Fish Collection Techniques

[D12monkey]

Hey All,

Here's another tread in attempt to get everyone to participate. I've been collecting tropicals for a while now. I've had success with the techniques I've created/learned by myself... I was wondering if anyone out there also collects their own tropicals and which techniques that are employed. Also would be interesting to learn the success of these techniques.

So I decided to start out here by talking about the different techniques that if used.

First off I started with my own oversized net that we can buy to catch our own aquarium fishes. I have the 10 in version of this net and I've used it with limited success. It would fairly well with slower fishes like the High-hats and Jack knife fishes. But doesn't work very well with faster fishes. It also works with shrimps and crustations. My recommendation in using these net would be for crustations, due to the fact that these nets are fairly economical and can be bent into various sizes fairly easily.

I have also used the slurp guns. These are of no use and stray away from purchasing these items as they are expensive and are quite ineffective.

The monofliament collection nets are extremely successful in catching those faster fish but the drawback to this is that the netting can easily get caught in the gillplates of the fish and cause injuries to the specimen collected.

The use of the tropical collection nets with the clear heavy duty plastic sides are slo fairly effective yet do not harm the fish that you collect. This is one of the tools that has provided me with great success in the collecting process. Although they are fairly expensive they are not much more than the monofilament collection nets.

I've also created my own versions of collections tools. The most effetive being the use of mosquito screening with Weights attache are one end and floats on the other. Creating in essence a seine net. This net is very effective but has to be used by 2 people at least. One on each end of the net.

Since creating my own seine net. I've since modified the net to have an "escape" section for the fish. It's acutally a long cylindrical tube of clear heavy duty pvc plastic sheet with a clear collection cup at the end. This has increase my success exponentially. The fish think they are "escaping" straight into my collection cups.

I only have a few opportunities to use this net because I have few people that wish to collect fishes down here. So I end up using the Tropical collection nets.

Which ways do you all collect your fishes? What have you found that works well? I'd like to hear your techniques.

[FragOutpost]

I usually use the old fashion method of rod & reel, bait, and beach chair. Just kidding.

Actually it is not very often that I have an opportunity lately to go collect so my experience on netting wild fish is very limited. What depth do you collect at? Do you normally scuba or snorkel when collecting?

[D12monkey]

It's usually scuba, and the depth ranges are from 10 ft to over 120 ft. Depends on the spieces collected.

[itZme]

Wow, that sounds really great to go out and bring your own livestock home with you. I grew up in Florida (Ft. Myers area) and never have even snorkled in the Gulf at Ft. Myers Beach or Sanibel Island. I'm sure there are some great places to collect fish but I was always more interested in catching other things (hint: they walk around in bikinis). I never learned to scuba

Now that I live 1200 miles away in Ohio I really wish I could just go out and net some fish. When I was a kids I used to net guppies, ghost shrimp and lots of crayfish and tiny little flounder. I sold the ghost shrimp to the pet shop to buy gas for my daily water-skiing. (I bought a boat before I had a drivers license)

I lived on the Caloosahatchee River then. I remember waiting for my friend to hit the throttle one day while I was in the water and saw a HUGE fish roll on the surface about 3 feet away from me. I could've probably reached out and touched it if I hadn't been so freaked out. It was a tarpon as they come into the river sometimes.

Anybody want to go diving and grab a box of sand and rock to send me?

I remember catching those horseshoe crabs all the time when I was fishing at the beach. Now I would like a few of the little ones to crawl around in the tank.

I used to go to golf courses on my bike and carry a 5 gal bucket and a 10 ft long net with very fine mesh. I would be able to net pretty guppies and mollies there. My dad had a pair of 55gal tanks on a dual stand and I had the bottom one for myself. I had little tiny bluegill, largemouth bass 2-3" long, sometimes a turtle or two and the guppies and mollies too.

Ok enough babling from me for today. See ya later.

-- itZme

[D12monkey]

I would get you the rock and sand but I don't want to get arrested. LOL Cool way to pay for the hobbies. I used to get mollies and guppies and little blue gills bait along with the shinners. Done caught tons of freshwater fish. Always catch and release though. Except for the few for the freshwater aquariums.