Grrrr to catch a fish

[sgt__york]

ok... about 5hrs later....
anyone got suggestions on how to catch a damsel from a LR stocked tank? GAwd, i hate to take all the rock out... got it stacked right finally! lol
i managed to catch 3 of 4.. but this last "stripped" one is a Pain in the @$$. If i catch him, i might flush him for the trouble! lol (joking)
i've put a large clear tuperware type box in the tank, and keep teasing him by swishing food around inside (w/o letting it leave) - so he see's a nice large area. He goes right to the etnrance, then splits. Got the other 3 to go after the food - this one decides to be smart about it.. grrrr
Any other suggestions??
I've got 2 clowns, and a blue hippo that have been WELL acclimated, and waiting to be dropped in the tank. I hate to do that until i get this damsel out tho.
Any suggestions? If i turn the lights out for an hour or 2.. are they any easier to catch upon turning the lights on? *reaching*

 

[cap'n pete]

Actually, that's not a bad idea. Get him whiles he's sleepy.

 

[sgt__york]

hmm... i'm thinking.. hook up a mag 7.. put a tube on the intake.. and vaccum the SOB. LOL
let's see...
i put in a dog to catch the... no
i put in a cat to catch the... no
i put in a mouse to catch the.. that's not it
i inject sinyde to.. no..can't do that..
I"LL GET YOU MY PRETTY!!!!
I guess.. u wait till they get u mad enuf, that you take out every last rock in the tank and THEN get em, eh?? lol

 

[memnoch]

I'm not recommending this but i know a guy who used a blow-gun to get his damsels out. I didn't believe him until i saw him in action, speared it right at the start of the caudal fin, the fish actually was resold by the LFS

 

[cap'n pete]

I'm thinking the head might be more appropriate.
How about I bring my squad over and we turn on the red and blue lights and order the little b@$^%$# out! (with his fins above his head of course)

 

[wolffvet]

I had one in my tank and I used really big net and got him at night using a flahlight. The bigger the net the easier to snag him, unless he won't come at all and then I like the blow gun idea....lol or the vaccum trick.. Good luck It took me a week!!

 

[musipilot]

Yikes, violent responses! I like it.
Try the double net method. Get a large net, and a smaller one. Lay the large one on the sand, and constantly harass the fish with the smaller net (which can get behind the rock) and scare him into the large net thats waiting. Works every time.

 

[sgt__york]

lol...
does anyone know if C4 is good underwater??? oh, nevermind
The formation of my rock doesn't allow for much 'chasing' - as i have 3 large pieces of flat, slate tonga as 'bleacher shelves' for corals down the road. He does a LOT of hiding, and i just can't get to him.
I think the large clear rubbermaid thing will work - i just lost paitence tonight. I was hampered in that i had other fish waiting to reoccupy the tank i was EVICTING the damsels of... lol AND that the 3 damsels already caught were get'na bit stressed in their 'temp' holding area that become quite over stayed.
I decided to put the clowns and hippo in, put the 3 caught damsels in a larger hold - and i'll get the little sucker tomorrow. I just hope the add'n of the new fish doesn't cause his behavioral patterns to change that much - i wanna lure him out with food - won't doany good if the happy-go-lucky clowns beat him too it each time.. lol
Oh well...
speargun eh?? anyone have any tiny darts??

 

[pstanley]

I caught mine by placing a net into the tank and leaving it there overnight so that the fish could get used to it. The following morning I fed the fish and he just swam out almost right into the net chasing the food.

 

[saltynewbie]

i caught my blue devil using a clear "pest" removal trap baited with a piece of shrimp. i had been trying to catch him the conventional way for about 2 months.. caught him this way in 10 minutes. GOOD LUCK!!!

 

[zack schwartz]

I caught my pink damsles by keep repedently adding flakes and eachtime they came up BANG Caught it. Took me like 2 hours. Good luck !

 

[sgt__york]

OMG, i could just shoot him...
left him overnight and all morning... he got comfortable w/the clear rubbermaid and net in the tank. I put a piece of flake in, the dummy went right for it on the first try.. I HAD HIM!
!#@%@%@!
as i put the net over the rubbermaid, insted of running deeper INTO the clear area like the others did.. he just barely got back out - swiming towards the incoming net to get out! lol He seems to have a clear awareness of this 'clear' rubbermaid .. now he's back to swimming at it's large entrance - just looking at the piece of flake sitting inside it.
Meanwhile the 2 new clowns have swam inside the net no less than a dozen times, and into the rubbermaid container like 20x.. LOL... they just happy-go-lucky - or maybe blonde. I like them already.. LOL
I'll let im get more comfortable being 'king of the tank' now, and getem tonight.
*hatches an evil plan and pulls out the ACME book he borrowed from Wille Coyote*
I'm thinking... attach rockets to the net for quicker speed. paint the rubbermaid to look like natural rock and reef. Post a sign - 'eat free here'
Muhahahahaha

 

[broomer5]

sgt__york
You're cracking me up
Aren't damsels fun to cycle a tank with

 

[cap'n pete]

Sgt. I like your style! This got me thinking about the zoo. They feed all their animals now by making them eat out of cages and the like. They get so used to it that when it comes time for the vet check or whatever, it's no big deal to get them to get in the cage. (Of course these are monkeys we're talking about and not the stupidist creature known to man "the damsel" (or perhaps the smartest??!)). Just thought I would share, maybe the next time somebody cycles with damsels they might consider thinking ahead.
---
And yes, BTW C-4 is waterproof .

