Sorry I just had to share this moment of happiness with you all.
I had been cycling my new 65 gallon tank for a month and had a little yellow damsel in it. I got a percula and three chromis from the LFS a few days ago and since I was told that I should remove him, I did so with a net and got him in about three minutes, even though I have a heavily planted tank. I put him in the sump for the meantime and introduced the new occupants.
The next day I had a brilliant idea: why not reintroduce the damsel, I am sure the little guy will learn to live with his new friends!
Well, needless to say (do I really need to comment?) he did not "learn to live" with his new friends and immediately became the bully on the block. Since the tank is large for so few fishes, I was still a little hesitant to take him out. The chromis could simply hover out in the open relatively separate from the damsel, and the percula was bigger than him (bullies, in essence, are always fearful creatures and only attack smaller than themselves).
But alas came feeding time, and the little fish immediately turned into the ogre of our worst nightmares. What fury! What voracious hunger! All food served, be it live, frozen, or pellet, simply went to feed the voracious appetite of this hungry beast. My other finned companions had nothing left to contend with but meager scraps, after this remorsless ruffian had satisfied all his most basic of urges.
I was appaled.
Something had to be done.
I decided to take him out again, but this time the beast HAD LEARNED. Yes, he had learned! He knew where to avoid the zesty rush of the net, the quick slurp of the hand, the frustrated screams of an angered and hopeless owner who would in the process almost destroy his tank searching for the quick-witted demon lurking amidst the crevices and plants of his tank!
This morning, I built the Fish Trap. It was quite fun, "fishing" in my own tank. After about four, maybe five, minutes, the little demon was finally entrapped. And the nightmare of The Damsel was over.
I had been cycling my new 65 gallon tank for a month and had a little yellow damsel in it. I got a percula and three chromis from the LFS a few days ago and since I was told that I should remove him, I did so with a net and got him in about three minutes, even though I have a heavily planted tank. I put him in the sump for the meantime and introduced the new occupants.
The next day I had a brilliant idea: why not reintroduce the damsel, I am sure the little guy will learn to live with his new friends!
Well, needless to say (do I really need to comment?) he did not "learn to live" with his new friends and immediately became the bully on the block. Since the tank is large for so few fishes, I was still a little hesitant to take him out. The chromis could simply hover out in the open relatively separate from the damsel, and the percula was bigger than him (bullies, in essence, are always fearful creatures and only attack smaller than themselves).
But alas came feeding time, and the little fish immediately turned into the ogre of our worst nightmares. What fury! What voracious hunger! All food served, be it live, frozen, or pellet, simply went to feed the voracious appetite of this hungry beast. My other finned companions had nothing left to contend with but meager scraps, after this remorsless ruffian had satisfied all his most basic of urges.
I was appaled.
Something had to be done.
I decided to take him out again, but this time the beast HAD LEARNED. Yes, he had learned! He knew where to avoid the zesty rush of the net, the quick slurp of the hand, the frustrated screams of an angered and hopeless owner who would in the process almost destroy his tank searching for the quick-witted demon lurking amidst the crevices and plants of his tank!
This morning, I built the Fish Trap. It was quite fun, "fishing" in my own tank. After about four, maybe five, minutes, the little demon was finally entrapped. And the nightmare of The Damsel was over.
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