Given Bad Advice

[GQadam]

Hi guys. I am new to reef tanks and when I was starting up I was given some bad advice about starter fish. Long story short I have about 7 damsels in my tank which need to be removed so that I can put some friendlier fish in. My tank is 72g and I need help figuring out how I am going to get the brats out without upsetting the entire tank. Please any advice will be a great help.

~GQ

 

[jackthestrat]

Hi guys. I am new to reef tanks and when I was starting up I was given some bad advice about starter fish. Long story short I have about 7 damsels in my tank which need to be removed so that I can put some friendlier fish in. My tank is 72g and I need help figuring out how I am going to get the brats out without upsetting the entire tank. Please any advice will be a great help.

~GQ

Get a lionfish

 

[JayM]

a fish trap works pretty well. should be minimally disruptive.

 

[tigerslacrosse4]

He said he got bad advise already LOL JK JK

Get a lionfish

 

[GQadam]

a fish trap works pretty well. should be minimally disruptive.

Where can I get a fish trap?

 

[DoctaQ]

you can make one, look online
you can go in at night with a red flashlight, people say its a myth but i beleive it.
the fish cant see the light

 

[NeverlosT]

Either use a fish trap (coke bottle method or buy one for 50 bones), or figure out where the fish sleep at night. If they are somewhat accessible at night, even if it takes some prodding, go in there late one night with a flashlight (doesnt have to be red), the fish will be disoriented since they were sleeping, use a black net, poke them out of their sleeping spot and net them up. For 7 damsels, this may take several nights/attempts and try not to get frustrated!

Good luck, I have snagged a bunch of fish this way. But like I said, the traps work well too, especially with kind of unintelligent but always hungry damsels!

 

[63vette427]

I sadly had to remove all my live rock to get my 6 damsels out of the tank.

 

[jackthestrat]

He said he got bad advise already LOL JK JK

Sure, I was kind of joking, but it's not *bad* advice. It will certainly resolve his issue in a short time frame without him having to disrupt his tank. It's much easier to get a slow swimming lionfish out of a tank than 7 damsels. It's also easier to sell or trade off a lionfish than 7 damsels.

You just have to steel yourself and watch the circle of life play out in your tank.

 

[CrazyCorals]

traps could be bought at jays for like 35.00 or rented at aqua addict for 7.00

 

[JayM]

Where can I get a fish trap?

the coke bottle one has worked for me in the past. I also have an acclimate which doubles as a fish trap when it has food in it.

if you're local to metrowest, I'd be happy to let you borrow it.

 

[tangO]

I tried the lionfish method and worked great, I tried it after I ripped my whole tank apart and still couldn't get them. I couldn't exactly find where I could store 210 gallons of water and wife wouldn't let me send in one of the kids.
Try the lionfish it is so much DRIER and less of a fight(with wife)

 

[snowmaker]

Funny thread...

I tried the lionfish method and worked great

No surprise there!
I thought about hiring out a cuttlefish or two to the folks who have unwanted fish they cannot catch.

 

[afboundguy]

Get a lionfish

Nice

He said he got bad advise already LOL JK JK

Hey it would work and it's by far better advice that getting advice about cycling with damsels that turn into hellions...

 

[DoctaQ]

i swallowed a spider to eat the fly

 

[Jocko]

+1 on the Acclimate. You'll wonder how you ever lived without it!

 

[jtmac]

My wife "surprised" me one day by picking up 5 blue damsels for my tank. She was so proud thinking she something nice for me. Well there are 3 left and she now knows to never buy fish without me there! I plan on removing them as soon as my tank in the basement is up and running, to do this I will use 2 nets. 1 net is very large and I use the smaller one to chasee them to the bigger net. This takes a bit of time but it works.

 

[cilyjr]

here is a thread with many different methods for fish catching started by anthony calfo a few years ago

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=707656