Damsels And Copper Banded Butterfly

[bg7003]

Hey
I just got a copper banded butterfly yesterday and put him in my 75 gallon. I have three of those horrible black damsel fish that keep chasin him. Anyone know how to make them stop? Im ready to throw them out the window at this point. They are really difficult to catch, Im thinking about fishing for them but their mouths are tiny.
Thanks

 

[Colin_T]

Damsels are highly territorial and will chase any new fish that invade their home. The only way you can stop them chasing the butterfly is to get them out of the tank. And to get damselfish out of a tank you often have to take everything out and then go after them with a couple of big nets.
You can try using a very small fish hook and bend the barb down. Then put that in with a bit of food on and fish away.

If you do take everything out of the tank you might want to take the butterfly out first and put it in a bucket with a towel over the top. (Make sure the towel can't fall into the bucket). When the butterfly is in the bucket you can chase the damsels all over the place. If the butterfly is hard to catch then don't chase it too much because they stress really easily.