capture damsels

[scarygary]

ok im trying to take your advice and return my 3 damsels to my lfs.those suckers are really hard to catch.any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.im tryng not to destroy my lr.i have a 24g nanocube w 22lbs lr.i think its starting to cycle (finally),and i want them out asap.also when cycle is finished are there any suggestions as to want to add (inverts and fish) and in what order.i would like to get as muh variety as possible w/o overcrowding and low maintenance is a plus as this is my 1st sw tank.tanks a lot

[burrito]

you will most likly have to take your rock out to get the damsels out. there fast and smart and a PITA to catch

[Agu]

Sorry to say this but short of using a cherry bomb your only choice is to tear the tank apart :eek2: .

Some people have had success using a tiny fishing hook with the barb filed off.

Good Luck,

Agu

[Uriel]

I'm not joking here...


Get a Pseudosquilla Cilata (P. Cilata) Mantis Shrimp.
It's a fairly common mantis, the only Spearer commonly sold in the trade. Several of the distrubutors here in calif can get them, or says my LFS.

It hunts as oppossed to digging a hole/ambushing fish.
People who keep them usually feed them damsels, which the will swim after and chase/catch in the water column even.

A bold mantis, it should be easy to net (easier than a frickin damsel,anyways...).
They sell for 10 bucks or so, and someone will happily take it off of your hands locally, just advertize in the mantis Forums.

Sounds like a joke, but I have been seeing folks discussing/using Mantis Shrimp more-and-more to get rid of unwanted crabs etc...


Just a (strange, I know...) suggestion.

-Ron
PS: The P. Cilata is a great little pet as well, and you might find yourself wanting to keep it, and it is safe for inverts, as it can't 'smash' them, eating only soft-bodied prey.

[Uriel]

P. Cilata

http://www.blueboard.com/mantis/pics/yellow_pseudosquilla_collage.htm

[loyalty]

i think its ironic that the smartest and hardiest fish in the hobby is also the cheapest

[Jimsmowen]

Yea either get the mantis or tear your LR down, me and my brother pulled his 30gal tank apart trying to catch 1 damsel, I cant imagine trying to catch 3 of them!! btw you will have more luck with 2 nets rather then 1 =P

[mightymouse]

yeah just get two nets and herd them into the corner but since ur tank is curved glass you cant get an exact corner i have terouble just catching my clowns good luck

[desert_reefer]

Drain the tank to about a half inch of water, and there really shouldn't be any trouble catching it then. That's the only way to catch those devils.
Jeff

[mightymouse]

i personally like the mantis shrimp method . . .

[gercon]

if he puts a mantis in there ....then once all the damsels are eaten.... can he put other fish in there with the mantis.... then it would be a mantis shrimp problem....

[ghever]

if you got mad skilz like me, and you can train your damsel to eat from top of the water colum..if not surface...you feed them, have net ready, and with a lightning quick move while he is at the surface, snag him... that is how I caught one of my damsels... but you have 3...so might be tougher ;-) I like the fishin method, being a fisherman that I am...barbless tiny hook..if you can find them small enough, piece of brine shrimp..and you got it... just make sure to not let them suck the food in too deep ;-)

[BlennyBabe]

I once put my frogfish in my reef to eat the clowngoby that was destroying my acros. It could work for you. Or a lionfish. Really any of those ambush preds would do. GOOD LUCK!!! Youre going to need it!

[Uriel]

Originally posted by gercon
if he puts a mantis in there ....then once all the damsels are eaten.... can he put other fish in there with the mantis.... then it would be a mantis shrimp problem....

Fish? Nope...

But, a P. Cilata is a more outgoing mantis, not a skulker.
It wouldn't be too hard to catch it. much easier than a damsel.

[Jimsmowen]

Narr ya see after you put the mantis in and he finishes them off you put in the mantis eating fish, then after that you get some white gorillas which will eat the mantis eating fish and then to get rid of them you get these white gorilla eating bears, then when winter rolls around your white gorilla eating bears will freeze to death...


PROBLEM SOLVED!

[Cesar357]

This method might work for you. Place the net in the tank for about a day so the damsel can get used to it. Then you place brine shrimp on either one of those long food clips. You place the food over the net and wait til it comes up to grab on that shrimp. Once it comes up, grab that little booger. That should work. I have seen it done in a matter of 10 minutes.

[impur]

Originally posted by Jimsmowen
Narr ya see after you put the mantis in and he finishes them off you put in the mantis eating fish, then after that you get some white gorillas which will eat the mantis eating fish and then to get rid of them you get these white gorilla eating bears, then when winter rolls around your white gorilla eating bears will freeze to death...


PROBLEM SOLVED!

:lol: :lol: :rollface: :rollface:

[Uriel]

"I knew an old woman who swallowed a fly...'

[Cesar357]

huh? Hahaha

[moggyhill]

frogfish, angler will work well

[Cesar357]

The only problem I see with the Frogfish is that once it gets rid of the Damsel then you need to take HIM out. Then you have to do the whole trying to fish him out deal.

Unless im mistaken and the frogfish is not scared of that fish net and complies with getting out. Im not sure. Are they easier to pull out of a tank?

