memphis, tn
last spring i put a few fish (loaches, catfish, cichlids, and a pleco) in my outdoor pond (300g) and they grew like crazy. I was thinking of putting a few of my Clown loaches, another pleco and my peacock eel out there this spring. I got no problem getting them out of the pond in the fall but i really dont want to gut my tank to get them out. my 150 has a tone of rocks and it'll be a pain to try to catch them out. I need an idea for a fish trap aimed at bottom dwellers aroung 3". i tried cutting the tops off of big gatorade bottles and glueing them back inverted but that never caught anything. any ideas? i really dont want to use my 18" long 10" wide minnow trap.
 
I've used a 2L bottle, top cut off, inverted method before, it worked pretty well. Used some shrimp pellets as bait, checked it every couple hours.

I dunno about catching the loaches that way though, they're smart sob's. I never did catch a yoyo that way. Caught just about everything else though.
 
if u make a big enough box with a clear top so light can get in the fish wont be scared to explore.... model the entrance after one of those with a trap... small entrance with angled things on the inside to keep the fish form getting out
 
oh and add it as a reg cave without the things to keep the fish form gettigno ut frst... so they get used to it ( gotta trick em)
 
I just use two dividers to trap the fish in an area and use the net. Works every time. :D
 
For loaches, use the method that the locals use to catch them. Put a piece of hollowed bamboo in the water, and pull it straight up after a few hours. The loaches love to hide in tunnels, then you just dump the contents into a bucket
 
Just use a piece of PVC pipe, depending on size of fish about 25mm diameter works best. Loaches like dark caves and tunnels. You dont even need to seal one end, just put a net over one end and tilt it up when you check. Put the pipe back in same spot after checking so they get used to to being there and you will get them all.
 
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