How to catch aquarium fish -

A common trick unscruplous fish sellers use when catching fish for buyers is to "stir up" the fish so that what goes into the net may be the sick fish lying on its side with difficulty breathing moments ago. Due to the panic, the fish will use its last energy to wriggle and 'zap' around after it is put in the holding water, making it look perfectly healthy. Unfortunately, that fish will not last for long after you bring it home. Due to it appearing healthy when you brought it home, you will not even realise you have been sold a sick fish. Guess where you'll go to get its replacement? Therefore, it is always the best policy to catch your own fish.

In a school of fish, it is extremely hard to pinpoint a fish and catch it, especially if they are fast swimmers. You can easily lose "the one" when it rushes to the back of the tank or simply with a few fast turns. Therefore, the secret is to catch out the one/few undesirable ones into a holding pail first. It is easier to pinpoint and catch out these 'undesirables' because they are slower and less agile. After that, the rest of the fish should all be good so you do not have to pinpoint one.

When you dip the net into the water, do it slowly. Wait for the 'panic rush' to subside before moving your net. Move in a slow constant speed towards your target and only accelerate when there is an obvious chance of netting it. This way you will not harm the fish or stirr the water unnecessarily. You will possibliy come to the situation where the fish is swimming against the glass with your net covering it. Take this opportunity to do a last checkup on the fish to see if it is the fish you want to catch. If it is, use your other hand to scare the fish away from the glass and into the net. Once the fish is in the net, move your whole net vertically up and your fish will be trapped in the fold of the net. Maintain this vertical net position until you put it in the holding water. If you 'horizontalise' the net once out of the water there is a possibility of the fish jumping out onto the floor.