austenreefer
Active Member
I just read an article talking about how these guys get an underserved bad rap.... thoughts? Experiences? Just curious!
Damselfish... bad rap justified?
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Bryson.bobby
Valuable Member
I’ve never had any problems with my yellowtail damsel but I consider myself lucky
mattzang
2500 Club Member
article link?
i've never had an issue with my springeri
i think people make poor choices with damsels and it makes them seem worse. like i know of several lfs that recommend cycling with damsels, so you're putting a territorial fish in first. i also think people figure they're tiny and throw them in small tanks disregarding their need for a little space.
another lfs i know hates damsels and when i finally got him to tell me why, he said he had a 10 gallon tank with 5 (yes, FIVE) fish in it, he added a golden dwarf moray and the blue damsel attacked it. i'm like......................................................well that may have been too many fish in there dudebro.
and lastly there seems to be a big difference between the calmer chrysiptera damsels and the large belligerent angry by nature ones like the three stripe and domino
i've never had an issue with my springeri
i think people make poor choices with damsels and it makes them seem worse. like i know of several lfs that recommend cycling with damsels, so you're putting a territorial fish in first. i also think people figure they're tiny and throw them in small tanks disregarding their need for a little space.
another lfs i know hates damsels and when i finally got him to tell me why, he said he had a 10 gallon tank with 5 (yes, FIVE) fish in it, he added a golden dwarf moray and the blue damsel attacked it. i'm like......................................................well that may have been too many fish in there dudebro.
and lastly there seems to be a big difference between the calmer chrysiptera damsels and the large belligerent angry by nature ones like the three stripe and domino
OP
OP
austenreefer
Active Member
Damselfish - Yes, Sane Damsels Do Exist!
Damselfish get a really bad rap in the reef-keeping hobby, however, there are sane ones that exist that have that trademark damsel blue. In this post, I discuss less aggressive Damelfish and how to introduce them to your tank.
aquariumstoredepot.com
U
User1
Guest
Bad rap. Then again the onus is on the hobbyist to properly stock their tank. The fish doesn't fall out of the sky like skittles and land there on its own. Hobbyist add them. But in the older days they are often used to cycle tanks and as one adds new things in the Damsel has his home being invaded by strangers and gets really ticked off. To complicate matters it just went through a 90 day cycle that probably had various bad things happen like ammonia spikes, etc that caused pain and anger. So now you have Hulk in your tank and yea, having a bad day sort of thing...
But seriously as with any fish there are some you can reasonably add with little to no issue when done properly. Proper by providing enough space, territories, caves, food, and the whole compatibility thing. Usually the Chrysiptera family is the goto Damsel. So Azure, Allens, Talbots, Rollands, Yellow Tail, and Tracy's are some. Starcki are another example of typically well behaved. Again I can't stress enough a properly sized tank, mature, with enough nooks and crannies for their own territory.
@ca1ore has 50+ in his tank with great success. Few others here have large numbers. I have mixed 3 Talbots with 3 Allens at the same time with good success in a 40 breeder. I now have a 210 gallon that I'm about ready to add several from the list I mentioned above but still waiting a few more months for some coral growth before.
The key I have to say, in my opinion, is providing that environment for their safety zone to dart into. Without that and cramped quarters bad things will happen. Like the cute little Grimlin that gets wet...
But seriously as with any fish there are some you can reasonably add with little to no issue when done properly. Proper by providing enough space, territories, caves, food, and the whole compatibility thing. Usually the Chrysiptera family is the goto Damsel. So Azure, Allens, Talbots, Rollands, Yellow Tail, and Tracy's are some. Starcki are another example of typically well behaved. Again I can't stress enough a properly sized tank, mature, with enough nooks and crannies for their own territory.
@ca1ore has 50+ in his tank with great success. Few others here have large numbers. I have mixed 3 Talbots with 3 Allens at the same time with good success in a 40 breeder. I now have a 210 gallon that I'm about ready to add several from the list I mentioned above but still waiting a few more months for some coral growth before.
The key I have to say, in my opinion, is providing that environment for their safety zone to dart into. Without that and cramped quarters bad things will happen. Like the cute little Grimlin that gets wet...
vetteguy53081
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I’ve had nightmares with these things and then ......... trying to catch them. I eliminated all, a Long time ago.
Recently I bought out someone’s tank and of course there is a yellow tail blue damsel in the batch. I thought one more chance and two months in and has been a Good Fish But still No More
Recently I bought out someone’s tank and of course there is a yellow tail blue damsel in the batch. I thought one more chance and two months in and has been a Good Fish But still No More
Reklaw
Community Member
Mine are pretty mean, I have 5 in a 32g biocube. They rule by size and force. The 2 big ones protect the rock and 3 smaller ones get a corner. I will not add anything to the tank until they are gone.
ScottR
Surfing....
For damsels it matters when they were added, what else is in the tank, size of tank and hiding spaces. IME they’re hit or miss but I prefer not to keep anymore. Although I do have chromis at the moment which I love.
Also, larger damsels are known to attack divers to defend their territory in the ocean.
Also, larger damsels are known to attack divers to defend their territory in the ocean.
They are amazing for the right situation. I love damsels and think they have a bad rep because people don't understand their needs or the simple fact it's a large family and they aren't all the same. There are true monsters in the family but other species that are perfect for a lot of our tanks. It annoys me that damsels are seen as territorial monsters/killers but fish with similar attributes like sohal tangs are admired and forgiven.
Are damsels right for every tank, no, do they fit into the average community tank, normally, but only if you look at the more peaceful species rather than the brutes.
Are damsels right for every tank, no, do they fit into the average community tank, normally, but only if you look at the more peaceful species rather than the brutes.
KenRexford
Active Member
My domino is a bully. Shredded the new tomini at first but then accepts as long as tomini knows he is boss. That said I kind of enjoy having a bully in the tank. I want a rral life reef not a commune.
