Best way to remove damsels?

[safaripilot]

I have 8 Domino damsels that I will want to remove from my 125 when cycled. I also have 50# of LR that these little S***S hide in whenever frightened. What is the best way to remove/kill/ whatever? I eventually want to stock yellow tangs, blue tangs, flame hawk, shrimp, etc... and don't want these damsels in here. Yea, I know, I shouldn't have put them in to start with!

 

[stupid_naso]

Man 8 damsels in a 125 gallons, and you have to remove them? <img src="graemlins//uhuh.gif" border="0" alt="[U-Huh]" />
Well the best advice is to move your lr some place else first, and try to catch the damsel. With the rocks in the tank, it's gonna be extremly hard.
Ask friends for help, the more nets the better. There is another post about this, with the exact same subject, you might want to check that out.
I had to remove one damsel from a ten, I thought that was hard . Good luck!

 

[rapt0r32]

Now this may sound alittle cruel. When I had my 55 gallon I got me a Lionfish. Lets just say he was fed real nicely. He always seemed to have a smile on his face. And in no time I had no more damsels. So my answer is buy a hungry Lion. <img src="graemlins//angel.gif" border="0" alt="[angel]" />

 

[guppie]

The only way is to take everything out of the tank, if you don't you will just get all p__s off. That is a big reason people are going away from useing damsels to cycle, just get some uncured lr and some ls and let it do it for you. Good Luck

 

[dwf]

You don't want to kill the little guys do you? I have 1 domino 2 blue devils and 2 green ones and they get along fine with everyone else in the tank. domino's get pretty big though so why don't you remove the lr, catch the poor little guys and take them back to your lfs?
just a thought

 

[reefhappy]

you might try puting food in it and let it set for a while and they will get use to it and come out.

 

[safaripilot]

I really care what happens to the damsels; however, I don't want to use another fish to get rid of them if thaat fish will eat my hawk, etc. I feel like getting an octupus or lion as suggested and letting it clean house.

 

[ocellaris_keeper]

Try This - Get a big net or cut a gallon water jug in half - Them them only from the jug/net. after they get used to this you cna just reomve them one at a time after a few weeks and take them backl to the LPS.
Safe and humane.

 

[safaripilot]

Continued... I then would have to only get rid of that fish. I really don't want to move my liverock as it is sitting exactly how I want it and I doubt if I can duplicate it.

 

[stevel]

get a snowflake moray mine loves damsels

 

[scott270]

swf.com sells a small trap kit in the dry goods area

 

[lionpicasso]

I took my lr out and siphoned out some saltwater into a bucket with the lr and catched the damsels took me a while though. if you do it this way your gonna haft to have a lot of patience!!!

 

[dshurett]

dynamite?

 

[livingwater]

WOW DO YOU SEE HOW MANY VIEWS YOU GOT, 93 SO FAR. I THINK THAT IS A PAIN FOR EVERYONE. YES YOU CAN GET A FISH TO EAT ANOTHER FISH. OR YOU CAN CATCH THEM TO TRADE. OR CYCLE ANOTHER TANK. I HAVE THAT PROBLEM WITH EVERY FISH THAT I HAVE. I HATE IT WHEN YOU NEED TO PUT SOMETHING IN THE HOSPITAL TANK AND YOU CANT NET IT. I WAS THINKING OF COMING UP WITH A TYPE OF NET THAT YOU CAN LAY AT THE BOTTOM OR ACROSS THE LR AND GRAB THEM WHEN THEY SWISM ACROSS. IT WOULD NEED A ANCOR, AN IT MAY GRAB OTHER FISH HOWEVER YOU WOULD GET YOUR FISH. THIS WOULD NOT BE REEF SAFE.
JUST BE GLAD YOU DONT HAVE A HAWK....WOW!
GOOD LUCK DUDE. JUST REMEMBER...DONT LET THEM GET YOU UPSET AND MAKE SURE YOU HAVE PLENTY OF TIME TO DO IT. DONT RUSH, THEN YOU GET DESPARATE

 

[moby da goby]

yes..another opinion
My damsels are always dopey first thing in the morning before I turn the tank lights on. The last time I had to catch one I jsut turned on the room lights, put two nets in and slowly herded toward each other. It was much easier in a dark tank after a night.
Of course, I don't have that amount of live rock. I would hate to have to restack all of it.

 

[broomer5]

Eight damsels - <img src="graemlins//eek.gif" border="0" alt="[eek]" />
50 Lbs live rock
125 gallon tank
I realize you don't want to move your live rock, but would it be possible to temporarily move some on one end of the tank only ?
Create an open area on that one end ?
Feed them at that end of the tank only for a few weeks.
Tank dividers are available - pretty cheap plastic deals. Feed them, wait until they move to the open end and slide down the divider.
ISOLATE - DIVIDE - CONQUER

 

[safaripilot]

Thanks for all the good posts. I think I will try a combination of moving some of the top rock and do it first thing in the morning before the lights come on. I will use two nets. If that does not work, I will put 250,000 volts through the tank and float them to the top. There are many good posters on this board... Thank you!

 

[broomer5]

lmao safaripilot
make sure you have a grounding probe installed <img src="graemlins//eek.gif" border="0" alt="[eek]" />

 

[jlem]

I fedd my damsels in a low current area at the corner of the tank. After a few days when they all herded in the corner at chow time I slid a piece of plexiglass down the tank and trapped them in the corner and scooped them out with the net.