Friend for my Blue Damsel

[davind]

I'm currently starting up my tank with 2 Blue Damsels. One of them really bullies the other one and has taken bites out of his tail. When everything is all said and done I want to have 1 Damsel and 1 Perc Clown. Assuming both Damsels survive (big assumption, i know) which one should I keep?
I have a 12G tank with 12 lbs of live rock and some live sand. It has not yet cycled.

 

[so_major]

Well I would not keep that many fish in a 12 nano especially damsels. They are just to aggressive. I would go with some crabs, snails and some firefish or a goby. YOu can't do much with a 12g nano fish wise although there has been remarkable things that I have seen in the past such as:
And btw I am not puffer24/7 for those viewing this.

 

[davind]

I've always heard 1 inch per 5 gal. I should be able to keep 2 fish in a 12 gal. I'm new, so I may be all wrong. Should I give up both Damsels and go with 1 perc and something else? 2 percs?

 

[so_major]

it all depends on their personality. Just because they are marked as a certain species doesn't mean they are going to act according to the book.

 

[hagfish]

Originally Posted by davind
I've always heard 1 inch per 5 gal. I should be able to keep 2 fish in a 12 gal. I'm new, so I may be all wrong. Should I give up both Damsels and go with 1 perc and something else? 2 percs?
That's a decent estimate, but blue damsels get to be about 3". And the smallest clowns top out at 3" too. So if you get a clown and the damsels live, that will probably overload the system.
Also, I think it will be difficult to add anything else to that tank anyway with the two damsels in there. That is too tight of a space, the newcomer won't have anywhere to hide from the fierocity of the damsels.

 

[pclown]

I would take one damsel back and get a Percula Clown so you will have a blue Damsel and a clown fish or take both back and get two Percula Clowns and a Yellow Goby. Yes it is alot for that tank but the goby want be much on the bio load, and you will enjoy watching the two clowns interacting.
But you will need to stay on top of the weekly water changes

 

[davind]

My intent all along was to end up with just 2 fish. Maybe I didn't make my original post clear. My real question is this. Since one Damsel picks on the other, will it also pick on my clown fish? I do intend to take at least one Damsel back, I just need to know which one. I also like the idea of 2 Percs, but my understanding was that the damsel won't get much bigger (about and inch now), maybe my LFS was wrong on that.

 

[debbie]

I would suggest 2 clowns or 1 clown and one goby this would be nice. Damsels can be unpredictable. I have 2 clowns and 1 yellowtail damsel and the three of them get along very very well. They have never nipped at each other, they are quite a size now too. I did have some other types of damsels and they kept my yellowtail damsel pinned into the corner of the tank all the time. I soon took them to the lfs and now these three are very peaceful towards each other. My tank is a 25 gal.
There is nothing more soothing than to watch the fish in your tank all swim and interact with oneanother without the chasing and aggression.
Deb

 

[pclown]

Everything that I have ever read or heard is 3 inches for the blue damsels. The damsels are aggressive and could be towards the percula clown as well but maybe not as much or at all. Damsels are extremely aggressive toward their own kind. You will not know until you try but I have seen Blue Damsels and percula clowns in the same tank but it was much much larger.
If you LFS let (without warning you) you buy two blue damsels and knew you were putting them in a 12G tank then I wouldnt trust anything that they tell me, but that my opinion.

 

[davind]

Thanks for all your advice. This is a great learning experience.

 

[davind]

PS, the LFS actually tried to sell me 2 yellow tails as well for a total of 4. They're also the ones that told me not to put live rock in there as well per my other thread.
Can anyone turn me on to a good LFS in Phoenix?

 

[pclown]

I am sorry, I dont know any LFS in Phoenix but you are being very smart in looking for another one.
LFS alot of times dont care if succeed or not and sometimes they have people working there that dont know a whole lot, if anything. I was able to find one of those. Now, anytime LFS tells me something I come here and ask to see how it passes before I make a move.
This is a great website to learn and post questions too. Lots of luck.
I will say alot of people love having two Percula Clowns together and that is what I am going to have in my newest tank.