How to Collect Your Own Tropical Aquarium Fish

Collecting Your Own Tropical Fish is a 7 part series that details how to collect your own tropical fish, including collection buckets, hand nets, collection nets, capturing fish, decompressing fish and transporting fish. Below is a list of the separate articles to read in this series. Also included in this series are several true stories of underwater encounters with sharks.

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Introduction to Collecting Marine Fish

The first article in this series by your guides Debbie and Stan Hauter is an introduction to collecting saltwater fish, from their own perspective and experience of having done so for 10 years. It provides a basic outline of some things you need to do and know about BEFORE going out into the ocean and catching things.
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Catch Buckets

Stan & Debbie Hauter

Before you can start catching fish you have to have something to put them into under the water, as well as to transport them back to shore or your boat. This piece of equipment is referred to as a catch bucket. With the information provided in this article, your guides explain what types can be purchased, how to easily and inexpensively make your own, as well as how to use one "properly".
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Collection Nets

DIY Collection Net Stan & Debbie Hauter

Although you can choose to buy ready-made fence or barrier collection nets, many are made from materials that are not suitable for catching saltwater fish, and they can be quite costly. In this article, your guides discuss types of nets that are used for collecting and provide instructions for making your own, which is highly recommended to do for various reasons explained.
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Hand Nets

Commercial Hand Nets PriceGrabber

Once you have managed to push a target fish into your fence or barrier collection net, you will need a hand net to capture it with. Some hand nets are a waste of time and are often made of materials that may injure your fish. Find out what types to choose, how to make one using pre-made fishing nets, or optimally build one from leftover collection net material.

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How To Capture Fish

Debbie Hauter

Here are the nuts and bolts of how to actually capture the fish. Once you figure out how to "read" the fish you will know how and where to place your net.
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How To Decompress Fish

As with humans, fish may need to be decompressed before they can be brought to the surface if they are collected from deep water. Failing to properly decompress a fish can result in death or permanent damage. It's not hard to properly decompress a fish, it just takes a little time.
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Transporting Collected Fish

Now you need to know how to get the fish you have collected from the ocean to your aquarium safely. Much of the information provided here pertains to how to put fish into the catch bucket without it escaping or getting damaged.
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A Hammerhead Shark Pays Us a Visit

A Hammerhead Shark Pays Us a Visit - A Salty Story: A true story of an encounter with a Hammerhead Shark while collecting tropical fish in Hawaii.

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Surprised by a Big Gray Shark

Surprised by a Big Gray Shark - A Salty Story: A true story of being surprised by a very large Gray Shark while collecting tropical fish in Hawaii.
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Don't Put Your Hands in the Water!!

A Salty Story - Don't Put Your Hands In The Water: A true story about collecting your own tropical fish.
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Tropical Fish Collecting Quiz

A fun quiz about collecting tropical fish with questions about sharks, eels, decompressing fish, anchoring the boat and more.

Article Sources

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