Need some ideas on catching a unwanted Damsel

basssnake · 01/26/2010, 06:31 PM

I need some ideas/suggestions on how to catch a damsel(about 2inch) out of my 180 gallon tank. It is full of live rock and corals. The tank dimension is 4ft x 3ft x 2ft deep(if that matters). He runs and hides if i put a net in the tank. But, if i try to move corals or rocks with my Aqua tongs, he will attack it. LOL.

Any ideas for homemade traps? Any other ideas? I really need to get him out of that tank, he is a tyrant and i want to add some more gentle fish to the system.

Thanks for any help/ideas.

TrojanScott · 01/26/2010, 06:50 PM

Fish trap for a small fish, and a lot of patience. If you do wanna try to corner it with a net, get some of the stuff near the top of your tank, put it towards the bottom, and drain as much water out of your tank as you can. I've caught a few fish that way. Less space to hide, believe it or not! I've got a 180 as well, and I just took a brut trash can and filled it up. Catch the fish, and pump the water right back in.

Good luck!

TrojanScott · 01/26/2010, 06:54 PM

Oh, and if you wanna try a home made trap... the inverted coke bottle or water bottle trick may work. (for a fish that size) Cut the top of the plastic bottle off, (where the bottle starts to narrow toward the top,) cut the VERY tip portion off, big enough for the fish to get through, and then invert that piece. Put some food in the bottle. They should swim in to get it, and have difficulty getting out. You don't need to sit there with a string for hours (fish traps) with this idea.
With that said, I never had much luck with it myself. Caught a mean hairy crab who was an unwanted guest that way, but that's about it.

julie180 · 01/26/2010, 07:33 PM

Fish trap, with a mirror in the back. Aggressive fish just can't resist going after the strange new fish in their tank.

99 cent container, some scrap acrylic and a piece of pvc for food. I have done a couple of mods since, weighted the bottom door and put a couple of plastic screws in the bottom so the fish don't run into the door and it comes open. You get the idea.

http://i554.photobucket.com/albums/j...ap11-13-08.jpg

basssnake · 01/26/2010, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by julie180

Fish trap, with a mirror in the back. Aggressive fish just can't resist going after the strange new fish in their tank.

99 cent container, some scrap acrylic and a piece of pvc for food. I have done a couple of mods since, weighted the bottom door and put a couple of plastic screws in the bottom so the fish don't run into the door and it comes open. You get the idea.

http://i554.photobucket.com/albums/j...ap11-13-08.jpg

Can you go into more detail on how to build this and how it works??

basssnake · 01/26/2010, 08:22 PM

Anyone else have some additional ideas??

jbird69 · 01/26/2010, 08:22 PM

hook and line. hands down

hemi-cuda · 01/26/2010, 09:14 PM

How quick are ya' with a net

And much room at the top front of the tank away from your prized corals?

Octoshark · 01/26/2010, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by julie180

Fish trap, with a mirror in the back. Aggressive fish just can't resist going after the strange new fish in their tank.

Ha, I would love to see a video of that in progress

That would be funny

basssnake · 01/26/2010, 09:19 PM

As far as the hook and line........what do you use for bait and how do you get him to bite it and not one of my other fish in the tank? Detail me.

basssnake · 01/26/2010, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hemi-cuda

How quick are ya' with a net

And much room at the top front of the tank away from your prized corals?

What did you have in mind? I do have lots of room at the front top of the tank. But if splashing is required, my metal halide would get splashed and would break. Explain what you had in mind.....

also, this tank is built into my wall, so i can't get into the tank from the front(since the tank is 3ft wide, makes it hard sometimes to work in this tank).....

hemi-cuda · 01/26/2010, 09:30 PM

How quick are ya' with a net

And how much room at the top front of the tank away from your prized corals? I had to catch a very large female Maroon Clown out of a 300, but I had lots of room at the top front close to the glass where I fed the fish ALL the time. One day at the usual feeding time, I fed the fish and immediately scooped the net and caught her and several other fish too(was using a 10'' net). If ya' miss...you may have to wait several more days to try again as I swear they remember!