[Paladin]

Borrow someone's lionfish. There will be no escape...

[moggyhill]

frogfish are much easier to get out

[mightymouse]

the mantis would be the easiest

[TC3modena]

try to drownd them.

[moggyhill]

how do you drown a fish?

[Andrew]

Put him in freshwater^

What i had to do to get my devil damsle out of my old reef was take out all the rock and then it took me about 1/2 after that to get him out. There fast little pains.

[moggyhill]

thats sad:(

[Andrew]

I know its sad but it better then him killing 2 of your other fish. That or if you want to be nicer i guess you could freeze him. Ive never killed a fish on purpose.

[Uriel]

Originally posted by mightymouse
the mantis would be the easiest

And the cutest...

:D

Well, I do love me some Lion Fish, they are pretty damned cute,actually.


-Ron

[Stevan]

So far trying to get my Yellowtail Blue Damsel out of my 30 gal cube is proving to be fruitless and frustrating...For my wife, the households Chief FisherCatcher.

Looks like moving the rocks out and 1/2 the water will be the way to go.

[Uriel]

Or...

Don't use damsels to cycle!?!

From what I know and/or have read, this is done to 'speed up' a cycle?
Seems that a little patience would be less pain in the long run.

For those who just bought damsels because they were pretty (which they are) or because some LFS worker said that they were compatile with your fish (or any fish...), my condolences.

-Ron

[Stevan]

Ron,

It's a great looking fish, hardy and I could afford it...Perfect right?

RIGHT!

Interesting point though the LFS that recommended it, Grape Caulerpa for my display tank and my Goni is going out of business!

Poetic Justice.

[moggyhill]

:lol: :lol:

[jnb]

easy - get a large new prop it in so it lays open near the top - feed the damsels with flske from the net - they used to going in there aft a couple of days and then surprise them the third or so day - I have done this numerous times

[Bunifa]

i had 4 3-stripe damsels in my 90. i tried to catch em with a net, but no success, so i tried to starve em, after a few months they were still there!!! so eventually i had to take out the live rock and drain the water to down to about a few inches, then net em. now theyr ein my fuge downstairs and still livin.

[Uriel]

Originally posted by Stevan
Ron,

It's a great looking fish, hardy and I could afford it...Perfect right?

RIGHT!

Interesting point though the LFS that recommended it, Grape Caulerpa for my display tank and my Goni is going out of business!

Poetic Justice.

I do really like the look of damsels, especially the domino and blues.
Almost all of the stories that I have heard regarding them paint them as troublemakers, unfortunately.

-Ron

[Stevan]

Ron- If mine were human he'd be just plain "MEAN". Pretty but mean. Chasing the nice neighbors around...he's gotta go. Soon.

[Cesar357]

Actually damsels are very nice looking but they are nazis with other peaceful fishes. My damsel killed a Yellow Watchman in a matter of hours. But they are nice though.

[Stevan]

Mine was fine for the better part of a year...Then suddenly turned mean. And began fanning the substrate next to the rocks with its tail...making caves while undermining the rocks.

[Crazyc_625]

get a plastic coke bottle and make hole in there. then put some food in there. once he finds how to get in the bottle to eat the food. put a net over the hole and there you have it.

[Stevan]

A variation on Ye Olde Crabbe Trapp. eh?

Wanna bet they're too smart for that? And you have to stand there too. Whata PITA.

[stellablu]

I didn't get to read if someone suggested this or not, but I had to drain my tank down into a 12g bucket (tupperware-like from wal-mart) until I only had two inches of water left. I had to rearrange and remove a bunch of rocks in order to actually catch him but it was MUCH easier to catch him this way. Once I got him I carefully siphoned the water back into the tank. It only took about 20 minutes.

I tried using a trap to no avail.

I was so aggravated with that Domino Damsel that I was determined once I caught him to place him in my brackish puffer tank...the booger died in my Q-tank before I had the chance. :lol: I never thought I'd be so happy to lose a fish...eek!

[mightymouse]

if there are no corals in the tank drain the water till theres like a half inch so they cant really swin and then just scoop them up with ur hands or the net while they are on their side or just get a mantis and watch or videotape ur tank so we can all see a pic of a damsel getting eaten that would be interesting to watch . . . a striking mantis shrimp

[scarygary]

thanks for all the suggestions.i finally removed most of the lr and netted them and returned them to my lfs.i will back from my bus trip in a wk and need sugg for what and when to add to tank.24g stock jbj nanocube.i want a mixtue of fish and corals and anything else that will be compatible.color is a plus.id prefer to stay small and get more in tank

[ReefRatz]

I'm in the same boat. I need to remove 4 of these suckers out of my 200G tank with 180 lbs of LR. It's a big job to take all the rocks out. See my original post

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=546644

[jnb]

don't want to sound harsh so I won't - just try the suggestion I made earlier - it works I can catch anyone that eats this way - to take out your rock - well, Im sorry but it would be stupid


Originally posted by ReefRatz
I'm in the same boat. I need to remove 4 of these suckers out of my 200G tank with 180 lbs of LR. It's a big job to take all the rocks out. See my original post

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=546644