# How do I catch baby plecos?



## Shana (Aug 27, 2010)

I have a pair of dwarf bristlenose plecos that have made themselves a lovely home under a log and have started making babies. Lots of babies. The first batch appeared in early January and the second about a week ago. I found a fish store that was willing to take the babies, but I'm having trouble catching them. I can see them all over the tank eating zucchini and hanging out on the tank walls but the second I remove the tank light to try to net them out they swoop down into the plants and disappear. My tank is fairly heavily planted with a large Amazon sword in the center and once they hide amongst the leaves they are impossible to find. The only ones I have managed to catch are the six fry I found when I cleaned the canister filter. 

How can I catch them? I'd like to catch them soon while my LFS still has room for them, otherwise I don't know what I'm going to do with 20+ new plecos. I'm thinking some kind of trap, baited with zucchini perhaps? (On a side note, I am simply astonished at how much zucchini a litter of baby plecos can eat. Unbelievable.) The trap would have to be on the small side because my tank is only a 30 gallon, and I would prefer it to be something I can put in the upper level of the tank so the fry can avoid the cichlids that hang out at the bottom. 

What do you think?


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## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

Why not put a net in the tank with a piece of zuchini in it. Once they gather jsut lift the net up


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## jedimasterben (Aug 21, 2011)

Craigthor said:


> Why not put a net in the tank with a piece of zuchini in it. Once they gather jsut lift the net up


This. And possibly more this.


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## Shana (Aug 27, 2010)

Ahhh, lordy. Is there a less labor intensive option? There are so, so many baby plecos in that tank.


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## pwolfe (Mar 2, 2011)

Google diy fish trap, works really well.


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## oscarsx (Mar 15, 2011)

how about you post some pics and sell them here!

Sent from my DROID X2


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## Shana (Aug 27, 2010)

The honest answer is...because I am lazy and I do not know how to ship fish. My plecos are fairly common fish and I don't know if I would be able to find 20+ people willing to buy them. If I can give them to someone else to sell I will be happy. 

I'll give the netting and the fish trap a try. 

Thanks for the help!


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## LB79 (Nov 18, 2011)

This might sound weird, but I hand-catch them. It's really annoying with the little ones though. The DIY trap sounds better.


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## Canoe2Can (Oct 31, 2004)

I'm in the same boat. My BNPs have produced at least 8 batches of fry in the last 9 months. So far I've caught almost 60 to sell to my LFS, and I probably have that many again still waiting to be caught. 

Two things I've found that work:

1. I've made fish traps out of 1.5 liter water bottles. Cut off the top, invert it, and hold it in place with a clip. Put an algae wafer in and set it on the bottom for a few hours. I find they are more likely to go in if the lights are off. Also, put a few small holes in the sides of the bottle so some water can circulate through. The first time I did this without holes, most of the fish were dead by the time I got there.

2. I notice that many of my BNPs like to cling on the glass when the lights are off. So before they come on, I'll catch them with a net. 

And at the rate my emperor tetras are spawning, next I'll be figuring out how to catch them.


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## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

I put the net in for like 30 seconds without moving it, then I take a second net and the fish go right into the net thinking its like a cave. I have caught lots and lots of fish this way. The traps or zuchinni methods look great also.


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