I've been so frustrated with my blue damsel. He's being a very bad boy. At this point I just want him out. Dead or alive! I've been trying to starve him but the corals just start to do worse than he does. This thing could survive anything. Anyway, I want to get him out without moving any corals or chasing him around the tank. I was thinking of adding a coral banded or one of those crabs that spears fish. Will the banded shrimp eat him if I starve it? But I don't know if that crab is reef safe. Does anyone have a suggestion? If you can get him out without disturbing my corals he is yours for free. Please help!
How do I get my damsel OUT?
- Thread starter swervo513
- Start date
Unfortunately nobody much is going to want him (those who know anything about them anyway). Might have success trading him back to the LFS.
Best to post and ask if you can borrow a trap to get him out. Starving him is a more on the cruel side than is necessary imo...
Best to post and ask if you can borrow a trap to get him out. Starving him is a more on the cruel side than is necessary imo...
+1 Kathy ...Buy or borrow a trap .If you decide to buy one you can resell it.Starving is not going to work because there are many small creatures in your tank for him to feed on.I had three in a 20 gal. storage bin with live rocks for three months without my knowledge.When i decided to set a new tank with the rocks there they were in good health.One of my favorite swf by the way.
Last edited:
- Location
- Wheatley Heights, NY (long island)
I agree with rehype!! Save yourself the time and all the frustration by just removing all the rock. Then you can catch him at your leisure! Good Luck!
Killing it is not the best option unless it is going to serve a purpose. Like angler food 
Seriously though, adding predators is not a good option unless you want to keep them, if not you will be in the same boat as now, having to catch that predator and the cycle just starts all over.
Seriously though, adding predators is not a good option unless you want to keep them, if not you will be in the same boat as now, having to catch that predator and the cycle just starts all over.
AlohaTropics
Advanced Reefer
- Location
- Long Island
tiny hook and bait and fishing line...and a beer.
Well, you could try what they do to collect them in the first place -- fill up a syringe full of seltzer and squirt it into where he's hiding to flush him out. Alternately, if you don't have anything high on the rockwork that can't be exposed to air for ten minutes or so, like sponges, you could wave down any fleshy corals, pump out most of the water into a reservoir, making the fish much easier to catch, and then refill your tank. Plus, if it didn't work, and you used a large rubbermaid bin for your reservoir, you're ready to take out the LR and fish him out that way.
I kind of like alohas suggestion best. That's sad. However, removing the rock is not an option I rather keep him. There has to be some reef safe creature I can add to hunt him down. How about a blue ribbon eel? I wanted to get one anyway. Thanks for the tips. It seems that this fish can't coexist in my tank without killing it or being killed. I'm not worried about his life because he has already taken the lives of so many innocent fish. Hmmm. I wonder what the smallest hook I can't find is?
You can do this without taking apart your tank if you can exercise enough patience.
You can make your own trap with a soda bottle. You will also have to not feed the tank until you've caught him. This also calls for patience my friend.
1 Cut the top of the bottle at the point where it is the widest.
2 Depending on how big the damsel is you can probably not have to cut the spout, but if you think he won't fit through the bottle openning then you can cut the hole a little bigger. Just don't cut it to large or it will just go in and out with no problems. Puncture the bottom part of the bottle a few times for water circulation.
3 Invert the top of the bottle into the bottom portion.
4 Tie a long strand of fishing line to the bottle, put some food wrapped in a piece of netting, and stick it in the bottle. Sink the bottle to the bottom of the tank sit back and wait. Once he goes in you just lift the bottle out and you've got him.
I wish you all the best!
You can make your own trap with a soda bottle. You will also have to not feed the tank until you've caught him. This also calls for patience my friend.
1 Cut the top of the bottle at the point where it is the widest.
2 Depending on how big the damsel is you can probably not have to cut the spout, but if you think he won't fit through the bottle openning then you can cut the hole a little bigger. Just don't cut it to large or it will just go in and out with no problems.
Puncture the bottom part of the bottle a few times for water circulation.3 Invert the top of the bottle into the bottom portion.
4 Tie a long strand of fishing line to the bottle, put some food wrapped in a piece of netting, and stick it in the bottle. Sink the bottle to the bottom of the tank sit back and wait. Once he goes in you just lift the bottle out and you've got him.
I wish you all the best!
Ribbon eel's mortality rate in captivity is extremely high. If you do add said eel you can most certainly be assured that any fish it catches it will eat and Murphy's Law states the Damsel will be fine and everything else will be eaten. Then the eel will carpet surf leaving you with a damsel in a tank. Research tells you that damsels get extremely nasty after a little while in a tank as they do in the wild. If you really want it out best bet is to take out the rock and net it. You can try a trap, but before you add anything to the tank make sure you research it fully.
Try calling a local Dive shop, and renting (or buying) a slurp gun http://www.waternsports.com/Store/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=86&cat=Slurpgun+*+Slurp+Gun
Sponsor Reefs
We're a FREE website, and we exist because of hobbyists like YOU who help us run this community.
Click here to sponsor $10:
