HELP! Cant catch an aggressive damsel

[ChazYork]

i have a 3 banded damsel that has gotten aggressive since the additoin of 3 green chromis, but the problem is...i cant catch him! i tried the net at feeding time, i tried a clear glass cup and baiting him in..nothing works! i NEED HELP ASAP!! tia

 

[Guest]

I read on here where you cut a plastic bottle in 1/2 and attach a handle to the bottle where the cap would go. Then squrit food into the bottle.
When the fish realizes that he need to go under the bottle you press it to the bottom of the tank. Then slide you net under the bottle and he's yours.

I'm about to try it myself for a 3 banded devil. Those fish are pretty agressive.

 

[ChazYork]

im not sure i understand that

 

[Guest]

I made a trap with clear PVC but this will work. Get a clear 2 liter bottle and cut the bottom out of it. clean all the label off so it will be nice and clear. Attach a plastic rod or similar to the bottle with a ty-wrap around where the cap normally goes. Hold the bottle in your tank by the dial rod a few inches off the bottom. squirt food softly into the bottle through the threading opening. The fish will bump into the bottle trying to get the food but will figure out to go under the bottle to get it. Once the one you want is in the bottle just push the bottle down to the bottom and then put a net under bottom of bottle and pull bottle out with net over bottom.

 

[lando]

time to face the facts. This is going to be a very hard fish to catch. Bite the bullet and remove all rock/decoms from the tank and go after it with two nets and nothing for it to hind behind. I have tried to catch fish a variety of ways and have always ended up doing this.

 

[adnoh]

Yea lando is right. I had to catch a maroon clown to remove a parasite and the only way i could do it was to remove all of his hiding places.

 

[Wood_Dog]

I recently caught a nasty damsel I had...only after doing what lando is suggesting- bite the bullet,get everything out and use two nets to catch it as quickly as possible.
good Luck

 

[AMANIQU77]

Sorry about that too. I had three yellow tail damsels that took over my $480 set of lr early last year. I said to myself "I have $49 tennants ready to take advantage of that crib but these 2 for $9.99 fish took ownership of it". So after getting tired and frustrated at damsels trying to outsmart them, I instead had to take the rocks out. It also gave me an opportunity to clean the tank. I cought the mean buggers and donated all three of them to an LFS, and got $25 store credit off of them. Serves them right.

 

[sdellin]

Been there, done that... removed all the rock, I mean. I had a cinnamon clown who was really agressive and after chasing him around the tank for like an hour, thinking surely he'd die from the stress, I ended up removing most of the rock to get him out. That little tough guy remained healthy and was adopted out by the lfs.

 

[GinaD]

This is why I really don't like damsels. When I first started my 10gal as a fish-only tank, there was no problem having it. Bur then I turned it into a reef and he quickly became a problem for the other inhabitants and was making my clown fish neurotic. The only way I could catch him was to remove everything from the tank, as lando said. Don't think I'll ever get another one. The good thing is that if you can't find a LFS to take it for a store credit then they're cheap enough that you can just *give* it to them and you'd only be out a few dollars.

 

[ChazYork]

well he's called down a bit now, but my 3 new green chromis are scared and only stay on one side of the tank...i dont want to take the rock out but its looking that way (i could reaquascape anyway )

 

[spinman]

I tried that soda bottle gizmo and had utter failure. The fish didn't go near it.

I bought a "fish corral" on liveaquaria.com. I haven't used it yet. It appears like a good setup. I hope to use it when moving fish from the QT into the main. Plan is to start using it a week before the move by placing food into the corral during feedings. Hopefully the fish will get used to going into the thing. On the day of the move, once the fish go in, I'll close the corral door on the fish and move 'em into the main tank.

We'll see.

Spin

 

[sdellin]

I used one to catch cleaner shrimp. My regal tang went in it once, realized she couldn't get out and FREAKED! I was too funny. Mommy was right there to rescue her. Hope that works out for you.

 

[JG]

I'm trying to get a damsel out as well. First tried using a large clear water pitcher as a feeding station. Over the last two weeks I could have had everybody in my tank except the damsel. Today I slid a piece of clear plexi between the front of the tank and the rock work., flush with the side of the tank. I positioned a piece of eggcrate to be swung like a trap door.
Here is the kicker - I placed a large hand mirror into the compartment to lure him in for an attack on the "other damsel". He is ticked - but won't fall for it. The good thing is that he is so busy being mad that he is leaving everyone else alone.

However, my decorated goby has been sitting in front of the mirror for over an hour now. If I ever need to remove him, I now know how to get him out of the rocks.

 

[Wood_Dog]

However, my decorated goby has been sitting in front of the mirror for over an hour now. If I ever need to remove him, I now know how to get him out of the rocks.

I like it! Vanity will get you in the end!