How to Catch a damsel?

danagrzyb · Jan 28, 2016

Need advice please!

Wesley42079 · Jan 28, 2016

You can try and make a trap with a empty plastic water bottle. If that doesn't work, you will either A) Buy a trigger fish or B) Remove most of your rocks and drain about 90% of your water.

Good luck.

danagrzyb · Jan 28, 2016

Wesley42079 said:
You can try and make a trap with a empty plastic water bottle. If that doesn't work, you will either A) Buy a trigger fish or B) Remove most of your rocks and drain about 90% of your water.

Good luck.

Trigger fish won't work due to a reef tank, hopefully this water bottle trick will work! Hate this stupid fish

human · Jan 28, 2016

Bottle trap and lots of luck. I have heard some people using a tiny barbless hook and fishing for them.

Drs2140 · Jan 28, 2016

Hand grenade...

lol your best bet will be a pop bottle trap

PatW · Jan 28, 2016

I was kind of thinking of the hand grenade option too but I got beaten to it. I SCUBA dive. Sharks, giant morays, huge groupers, none of those are aggressive. I have been attacked often by mindlessly aggressive damsels. They can be beautiful and hardy, but given their nature, use the grenade.

Cleo642 · Jan 28, 2016

Lol, a grenade. How about a vacuum? Suck him right out. Lol

jetmaker · Jan 28, 2016

In the old days we would cycle the tank and flush .

WVReefJunkie · Jan 28, 2016

I have a fish trap that has a glass door that can be closed by pulling fishing line attached to it once the fish enters the trap. You have to be patient, but it will work.

Steve Maxwell · Jan 28, 2016

I drained almost all the water out of my tank and removed all the rocks...and it still took a while to catch my damsel.

Tahoe61 · Jan 28, 2016

If worst comes to worst, lower the water level almost all the way down it make them a lot easier to catch. You can also try the tiny fish hook method.

runzwithscissors · Jan 28, 2016

jetmaker said:
In the old days we would cycle the tank and flush .

Without offending damsels lovers.........."LOL"

jetmaker · Jan 28, 2016

Someone had a picture one day on here with a trap made from egg crate and cable ties.

jetmaker · Jan 28, 2016

runzwithscissors said:
Without offending damsels lovers.........."LOL"

Yeah I said on here somewhere that they are in the NY sewers still killing alligators.

thenanoreef · Jan 28, 2016

Look up water bottle fish trap. I caught a six line in mine.

eyemyeye · Jan 28, 2016

I tried all kinds of traps none work. Just bite the bullet drain the tank and remove all your rocks that is what I did to remove that demon fish. Save your self all that waisted time.

smh254 · Jan 28, 2016

I've caught dottie back and a wrasse with a bottle trap very early before. I worked for weeks trying to catch my damsel just never could. I ended up draining my whole tank to get them out. If you go this route be sure to splash water on your corals to keep them wet. I had a problem with a couple of SPS corals tips drying out. I just had to snip some of the tips off and everything was fine again.

jetmaker · Jan 28, 2016

I'd go with the small fish hook and a brine or mysis on it.

2xal · Jan 28, 2016

bottle trap if possible. I had a big piece of eggcrate years ago that I kept to try and 'section' off the tank. example- in a 120 if the fish I wanted to catch was in the right hand side put the egg crate in the middle to divide the tank in half. That only works with certain aquascaping though.