How do you catch a common pleco...

[Dangerdoll]

plecos are extremely thrashy if trying to catch them in a net or container of any sort. I found though that they are amazingly docile when picking them up by hand.... so I suggest as the others do to pick it up slowly with both hands and a bucket close to the tank. Be careful for the spikes and his fins will all be erect and stiff.

 

[aardvark1]

Be careful for the spikes and his fins will all be erect and stiff.

that almost sounds dirty....

 

[plah831]

oh, Art! Behave yourself :

 

[khombre]

If youre going to do it by hand, I think I agree with using rubber gloves. As lazy as commons look, some of them make a quick run for it when your hands get too close for comfort. It is when this happens that the sharp parts of their body are dangerous in terms of pricking or cutting our hands.

And uhmm yeah.. They bodies are really hard.. don's mistake them for rocks cause that's what they feel like.

 

[aardvark1]

Thanks for the advice, fishie folks!

Didn't realize that they had spines in the fins! Have gotten stuck by Channel Cats before, so it makes sense!

 

[loaches r cool]

I finally gave my common back to the lfs a few weeks ago. I bought a large net first, since I needed one anyway... think it was 8" wide.

The pleco was in his usuall corner, and I placed the net in the water covering the way I thought he would go. Then I took my long grabber and placed in the water and came up on him to get him to swim away. He swam right into the net and stopped (I didnt spook him or anything, just enough to get him to move). I slowly brought up the net and he didnt even thrash. I re-used a large bag that I had just got from the lfs when I bought some plants. Guess I got lucky it was so easy, especially with my heavily planted tank. The only thrashing he did was when I had him in the net in the bag and trying to dump in out of the net. Good luck with yours.

 

[Peanutsweet]

I used to have a fairly large pleco and I always used a net.
I just corraled him in a corner and dipped him out. Sometimes using two nets can help, or if you have a tank divider.

 

[Red Tailed Wonder]

that almost sounds dirty....

What duz that mean mummy?

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