hemi-cuda · 01/26/2010, 09:33 PM

Sorry...Hit the wrong key and didn't get to finish the first post

Maybe if you feed from the back you may have some luck? You could move the MH out of the way possibly?

basssnake · 01/26/2010, 10:07 PM

Keep the ideas/suggestions coming. I hope to figure out something from the list that will work in my situation. the more ideas i have, the better the chance i will catch this fish.....

julie180 · 01/26/2010, 10:09 PM

Basssnake, Its just a 99 cent container that I cut a channel in the top with a little circular saw. The door is a scrap piece of plex. Its very crude, but has worked for me several times. The pvc tube is for putting food into the trap. Its just cut out with a hole saw.

It does not have to be anything fancy, one trick I have found is to leave it in the tank for a little while and let the fish get used to going in and out.
Even just a long clear container with the mirror at the back would work, just let them get used to it and after a while, put a net over the opening.

You can probably also borrow a fish trap from your LFS and just tape a mirror to the back of it.

I also caught one on a hook baited with a small piece of cod. He had be caught in the trap once before and I have no doubt he remembered!!! Would not go near the trap even for food.

basssnake · 01/26/2010, 10:10 PM

Feeding from the back won't work good, too much rock and corals and i don't want to move them. Would be a headache to move the light, plus wouldn't be able to see in the tank. Good idea though, maybe i can get it to work.

Maybe i could use a butterfly net(net that is long and tapers down small......and aim a powerhead in it so it stays open and leave it for a few days.......and maybe he would get curious and go in it.....and maybe i could swoop him out......good or bad idea??

jbird69 · 01/26/2010, 11:00 PM

get the smallest fly hook (for tying flies) you can find. I use a #22. a #24 or #26 would be better. They get smaller as the number goes up. File off the barb and bait it with shrimp or squid. Squid stays on much better. Use really fine fishing line so you can get it thru the eye of the hook. Loop the other end of the line around your finger. just keep pulling it away from the wrong fish. If the wrong one gets hooked, give it slack and he'll be able to spit the hook.

I have caught every fish Ive needed to remove this way. It worked flawlessly every time.

jimmie6x · 01/26/2010, 11:43 PM

Dynomite, works everytime!!

01/26/2010, 06:31 PM	#1
basssnake Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Kansas Posts: 838	Need some ideas on catching a unwanted Damsel I need some ideas/suggestions on how to catch a damsel(about 2inch) out of my 180 gallon tank. It is full of live rock and corals. The tank dimension is 4ft x 3ft x 2ft deep(if that matters). He runs and hides if i put a net in the tank. But, if i try to move corals or rocks with my Aqua tongs, he will attack it. LOL. Any ideas for homemade traps? Any other ideas? I really need to get him out of that tank, he is a tyrant and i want to add some more gentle fish to the system. Thanks for any help/ideas.

01/26/2010, 08:22 PM	#7
jbird69 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: The beautiful State of Jefferson Posts: 2,751	hook and line. hands down __________________ Broke Back Mountain is not a movie, its the pile of dead ninjas in Chuck Norris' back yard

01/26/2010, 11:00 PM	#17
jbird69 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: The beautiful State of Jefferson Posts: 2,751	get the smallest fly hook (for tying flies) you can find. I use a #22. a #24 or #26 would be better. They get smaller as the number goes up. File off the barb and bait it with shrimp or squid. Squid stays on much better. Use really fine fishing line so you can get it thru the eye of the hook. Loop the other end of the line around your finger. just keep pulling it away from the wrong fish. If the wrong one gets hooked, give it slack and he'll be able to spit the hook. I have caught every fish Ive needed to remove this way. It worked flawlessly every time. __________________ Broke Back Mountain is not a movie, its the pile of dead ninjas in Chuck Norris' back yard

01/26/2010, 11:43 PM	#18
jimmie6x Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Richmond Va. Posts: 7	Dynomite, works everytime!! __________________ If you drop your keys into a burning river of lava, Let'em go brother, cause there gone. Current Tank Info: 30 gal. w/wet dry system, teklight T5 HO 4 bulb fixture

01/26/2010, 06:50 PM	#2
TrojanScott Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Lake Forest, CA Posts: 2,229	Fish trap for a small fish, and a lot of patience. If you do wanna try to corner it with a net, get some of the stuff near the top of your tank, put it towards the bottom, and drain as much water out of your tank as you can. I've caught a few fish that way. Less space to hide, believe it or not! I've got a 180 as well, and I just took a brut trash can and filled it up. Catch the fish, and pump the water right back in. Good luck!

