[pistol37]

I need help on an easy, kind way to catch my blue fiji damsels. They are beautiful fish and I don't want to injure them but now that my tank has cycled I would like to return them to my LFS for another aquarist to enjoy. Any tips? They are fast little buggers. I feel like the coyote trying to catch the road runner.

[IceMan]

best advise woulda been don't buy them... lol but now you have them there may be no easy way. best way i've gotten elusive fish was with two nets and my wife helping. or get you a breeder net at the LFS, the kind with netting and a plastic frame. put it in the bottom with string to raise it, bait them in with a good singer food (maybe the large mysis) and fish away, better be fast and expect a splash over from it. also you will need to put several small slits in net or it will resist too hard and slow the lift allowing the fish to get out,

[pistol37]

Haha, you're right, the more that I've searched for a solution to this dilema, the more Irealize that maybe I should have got Chromis? That is also a funny fishing story....I also tried to fashion a "fish trap". I theaded fiching line through a 1 gal zip lock bag and weighed it down with a shell and a bag of brine with holes in it. Haha in my head, the Damn Damsel should have wondered in, I'd pull the string and Voila!! I sat there for two hours.

[WILLIAM1]

HAHA LOL I have a 3 striped damsel that Ive been trying to catch for 3 weeks on and off.

[aquasalt]

I tried catching a yellow tail damsel on several occasions and he has outsmarted me every time.

[pistol37]

They are crafty devils. I was able to finally after a few days able to apprehend mine though. I got some advice and kind of adjusted it buy chasing it into a rock where I was pretty sure he was hiding in a cave. I then quickly pulled that rock out and put it in a bucket of about 2 or 3 gallons of my tank water. The evasive damsel was captured the next day and is back @ the LFS now. I guess that would be a bit more difficult in a more elaborate set up or with larger fish but I have won for now!

[jporlier]

I have heard about using a bright flashlight to stun the fish. IS this too detrimental to attempt, or does it not work? Anyone tried this method and have some insight on it?

[kmcginnis]

I used a 24 oz bottle of water, cut off the top about 1/4 of the way down, invert so the opening is in the bottle. Don't feed your fish for a couple of days, put some food in the bottom of the bottle, settle it on the bottom and wait. I'd been trying for 3 weeks to catch my domino damsel and this only took 2 minutes for him to dart in and then I snatched him out! Low tech, high results!!

[DEWAYNE]

hmmm, I have two that I need to catch, these guys have killed off about 6 of my fish, I got one that is really big, and he knows it.

[kmcginnis]

you can trim the opening to the size you need, just make sure to keep it a bit tight so they can't dart in and then right back out!