Slurp gun tips?

cast netting ornamental fish is illegal.

 

+1 on cast netting. chemical capture is also illegal in 99% of the cases. I think you are doing it wrong, slurp guns work well, you just have to pounce on them and be quick about it, or corner them into small holes. I use hand nets though super easy way of doing things. swing the net parallel to the floor and then twist last minute. Caught 7 fish the other day in a matter of five minutes, it takes practice though. The pros use the barrier nets to catch fish, no chemicals in Florida except without a special permit, which doesn't really ever get issued. Good luck!

Here is a tip: start with tidepools. If you can't get a fish in a tidepool, there is no hope for you, it is super easy. If you have a bigger tank, try sabiki rigs, you can catch larger blennies and seargent majors with them.

 

no need to seine urchins, just pick them up with your hand. oh perhaps I should have read down further. Be careful though on the flats with seines this time of year, lots of seahorses there, it would be a shame to gill one with the seine accidentally. Seahorses are very easy to catch, you can do that by hand or just catch them with the plastic bag you want to use. Then off to catch them thousands of shrimp to feed them...better off with CB! Saves money in the long run. Where are you diving? PM me for good spots.

 

Wow...

... Okay...

You don't want to put anything in your tank that came from the ocean. The fish in a natural habitat harbor all sorts of foreign bacteria, and parasites!

Take it from someone who has been doing this for a VERY long time. It is completely please don't use such derogatory words on 3Reef for any person to want to keep a clean and natural eco-system by introducing foreign live stock.

Next... get rid of your "slurp gun"... the only reason they call it a slurp gun... is because that's the noise it makes. It doesn't really do anyhting. Someone just got you to pay $20-$200 bucks on a piece of plastic.

Fish... even though small as hell... have brains. They can think and use animal instincts. THEY WILL EVADE YOU!

Be sensible and do the right thing. Buy fish from a fish store... BUT!!!!

Remember this one thing... NEVER listen to the store owner, manager or even the goofy kid you see there always hanging around...

ALWAYS QT YOUR FISH!!!!!:

(for those of you who don't know what "QT" means... "Quarentine Tank".

A "QT" is a tank that has no substrate (sand) and no decore (live rock) in it.

This tank should only have water and a dose of "cupramine"- (a copper medication) in it. (Please don't make me explain the specifics of a QT~! Just google it!

After you setup a QT, and your DT (display tank) is setup...

Go to the store and get some fish...

Put those fish in the QT tank for about 1 month!

Then when 1 month has passed, put your fish in the tank.

IF... and I mean IF! You want to put wild caught fish into your tank...

Then follow the same guidelines.........

You see, for fish, copper can be toxic at higher levels than parasites and most bactrias...

So if you really want to lose energy and time, AND money for parking, gas and equipment to go to the beach and dive and catch fish... then go ahead...

I personally would love to go find a fish I like, pay a reasonable price... and then QT it to be safe, and enjoy a fish that will grow and be healthy and happy.

I mean that IS... the reason we are all enjoying this Hobby anyway right? To conserve what pure, and truly harmoneous things we have left on this god-forsaken-planet!?!?!?!?!?!

Just make sure whenever you put any foreign object (i.e. fish, invert, anemone or coral) in your display tank (or your pride and joy for us "poor" people), make sure you always QT it.

 

Why are you getting so angry?

I loved local collecting. We are going up North to start a nice cold water tank. Where I live now, not much collecting is legal and the fish I want are up around Puget Sound. When I lived in Texas, I would go collecting every week. Sometimes I would bring home things I didn't mean to and would keep it in the original water and return it the next day. Things I wasn't allowed to remove, I would sit and study at beach side. Collecting when done responsibly and legally, with our environment in mind, is awesome.

Local fish are no more likely to have parasites than any other wild caught fish. All of our tanks contain fish from all different areas, thus all susceptible to falling ill from exposure. We should all QT. The OP no more than any of us.

Know your laws, carry your license, carry maps of any protected areas and know where you are, educate yourself on local fish species (there should be guides at sports shops) and never return anything once you remove it. Perfect plan.

 

I personally believe its not cool.

 

............. I agree with the QT but saying you should never add anything from te ocean is foolish. I think it's completely safe as long as you take precautions.

 

This thread is four years old folks.