cycling with damsels = a beginners mistake :(

theduncanator

theduncanator

Member
Hello, my name's matt. I am a new aquarist and about a month ago I purchased and setup a 90 gallon tank. After filling it with water and getting the proper pH, temp., salinity, adding live rock, etc., I decided to add some cheap hardy fish to speed up the cycle.
Long story short, the guy at the fish store recommended using damsels so I took his suggestion and purchased 3-blue damsels and 3-3 stripe damsels. I realized later how territorial these fishies are and actually read from SEVERAL different places that you should NOT use damsels to cycle your tank. Their territorial and aggressive tendencies can make it stressful when adding fish of a more delicate peaceful nature.
So now i guess I'm looking for advice as to what I should add next to my tank. Again, I am a newb but I dont want to make any more newbie mistakes. I was thinking about making my next additions 2-3 false perc clowns, and then a week or two later adding a purple tang, threadfin butterfly, and some kind of dwarf angel.
Any other suggestions will be greatly appreciated!
P.S. this is to be my first post of MANY as I believe I have caught the saltwater bug, so to speak...
 
crypt keeper

crypt keeper

Active Member
Are the damsels out?
Get two clownfish only. If you get 3 one will be the odd clown out.
The tang police should enter soon. If you get the tang small you will be okay for a year.
Coral Beauty or Flame angel are good angels.
 
theduncanator

theduncanator

Member
Originally Posted by crypt keeper
http:///forum/post/3023959
Are the damsels out?
Get two clownfish only. If you get 3 one will be the odd clown out.
The tang police should enter soon. If you get the tang small you will be okay for a year.
Coral Beauty or Flame angel are good angels.

Thanks for the advice! I'm in the process of getting a QT of about 20 gal, so what I might do is put the damsels in there for a few weeks while I add more fish to my display.
I like the idea of the coral beauty and flame angel as well!
 
theduncanator

theduncanator

Member
Originally Posted by salt210
http:///forum/post/3023974
if you can get the damsels out I would. once you get live rock in there they are gone

What do you mean by "they are gone"? Do you mean that the live rock makes them more territorial?? Because my tank had live rock before i added them and they instantly started setting up territories around the rock and defending them from each other.
Either way, I think I'm gonna quarantine them for a LONG time until I've added most of my desired fishies, and then add them back later after everybody else is well adapted to my tank.
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Welcome to the boards!!! Do you want to keep the damsels or not? They will likely harass any new fish that you put in there. Don't let their size fool you. They can take on some large fish and don't easilly back down. They are cool fish though and are great in the right environment. If you choose not to keep them then take them to an LFS. They may give you store credit, or may not. Call around and ask. If you are going to get rid of them then you may want to do it before you get the other fish. They can be quite mean, especially once they have their territories set up. As soon as a new fish swims from one territory he will be invading another territory. Damsels are known for claiming more than one spot.
 
theduncanator

theduncanator

Member
Originally Posted by sepulatian
http:///forum/post/3024020
Welcome to the boards!!! Do you want to keep the damsels or not? They will likely harass any new fish that you put in there. Don't let their size fool you. They can take on some large fish and don't easilly back down. They are cool fish though and are great in the right environment. If you choose not to keep them then take them to an LFS. They may give you store credit, or may not. Call around and ask. If you are going to get rid of them then you may want to do it before you get the other fish. They can be quite mean, especially once they have their territories set up. As soon as a new fish swims from one territory he will be invading another territory. Damsels are known for claiming more than one spot.

lol damsels are some greedy mofos...
Thats a very good point about giving them back to an LFS. That's def a possibility I will look into, even without a credit because it beats the alternative of flushing them (dont think i could bring myself to the point of flushing a live fish, just too cruel)
 
crypt keeper

crypt keeper

Active Member
has your tank fully cycled? Just get rid of the damsels.
Also your tank IMO is large enough for two pygmy angels. If you have a ton of live rock. They will battle and chase but they should settle down. Personally since you are new Id stick with 1 for now. 90 gallon tank is a great first tank. Depending on mechanical filtration, sump and skimmer, how much rock you have Id say 6 fish that stay under 5 inches would be good.
Bi color blennys are great fish. Gobies are cool fish.
 
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