Catching fish in established tank?

[MuShu]

I have a damsel that is killing other fish, so I need to get it out of my tank. What is the best way to get it? So far I have tried chasing it with a net, trying to bribe it out with food, and trying to block off cave entrances. None of this has worked.

 

[nuttyd]

rubber band on end of bamboo skewer like a mini pole spear.

 

[collegereefs]

I would recomend using a small barbless fishing hook or a specialty aquarium fish trap.

 

[MuShu]

Ha! I ran by a LFS and they suggested cutting a water bottle so that the part you drink from points inward and glue it back together with either hot glue or frag glue. I put a brine shrimp cube at the bottom.

 

[dougchambers]

I place our net in the tank about 30-60min ahead of the reckoning. When I'm ready, turn off all but the return pump and float a frozen cube in the net or about 3-4" above the net. When the fish get brazen and swim over the net to get the food, jerk the net up. Be prepared to twist or cover the net quickly. I've had fish jump back out and then they want nothing to do with a net for a few days.

We caught our 4-5" Koran Angel just last night without destroying the tank using this method. He was a PIG and very bold for large blocks of food. I've also caught a couple of Damsels and an oversized Naso this way.

Good luck!

 

[MrHyde]

How big is your tank exactly? If it's relatively small the High & Dry method outlined in the link below has always worked well for me.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-06/sp/index.php

 

[MuShu]

How big is your tank exactly? If it's relatively small the High & Dry method outlined in the link below has always worked well for me.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-06/sp/index.php

It's a 55 gal, so a little more water than I could get out for the high and dry method, but if these bottle traps don't work, I'm going to need to find a very large container.

 

[IowaReefer]

Specialty aquarium trap is the only thing that has ever worked for me.

 

[MuShu]

Update: The bottle trap worked! It's hanging out in there with a net over the opening just in case. I'll take it back to the lfs when they open in a bit.

 

[lespaul339]

What kind of damsel was it?

 

[MuShu]

What kind of damsel was it?

A blue damsel.

 

[brett559]

I've had good success with fish traps. Also, my tank is in my office, so at night it is pitch dark in there. When I flip on all the lights, the fish are pretty dazed for several minutes. I've been able to just scoop them out while they are "out of it."