When I net my fish, I use a net intended for harvesting BBS. The material of the net is very soft, and there's nothing for a fish to snag its fins on, or get caught up in.

However, my fish all hate the net and disappear as soon as they see it coming.

What is the size of the tanks in question, and what percentage of water change are you doing? I never remove my fish unless doing a large enough water change that there won't be enough water to cover them, or if I am completely tearing down a tank. Otherwise they stay in, as I just feel it is more stressful for them to be out of the tank.

All I use for siphons in my fish room, are lengths of clear plastic tubing I picked up from the irrigation/sprinkler section of my local hardware store. I simply put one end into the tank, and suck on the other until there's enough suction to keep the water passing through the tubing. Only downside to this method is I sometimes get dirty water in my mouth.

 

I have 1 1 gallon, a 5.5 gallon, a 10 gallon split between two bettas, a 2.5 gallon and I think one of the kritter keepers is 1.5 gallons and the other about 2 gallons?

The 5.5 and 10 are the ones I leave the fish in. On these, I do 50% once or twice a week and then 100% once a month, sometimes twice depending on how the water or the divider is looking. The divider gets white stuff on it and has to be cleaned off well at least once a month. It's one of the DIY ones.

I've always taken the others out because they are smaller and I have gravel substrate in all my tanks. The smaller ones are changed more frequently. The 2.5 gallon and the 2 gallon critter keeper are 100% once a week and the 1 gallon tanks are 100% twice a week.

What is BBS? I can't recall what the cheaper ones that LFS carry are material wise or if they are fin safe.

My fish hate the cups and its harder to catch them in the smaller tanks since the cup is hard to maneuver in them.

 

BBS stand for 'Baby Brine Shrimp', although doing a quick Google search it looks like the type of nets I use simply get called 'Brine Shrimp Nets' a lot of the time.

They are made of a soft, white mesh material.

Nets do make it easier to catch a fish, but have you tried luring your fish into the cup using food? I will sometimes use food to lure my fish into allowing themselves to be caught (otherwise I have to tear apart entire tanks to catch them). I drop some live or frozen food into a container or net and often the fish will willingly swim in after it. They are then easily caught without the need to cause a great deal of stress chasing them around with the net.

 

I use the cup for my smaller tank. If I am desperate I'll get the net out. Phil, who used to get netted when the cup didn't work, now runs and hides under a plant if he sees the net. He's lucky he's in a 5 gallon and doesn't have to be taken out now.

 

I have found that nets stress some fish out more than others so I don't use them in general with my bettas. I use a cup. Once the ones I have break, I would go to the dollar store to find a replacement.

If need be, I will use my hand to help block their escape etc...but no nets.

If most of the water is gone and accessories removed, there is no where to escape the cup lol

 

I just let a pellet float in a cup, they will eventually get hungry for that delicious pellet...then bam there scooped

 

We use the cup to take them out, but always give them a treat in the cup-- bloodworm or pellet. Hopefully they will associate cupping with food!

 

I keep mine in the tank. But if I am doing a full water change or redoing the whole tank, I will cup them. All of mine tend to get very upset when I use the net on them. They are calmer in the cup.

 

I usually always try to either use a cup or keep them in the tank, but when Hera was in her 3 gallon critter keeper and I did 100% water changes I absolutely could not cup her. She was too fast and I was afraid of injuring her. So that was the only situation in which I've ever used a net. Now that she's in a divided 10 there is no need for netting, or cupping.

 

unless its a 100% water changes I leave them in. I prefer cupping but one of my boys refuses to cooperate so he has to be netted, but I don't put him out of the water, I put the net in a cup of tank water (without pulling fish out of tank-submerge cup) then move the fish.

 

I always keep my betta in even though i have a 2.4g. He has never been siphoned into the gravel vacuum and likes to around the vacuum, nipping at it and jumping to nip at my fingers like its a game.

I have cupped him twice in the past to do major rescapes for the tank. He absolutely hated it and was very depressed even when i transfered him to a 2L jar temporarily (I cant imagine how ppl keep their bettas in jars permanently...)

 

Good netting tip there, AA.

Bubblesaurus, Please tell me you're adding Prime daily to your tanks to make up for the long water change interval, especially in the smaller tanks.

You would be doing yourself and, more importantly, your fish a favor by cycling the 2.5g, the 5g and the 10g. This provides the best water quality for your fish and makes netting and removal unnecessary.

CYCLING: the two-sentence tutorial