Cleaning Tanks With Aggressive Fish

[ItsGettinDangerous]

Does anyone have any tips and tricks on how to clean tanks with aggressive/dangerous fish?

I have a 9" Hoplias Malabaricus, and I've been bitten more times than I'd like to remember when trying to clean the tank. It's a 55 gallon tank, and there's only the one fish in it. After it bites me it realizes I'm not food and just hovers suspiciously. If I can't get it to stop, I just know I'm going to lose a finger one of these days.

 

[bfhslilred93]

get a bag from your lfs, fill it, put the fish in it, then poke holes in the bag so some water can get in. not very high tech but it works on my rbps

 

[cichlid savage]

When I have aggressive fish in a tank I always just make sure I am cleaning with the gravel vac near them pushing them out of the way. That or use something else to keep the fish at bay while I clean or move something. Not hi-tech at all but I havn't been bitten very many times.

 

[polarbear]

Bite the fish back???? What about a tank seperator if you have one sittign around and do it one side then the other??

 

[syndicate]

When I have aggressive fish in a tank I always just make sure I am cleaning with the gravel vac near them pushing them out of the way. That or use something else to keep the fish at bay while I clean or move something. Not hi-tech at all but I havn't been bitten very many times.

agreed^^

 

[rainbowfishpc]

I would feed about an hour before you clean it, that wasy it is full (rare), but won't be in its feeding frenzy mood.

 

[Militis]

When I have aggressive fish in a tank I always just make sure I am cleaning with the gravel vac near them pushing them out of the way. That or use something else to keep the fish at bay while I clean or move something. Not hi-tech at all but I havn't been bitten very many times.

vac is good tool that or you use or you can toughen up

 

[ItsGettinDangerous]

All good suggestions. I was kind of afraid to take him out of the tank, I didn't want to lose him to stress or anything, but I guess it's worth a shot and probably the best solution. A separator would be hard to use without taking the decorations out of the tank, and I'd get attacked while doing so anyway. Feeding him before cleaning doesn't help, if anything he gets worse because he thinks more food is coming. And if I were to toughen up, I wouldn't need such an aggressive fish to compensate for my wimpiness.

 

[zennzzo]

I use a net that isn't very deep to keep the agro fish away from the side I'm vacuuming...They know what the net is, so they are preoccupied with avoiding getting netted and not try to jump/bite/wreak havoc on the side I'm cleaning...