help, i can't catch this damsel!

draczka2

Member
i've been trying to catch this damsel to get rid of it but, it's to fast and it hides in the rocks. i tore down my rockscape to try and catch him but he keeps evading me. does anyone have any idea on how to catch him without emptying my lr from the tank?
 

mr.p

Member
Have you tried feeding your fish and waiting for him to come out and get food? maybe leaving the net in the tank already and then when he's looking for food quickly nab him. :notsure: When i took one of my damsels out he was really hard to get and i didn't even have any live rock or a lot of rocks in my tank yet.
 

draczka2

Member
i actually had a one liter bottle and cut the bottle about 1/3 of the way down so i had 2 pieces. then i cut the top big enough so he could swim in the hole. next i turn the top around and stuck it into the bottom half(making a trap that in'nt working well). i then bait it, and wait! and wait, and wait. he emptys the trap when i'm gone and he finds his way outevery time. i'm stumped cause he stays in the rocks, and won't come out to feed when i'm there. i starved him for a while, but he eats anything in the tank
 

sweetdawn

Active Member
how bout a harpoon gun

sorry i hate damsels took me a week to catch one once had to tear up my entire landscaping cause he was picking on my clown.
 

draczka2

Member
i could drain the water back but that seems a little extreme. i'll try patience for a little longer, and if i have to i will drain it
 

bang guy

Moderator
It's really not that extreme. Drain it into a large container like a plastic trach can. Yank the Damsel and pump the water back in.
If you have any sponges you'll want to bag them up first but everything else should be fine.
 

mxer485

Member
I had the same exact problem with my two damsels when i was trying to get rid of them I treid everything from not feeding them for a couple days to try to get them to stay at the top lookin for food so i could snag them from the top after a couple weeks of trying everything i tore down my entire 125 pound LR landscape and prepared for battle and i still couldnt catch them but after about a an hour or so the damsels go so strung out and tired that they finally gave up so just stay in there u will get get them GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!
 
S

sinner's girl

Guest
why are you catching him? If you put him in your tank, shouldn't he be allowed to live there?
 

draczka2

Member
i put him and a engineer gobi in my tank to save them from being flushed by my uncle. i found them a new home where they are wanted. the damsel stressed my yellow tang to death and i caught him nipping at my coral banded shrimp. besides if i want him out he's out it's my tank, not his. i gave him a chance and he failed to get along with others
 

fatmatt

Member
hahaha man im new to this whole fish thing but are damsels as bad as people say..jeeze they sound like MONSTERS :scared: i have never seen these lil bugers be4 but are they nice lookin and thats why people get them and then find out there MONSTERS :scared: ?
 
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sinner's girl

Guest
I love them. I had no problem with them. A three strip was one of two fish my clown didn't kill, I think...the other clown disapeared...don't know why. But my clown and damsel did fine. But, I had a 55gl with 2 fish. I think some of the problem is people putting too many fish in the tank and expecting everyone to get along.
 

draczka2

Member
in my case i had only 2 fish in my 75gal. the yellow tail damsel and a engineer gobi. the gobi was cool but kept undermining the rocks, and the damsel was just nasty. people often use damsels to help cycle there tanks cause they are tough, but some(not all) have the tendency to be aggressive towards other fish. either way i got both of them out safely and found them a new home.
 
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