If only somebody would've told me blue damsels are devilfish.

[Ballyhoo]

I saw these blue damsels at LFS and they looked so pretty and nice. Then I met a guy there. Another customer he told me he has 40 in is 100 gallon tank so I thought I could have four in my 40. Well, here are the results. This fire shrimp didn't last 30 hours. they are also going after my white sand sifter.

 

[Garf]

I saw these blue damsels at LFS and they looked so pretty and nice. Then I met a guy there. Another customer he told me he has 40 on is 100 gallon tank so I thought I could have four in my 40. Well, here are the results. This fire shrimp didn't last 30 hours.

Lol, which blue damsel? I had a blue devil, he was a tiny monster.

 

[Ballyhoo]

i don't know which one. I also wonder if the mystery wrasse i have could have conspired. i'll never get these damsals out of my tank now. argg.

 

[Bj’s Reef]

You have a few options. Take everything out of the tank to catch them. Second get one of those fish traps and hope they go into it. Third find out where they sleep at night. Then in the middle of the night catch them while they sleep. Those little suckers are like under water fighter jets. Almost impossible to catch. I messed up about twenty years ago and put some in my tank. Talk about a life lesson.

 

[littlefoxx]

Yeah… best to research fish in the store. Damsels are known as some of the most aggressive fish in the hobby

 

[saltytanked]

that’s been true of damsels for the past 20 years lol

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Could have googled it on your phone right there in the store. NEVER put anything in the tank without googling what it will do. Damsels are evil.

 

[Garf]

that’s been true of damsels for the past 20 years lol

They've been terrorising things for longer than that.

 

[DDenny]

I have an azure damsel and it gets along fine with my bicolor Blenny. Want to add another two fish to the tank but I’m more nervous about the Blenny than I am the damsel. But I did research before purchase and they seemed to be the least aggressive of the damsels.

 

[Thumbster]

Before I make a huge mistake tomorrow when I go to the LFS…these guys, and ONLY these guys are a safe bet, right?

 

[Garf]

I have an azure damsel and it gets along fine with my bicolor Blenny. Want to add another two fish to the tank but I’m more nervous about the Blenny than I am the damsel. But I did research before purchase and they seemed to be the least aggressive of the damsels.

Azures ain't too bad.

 

[littlefoxx]

Could have googled it on your phone right there in the store. NEVER put anything in the tank without googling what it will do. Damsels are evil.

100%

 

[Ballyhoo]

Could have googled it on your phone right there in the store. NEVER put anything in the tank without googling what it will do. Damsels are evil.

yea i suppose. and maybe owner of LFS who sold them to me mentioned they can be aggressive I don't remember. Being new to this they appeared completely small and harmless to me. Now I know what reef aggression is. fortunately they were the last fish I stocked and I don't need anymore fish in my tank. But I guess I'm pretty limited to what invertebrates I can stock in my tank now. I have a pistol shrimp and gobi who conspire together. I haven't seen the pistol in a couple days and the gobi dances back-and-forth trying to get the pistol to come to it. But I don't think the damnsals could get a pistol I mean I think pistol is too small and wily for damnsals -- I hope. anyway, when I first got the fire shrimp it just stuck to one side of the tank and I remember wondering why it looked so scared. Poor guy.

 

[Peair]

I saw these blue damsels at LFS and they looked so pretty and nice. Then I met a guy there. Another customer he told me he has 40 in is 100 gallon tank so I thought I could have four in my 40. Well, here are the results. This fire shrimp didn't last 30 hours. they are also going after my white sand sifter.

Next time you are shopping for blue damselfish or yellow tail at your LPS, watch the tank for a while, don't buy the big fat one that is chasing everything in site, pick out a smaller passive one because some get along just fine, I use to have a blue damsel that use to attack my clownfish, after that he had to go to another tank, and I almost ruin my reef trying to catch him.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Dominos and tomato clowns — two of the meanest fish species I know of. Pure terror. I had a domino that was meaner than a piranha… and kept red belly piranha for years.

My tomato drew blood every time I reached in the tank, same with the domino.

 

[Allenh427]

Live had great success with the Nyos fish trap. In fact, I caught 4 fish at once in that thing when I only wanted to catch 1.

 

[Ballyhoo]

uhm, false alarm. Fire shrimp is very much alive. IDK
So relieved.

 

[thedon986]

Before I make a huge mistake tomorrow when I go to the LFS…these guys, and ONLY these guys are a safe bet, right?

Mine is a decent citizen. Has tried to bully some new fish but doesn’t seem to do any damage, and the aggression faded and now they all get along. My only damsel in the tank, added for flatworm preventative measures.

 

[Vinaka_vakalevu]

crustaceans molt when they get bigger, your shrimp will shed its hard outer layer when it grows and grow a new one

 

[VintageReefer]

I’m glad for you and the shrimp!

Yes shrimp will molt their exoskeleton often and it looks like a dead shrimp. You can leave it in the tank and the shrimp will eat it and replenish vitamins lost in the molting process