01/26/2010, 06:54 PM	#3
TrojanScott Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Lake Forest, CA Posts: 2,229	Oh, and if you wanna try a home made trap... the inverted coke bottle or water bottle trick may work. (for a fish that size) Cut the top of the plastic bottle off, (where the bottle starts to narrow toward the top,) cut the VERY tip portion off, big enough for the fish to get through, and then invert that piece. Put some food in the bottle. They should swim in to get it, and have difficulty getting out. You don't need to sit there with a string for hours (fish traps) with this idea. With that said, I never had much luck with it myself. Caught a mean hairy crab who was an unwanted guest that way, but that's about it.

01/26/2010, 07:33 PM	#4
julie180 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Raymore, MO Posts: 2,556	Fish trap, with a mirror in the back. Aggressive fish just can't resist going after the strange new fish in their tank. 99 cent container, some scrap acrylic and a piece of pvc for food. I have done a couple of mods since, weighted the bottom door and put a couple of plastic screws in the bottom so the fish don't run into the door and it comes open. You get the idea. http://i554.photobucket.com/albums/j...ap11-13-08.jpg

01/26/2010, 09:14 PM	#8
hemi-cuda Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 52	How quick are ya' with a net And much room at the top front of the tank away from your prized corals?

01/26/2010, 09:19 PM	#10
basssnake Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Kansas Posts: 838	As far as the hook and line........what do you use for bait and how do you get him to bite it and not one of my other fish in the tank? Detail me.

01/26/2010, 09:30 PM	#12
hemi-cuda Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 52	How quick are ya' with a net And how much room at the top front of the tank away from your prized corals? I had to catch a very large female Maroon Clown out of a 300, but I had lots of room at the top front close to the glass where I fed the fish ALL the time. One day at the usual feeding time, I fed the fish and immediately scooped the net and caught her and several other fish too(was using a 10'' net). If ya' miss...you may have to wait several more days to try again as I swear they remember!

01/26/2010, 09:33 PM	#13
hemi-cuda Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 52	Sorry...Hit the wrong key and didn't get to finish the first post Maybe if you feed from the back you may have some luck? You could move the MH out of the way possibly?

01/26/2010, 10:07 PM	#14
basssnake Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Kansas Posts: 838	Keep the ideas/suggestions coming. I hope to figure out something from the list that will work in my situation. the more ideas i have, the better the chance i will catch this fish.....

01/26/2010, 10:09 PM	#15
julie180 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Raymore, MO Posts: 2,556	Basssnake, Its just a 99 cent container that I cut a channel in the top with a little circular saw. The door is a scrap piece of plex. Its very crude, but has worked for me several times. The pvc tube is for putting food into the trap. Its just cut out with a hole saw. It does not have to be anything fancy, one trick I have found is to leave it in the tank for a little while and let the fish get used to going in and out. Even just a long clear container with the mirror at the back would work, just let them get used to it and after a while, put a net over the opening. You can probably also borrow a fish trap from your LFS and just tape a mirror to the back of it. I also caught one on a hook baited with a small piece of cod. He had be caught in the trap once before and I have no doubt he remembered!!! Would not go near the trap even for food.

01/26/2010, 10:10 PM	#16
basssnake Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Kansas Posts: 838	Feeding from the back won't work good, too much rock and corals and i don't want to move them. Would be a headache to move the light, plus wouldn't be able to see in the tank. Good idea though, maybe i can get it to work. Maybe i could use a butterfly net(net that is long and tapers down small......and aim a powerhead in it so it stays open and leave it for a few days.......and maybe he would get curious and go in it.....and maybe i could swoop him out......good or bad idea??