 

[bradburycf]

HA! You're killing me! I had the same problem with my damsels. I went to the lfs and came home with a lionfish . He cleaned up the little buggers quick (my wife was dismayed). Then I returned him to the lfs, fat and happy. Too bad you already put in your clowns...

 

[fishfreek]

I really feel for you, catching damsels really sucks. Most of us have been there. Kind of makes you wish you never got those cute fish to begin with, doesn't it? If you still haven't caught the little #$@*&# yet, i have a way you may not have tried yet, so calm down and have a beer. Now, just get a 2 or 1 liter coke bottle, cut the bottle top off about 3" down from the spout. Turn it around and invert it into the bottom section of the bottle so it is snug.(kind of like a minnow trap) Put a small piece of shrimp or formula one in the back of the trap and sit back and let the trap do the work. Took about an hour for me to rid my tank of 3 damsels this way about a year ago.
Good luck!

 

[marco]

I'll have to agree with "fishfreek". I did the same thing with a half galon size gatorade bottle and it worked. The mistake I made was that I left the bottle standing up. As soon as I layed it down the fish swam right in(less than a minute) Good luck!

 

[sgt__york]

cool deal.. will give it a try..
but.. if he won't swim into a clear rubbermaid container that is about a 10gal size (or 10" x 12" opening with a piece of food in there) i'm not sure if he'll sucumb to the more narrow opening of a bottle opening! lol
I'm tell'n ya.. he's too smart for my good...
The little sucker just stays in front of this huge opening.. won't set a FIN inside this large area... gets himself worked up... then goes and chases a clown away just to vent... then comes right back to the entrance.
It's ok... he'll get hungry.. eventually... MUHAHAHAHA
If not... i know a Lion fish that i can get hungry.. let's see who gets hungrier faster!! lol
I could get the clowns out NO BIGGY.. heck.. one of em has started using the stupid net sitting in the tank as a home like an anemone. Boy, he's gunna be in for a rude awakening when i WHISK that net towards the rubbermaid opening once the damsel goes inside.. LOL 0 to 50 in 4 seconds. lol
Stay tuned for the continuing saga... of... how the damsel got my goat
PS: re cycling w/damsels - it's a good way to do it.. that brings about balance - i think they key might be... cycle ur rock first.. make sure it's nice and cured... (NOT arranged nicely)! Then when it's time to remove the damsels.. u don't mind moving the rock all around OR even removing it. Oh well. Least ya only do this once per tank (hopefully) lol

 

[sgt__york]

OK... havn't got him yet... but i removed the net (which he keeps looking back at -- damn thing is too smart) and now he's starting to inch his way in, on mad dashes.
I'll let him sleep on it, and find myself a clear piece of plexiglass to cover the plexiglass on it - when we presume our food deprived torture methods tomorrow.
AS i have crabs coming in tomorrow as well... REINFORCEMENTS... it gave me an idea...
uh oh...
When we catch this little booger... we answer the question of whether the sally lightfoots and emeralds will be NICE or MEANS...
At this time.. i am fabricating little tiny concrete blocks and chains. Once we catch the damsel, we'll tie his fins to the concrete blocks and sink him to the bottom. THEN release the crabs.. Muhahahaha
Every wonder if a fish sweats?
sleep well, my pretty little damsel... tomorrow's another day
muhahah

 

[sgt__york]

Day 3... the little damsel has managed to stay a step ahead of my capture attempts... I'm giving up on the large rubbermaid idea.
PLAN B - I've made one of the traps as recommended by a couple of ppl here. I took a 1 gal jug of gatorade - inverting the top half and put a piece of shrimp inside of it. With my luck, it will just cycle the tank - killing everything "EXCEPT" the damsel... LOL
As he wouldn't go into a wide open rubbermaid container - i have little hope of him going inside that opening - but it's time to try something new.
PLAN C - i just might take that advice, and get a hungry grouper to eat the damsel who swallowed the fly.
Question - how difficult will it be to get HIM outta the tank after that? Or will I be sending in a shark, followed by a midget with a

[hr]
gun??
I take it, I will have to remove the 2 percula first - but should the small hippo tang be ok with a damsel hunting grouper??? Only thing harder than catching an elusive damsel, is a hiding hippo.
PS: this shrimp trap i made - how long (and how bad) will a piece of shrimp in the tank begin to add load (and thus miniature cycle) the tank?