Bicyclebill Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 I've got two pesky damsels that my daughter talked me into buying last year. I want them gone, but there is no way I'll ever catch a fish with a net in my tank without tearing it down. I made a mini spear with a straightened out fish hook epoxied to a thin rod, but the fish somehow "sense" it in my non feeding hand and stay back. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Try this... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gradth Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Also a few fish stores and members have fish traps they will loan out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smann Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Thanks frank, great post was looking for this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Good luck. Most of us have gone through this with damsels at one time or another. Last one I caught using a couple of flashlights and net at night. Still had to tear part of the tank apart though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgf86123 Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Depending on how big your tank is, and how much rock you have, you can try draining it down to about 2" of water or so.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Depending on how big your tank is' date=' and how much rock you have, you can try draining it down to about 2" of water or so....[/quote'] .....To add to this it can be done even with live rock and corals as long as it doesn't stay drained for long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gill Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 I took a damsel out recently using a fish trap I borrowed from my LFS. You might want to ask your LFS if they have one you can rent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cklskypilot Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 time to go fishing. thats right pick up a 22-26 fish hook made for fly tying { barb less } add some fishing line a piece of shrimp and its time to fish. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finch6013 Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 time to go fishing. thats right pick up a 22-26 fish hook made for fly tying { barb less } add some fishing line a piece of shrimp and its time to fish. I have done this twice. Quite effective and just a little bit fun. Especially if the fish has been a pain in the butt for some time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bicyclebill Posted March 29, 2011 Author Share Posted March 29, 2011 Thanks for the tips everyone! I'm going to try the home made pop bottle trap and see what happens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandinga Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 I cant believe i never thought to tie a little micro mayfly and catch them! Barbless, stainless... im gonna try this soon... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRENT Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 I also had to remove a few Damsels. I've tried the hook, trap and DIY bottle trap with no luck. So I ended tearing down my entire 120. Took everything out besides sand. Sucked but I took the opportunity to redesign the rock work. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bicyclebill Posted March 29, 2011 Author Share Posted March 29, 2011 Trent, that's been my experience with these guys too. They seem to be way smarter or on edge than any of my other fish. Shoot, I can pretty much grab any of my other fish while I'm feeding them, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 Trent' date=' that's been my experience with these guys too. They seem to be way smarter or on edge than any of my other fish. Shoot, I can pretty much grab any of my other fish while I'm feeding them,[/quote']I've actually done this a couple of times. (With my B/W clowns and a trigger) I also put food in a net to catch my old snowflake eel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Topher Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 i caught two damsils in two days with the pop bottle fish trap. the first day, no interest, the second day, bam, two fishies gone. i still have one more damsil i think i will get rid of. with my bottle, i drilled a small hole at the bottom of the bottle and squirted some food into it. i would cuculate the food inside the trap with the target feeder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackaninny Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 Drained my 29 down to ~4" of water and scooped the Damsel out no problem. Dropped my mixing pump in and had the water pumped back in 5 minutes. I was amazed at how easy the whole process was but then again I'd been trying to net the little &@!# for about 2 weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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