A fish net is vitally important for fish keepers. You need it to safely move fish around without do any harm to your aquatic pets in the process. A fishing net also has other utilities such as scooping up decomposing organic matter.
How to use a net to transport new fish to your tank
After acclimating your new fish to the temperature and water parameters of your aquarium, you should use a fish net to safely transport the fish from the bag to the tank. To do so, you should place the net on top of a container that can hold water. Run the water from the fish bag through the net (make sure that it is resting securely on top or it might spill over) to easily catch all the fish.
Quickly put your free hand on the top in order to prevent any of the captured fish from jumping out of the net. Afterwards, swiftly put the net into your aquarium.
If you already have fish in the tank, we at Aquarium Blueprints recommend feeding your existing fish before adding the new inhabitants.
You should also turn off the lights and leave them off for around a day.
Last but not least, you should release the new fish from your net near the bottom of the tank. All of these precautionary steps are designed so that your new fish will free safe and secure when added to an existing community.
How to catch fish with your net
While it is doable, catching fish with your bare hands is not recommend. This is especially true if the fish is small and fast. Not to mention that you could potentially harm the fish if you squeeze too hard and/or its fins get caught up in your fingers. Therefore, it is highly recommended that you use a fish net to move your aquarium fish around.
If you are having a hard time catching fish, you should use another net. With a net on both hands, you can scare the fish you want to capture using one net to the direction of the other net.
Removing decomposing organic matter
You can also use a fish new to remove decomposing organic matter, which includes fish excrement and uneaten fish food. If the detritus is sitting on the substrate we recommend creating a small current with the fish net to bring the wastes up to the waters. You can then scoop the decomposing organic matter.
Why you need multiple fish nets
As we already stated above, having two fishing nets will make it easier to catch elusive fish. Another benefit is that, if you have multiple tanks, you don’t have to worry about possibly cross contaminating your tanks with potentially deadly diseases.
How to sanitize a fish net
If you are have been using your fish net to transport new and/or diseased fish, you should sanitize the net.
To do so, we recommend using a combination of hot water and Clorox Liquid Bleach, which you can find on Amazon with this link. (#CommissionsEarned)
Fill the water container with a mix of around 90% hot water and 10% Clorox beach. Put the entire fish net in and let in sit for at least 5 minutes.
Afterwards, pour out the mixed solution from the water container and thoroughly rinse the net with tap water. Once you are done, let it completely dry out. If you are ready to use the new again, you might want to give it another thorough rinsing as an extra precaution.
Recap
With a fish net, you will be able to easily capture and transfer fish. You can also use the net to scoop up any decomposing fish food or fish poop.