Trying to catch apistogrammas and others

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Fire Eel
MFK Member
Apr 9, 2008
1,459
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Manaus, Brazil
How do i do this? i am going to make a seine out of wood and screen and i am using a tiny hook i made out of a pin that works for larger apistos, but is their anything else i can use?"
my large aquarium net broke so maybe i will buy another larger one. also i REALLY want to get small, 3- inch pike cichlids how could i do that i would be using hand line whith a hook size 12 or smaller i also need tips for catching any other small cichlid. looking foward to replies and thanks in advance:D
 
or a minnow trap?
 
cast nets work good if your casting at schooling fish not really effective on fish close to bottom, maybe try minnow traps and seine nets
long dip nets

the only catch to a seine net is that you need a buddy willing to get wet :)
 
From what I understand, in the wild apistos live and breed in leaf litter on the bottom of slow moving streams and sloughs. Many time they are caught just by shoveling or pitchforking a bunch of the substate into rubbermaid tubs or buckets or onto plastic tarps and sifting through the material.
 
They seem to like caves in aquaria so perhaps some lengths of 1-1.5m pipe, baited or not. Just lay them in likely places and check them once a day. Pour the contents into a net/bucket. They catch lots of loaches with hollow bamboo in Asia this way.
 
Thinks a ton for all the suggestions:D keep em commin:headbang2how about this i make a seine and whith one hand push them into it of course i will get very wet but thats part of fishing!!!
 
or put an open jar in leaflitter. then put some in the jar so it looks like it apart of the ground. then put a rock at the opening . the fish will make a nest out of it and attatch string so you can pull up the fish. Just some random idea
 
you can use a pvc pipe and guide it to it so it'll use it as a hiding place. once it's in there cover up the holes with the net or your hands and then scoop it out. you can also use a clear container like a drinking glass or a cut up soda bottle and then guide it in there. fish usually hug the glass when being chased so you can strategically place them next to the glass and they won't even see it.
 
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