Damels first?

[stryder]

Hi All!
Okay, here's a question for ya. I'm slowly buying all the things for my 55 gal tank at the time. But the question I have has to do with my fish I'm going to put in it.
I was planing on having, a yellow tail blue damsel, a three spot damsel, and three green chromis' among other fish, to start out with. Now is this too many damsels together? And I was planning on them to be the first in my tank, is this a good idea, or will they become to territorial when I add other fish?
Thanks for your advice!
Stryder

 

[connors]

I too started out with Damsels. They did become too aggressive when we added new fish. Fortunately, we were able to sell the Damsels back and now all is good!

 

[nicky1.8t]

Cant lose by using cromis.. I prefer them over damsels, Less agressive and they look cool when they school. My brother has 5 of them in his 72 gallon bowfront.

 

[angelofish]

IMO damsels are nothing but trouble. They can start out cool then turn into real jerks!! Then if theres a problem there hard to catch in a 55g w/LR. Try a piece of raw shrimp to cycle your tank instead. It will reduce headaches in the future.

 

[hattrick58]

I've had a blue damsel for over 1 1/2 years and when he gets out of line (which is not that often) the royal gramma steps in. I really haven't had that many problems w/ him.

 

[spsfreak100]

Are the damsels going to be used to cycle the tank, or are they simply going to be added after the cycle has completed?
If they are for cycling, I would recommend instead, using raw cocktail shrimp (As stated above) for cycling your tank. I find cycling a tank with damsels is cruel and can often be a pain when the more aggresive species nip at the other inhabitants.
If these fish are going to be added once the tank has cycled, I would highly recommend buying green chromis instead of the other species of damsel. These are generally peaceful schooling fish, and may add wonderful coloration to the tank.
Graham

 

[mike19881956]

in a 90 gallon bout how many could i have(to have them school) but i want to be able to add many more fish so i can have diversity

 

[spsfreak100]

Originally posted by mike19881956
in a 90 gallon bout how many could i have(to have them school) but i want to be able to add many more fish so i can have diversity
I would aim for 5 or 7 of them
Graham

 

[mike19881956]

thx

 

[iechy]

If you are going to have a reef or any rockwork do not put anything in the tank you don't wnat to stay there. I made this mistake when I first started and I had to tear apart my tank to get out the bully who was harassing everything els I put in there.

 

[mike19881956]

u mean they wouldnt come out of hiding bc of the bully

 

[1journeyman]

And don't forget that the tank bully is also the smartest fish; He'll be the first one to duck at first sight of a net meant to capture him.

 

[mike19881956]

wat kind of fish was it

 

[phoenixinx]

LFS made a GREAT suggestion...
What we think are freshwater mollies are indeed brackish fish. In turn they can go EITHER way.
I picked up 10 - 15 of these at $2 a piece, and my tank cycled FAST! I think less than four weeks honestly.
This was with ZERO live rock, ZERO live sand. Brand new tank, and only the mollies and adding bacteria.
What mollies I could catch, I traded back in...

 

[spsfreak100]

Originally posted by PhoenixINX
LFS made a GREAT suggestion...
What we think are freshwater mollies are indeed brackish fish. In turn they can go EITHER way.
Yes, they can live either way. Thriving either way is an entirly different subject They live the longest in a salinity of around 1.006. Their lifespan is greatly decreased in saltwater (1.020-1.029) or pure freshwate (1.000).
I picked up 10 - 15 of these at $2 a piece, and my tank cycled FAST! I think less than four weeks honestly.
This was with ZERO live rock, ZERO live sand. Brand new tank, and only the mollies and adding bacteria.
What mollies I could catch, I traded back in...
I find it cruel to use these fish just for the cycling purposes. Using raw shrimp to cycle a tank is cheaper, easier, and it doesn't involve "suicide fish."
Graham