Damsels - Little Devils or Misunderstood
- Thread starter kriss k
- Start date
ophiura
Active Member
LOL. Cute subject line -
Well, it comes down to what you want down the road. Theoretically you could just do a tank full of damsels and be done with it. They would probably beat each other until you had a few left. And they would control the tank. I had a striped damsel that used to attack me when I put my hand in there. They do have big attitudes. I would seriously think about what you want in the future - lots of color options.
Are these going in for cycling or what?
If a new tank, I would encourage you to look into cycling with shrimp and LR, as it is equally (or more) affective, cheaper...and less harsh on living animals.
Well, it comes down to what you want down the road. Theoretically you could just do a tank full of damsels and be done with it. They would probably beat each other until you had a few left. And they would control the tank. I had a striped damsel that used to attack me when I put my hand in there. They do have big attitudes. I would seriously think about what you want in the future - lots of color options.
Are these going in for cycling or what?
If a new tank, I would encourage you to look into cycling with shrimp and LR, as it is equally (or more) affective, cheaper...and less harsh on living animals.
dmc888
Member
Its true. Most damsels are real aggressive. I had most of the colorful ones. They are so mean they might end up killing your other fish. I would always see them fighting.
I would start out with some false percula clownfish and then some green chromis. Both hardy and friendly.
If you buy the damsels you might regret it.
I would start out with some false percula clownfish and then some green chromis. Both hardy and friendly.
If you buy the damsels you might regret it.
kriss k
Member
Are these going in for cycling or what?
Ophiura - Nope, already cycled with LR and LS. I am ready for the fun stuff now.. THe LFS is off of Beechnut. I think you know the one I'm referring to. I love their selection fo fish.
dmc888 - false percula clownfish and then some green chromis...I will do that.
Thank you both.
Ophiura - Nope, already cycled with LR and LS. I am ready for the fun stuff now.. THe LFS is off of Beechnut. I think you know the one I'm referring to. I love their selection fo fish.
dmc888 - false percula clownfish and then some green chromis...I will do that.
Thank you both.
ctgretzky9
Member
I have 2 of the 3stripe damsel and 2 blue chromis, and none of them ever give me a problem. I have lots of other fish and they are never under attack from the damsels.
I did give them a class on tolerance during their acclimation for 2 hrs, maybe that's what did it, however.
I did give them a class on tolerance during their acclimation for 2 hrs, maybe that's what did it, however.
ophiura
Active Member
Ah yes, the color change....that is an often unmentioned aspect. I think stores want to hide it 
Hmmm, Kriss K - City Pets? One of the more popular, not always the best saltwater though, and sometimes stocks things on my "should not be sold in this hobby" list, which is a red mark in my book. LOL.
There are LOADS of LFSs around here. To name a few - Went to Fish Ranch recently but was extremely disappointed with what has happened to their stock and prices. Global - haven't been recently, but popular and I think good. T&T on highway 6 - sometimes good deals. Nice display tanks. Fish Land - usually nice selection - not huge, but good selection and I think good quality. Aquatic World - usually big selection. Village Tropical has saltwater now - I imagine it is quite good. I am biased towards Aquarium World as I used to work there, but probably does have the biggest and best selection IMO (as well as a very good 7 day guarantee - but you are encouraged to bring water in for testing, and they will keep the history on record).
I just found a site that has a bunch I don't know about. May have to take a trip to visit some (but don't know how old this list is!)
Hmmm, Kriss K - City Pets? One of the more popular, not always the best saltwater though, and sometimes stocks things on my "should not be sold in this hobby" list, which is a red mark in my book. LOL.
There are LOADS of LFSs around here. To name a few - Went to Fish Ranch recently but was extremely disappointed with what has happened to their stock and prices. Global - haven't been recently, but popular and I think good. T&T on highway 6 - sometimes good deals. Nice display tanks. Fish Land - usually nice selection - not huge, but good selection and I think good quality. Aquatic World - usually big selection. Village Tropical has saltwater now - I imagine it is quite good. I am biased towards Aquarium World as I used to work there, but probably does have the biggest and best selection IMO (as well as a very good 7 day guarantee - but you are encouraged to bring water in for testing, and they will keep the history on record).
I just found a site that has a bunch I don't know about. May have to take a trip to visit some (but don't know how old this list is!)
X
xnikki118x
Guest
I've had some pretty aggressive damsels in my tank. I had a three-striped, my first and favorite fish, kill a coral beauty angel within a matter of 20 minutes. The damsel was almost five inches long at that point, though, and the dwarf was a bit smaller.
From all the ones I've seen, yellow-tailed and orange-tailed blue damsels are the least aggressive as they mature.
Right now, I have a blue velvet (aka devil) damsel, and at about four inches long, he's mature but peaceful. I think a big part of it, though, is that most of my other fish are as big as or bigger than he is. Size definitely does matter!
If you want color in your tank, damsels are some of the prettiest and hardiest fish you can get. The only thing I'd worry about is size. Once your damsel gets larger, more often than not, he'll eat any fish that can fit into his mouth. Just make sure your fish are of similar sizes to level the playing field.
Good luck! :joy:
From all the ones I've seen, yellow-tailed and orange-tailed blue damsels are the least aggressive as they mature.
Right now, I have a blue velvet (aka devil) damsel, and at about four inches long, he's mature but peaceful. I think a big part of it, though, is that most of my other fish are as big as or bigger than he is. Size definitely does matter!
If you want color in your tank, damsels are some of the prettiest and hardiest fish you can get. The only thing I'd worry about is size. Once your damsel gets larger, more often than not, he'll eat any fish that can fit into his mouth. Just make sure your fish are of similar sizes to level the playing field.
Good luck! :joy:
meadbhb
Member
Hiya,
Granted, I'm new to the hobby and I like my damsels! I've got a blue yellow tail and dange it....I want to say Tomplin he's yellow and purple with a black spot. I also had a clown, but lost him last night to probably brooklynella.
These two should stay small as adults, which is why I picked them. They're active and yes, they do chase each other around a lot. But with 70lbs of LR they can always get away from each other. I figure I'm going to have issues adding any more fish to the tank, and that's fine. I just wanted something in there that moved around a lot. I"m thinking of getting a royal gramme since they're supposed to be agressive.
Try to look at the semi-aggressive damsels not the straight out agressive ones.
Meadbhb
Granted, I'm new to the hobby and I like my damsels! I've got a blue yellow tail and dange it....I want to say Tomplin he's yellow and purple with a black spot. I also had a clown, but lost him last night to probably brooklynella.
These two should stay small as adults, which is why I picked them. They're active and yes, they do chase each other around a lot. But with 70lbs of LR they can always get away from each other. I figure I'm going to have issues adding any more fish to the tank, and that's fine. I just wanted something in there that moved around a lot. I"m thinking of getting a royal gramme since they're supposed to be agressive.
Try to look at the semi-aggressive damsels not the straight out agressive ones.
Meadbhb