Had 5 blue damsels, now I have 2 why did that do that!

[lil.guppy]

So why did my damsels pick off one fish at a time until there are 2 left and they get along? Will the same thing happen if I go get 3 more?

 

[chaoticdamsel]

Probably. Damsels tend to be very territorial. With the exception of some green chromis, I've never had any luck with damsels of any kind. Every single one I have ever owned (except the green chromis) has been an evil little SOB and had to be taken out of the tank and returned to the LFS.

 

[srfisher17]

I doubt that there is any fish that more folks regret buying than damsels. How to get them out of a tank is a very common question on this forum.

 

[sean48183]

Did they just disappear or did you find them dead? Even if you thought they got along most nasty fighting is done at night when their trying to fight for a space to hide. In a small tank I would never recommend them however they are great fish for larger tanks.

 

[startrfish]

lol, lil guppy your post cracked me up! reminded me of my damsels, and what heck they caused my tank.

 

[mantisman51]

My damsels, 2-3 line and 2 green chromis love to bicker with each other, but for 6 months haven't done any damage to themselves. I have them in a 125g tank, with 130 # of LR, so that might make a difference, but they mostly just hang out in the LR and venture out at feeding time. How large is your tank? I've kept freshwater fish since 1986 and salt tanks for 3 years, now. I've noticed that more aggressive species tend to demonstrate their worst behavior when crowded.

 

[calvertbill]

Your damsels are telling each other (and it's of interest to you) that "there ain't enough room in this town for all of us, pardner!"
Trust their opinion.

 

[95harley]

A lot depends on Tank size, species, and stocking order.
Here is my experience:
I have one species only (Yellowbelly's) in my 75g eel tank, started with 10 now have 6, but not sure if they died, were killed by other damsels, or were eaten by the eel. They do not show much if any aggression towards each other.
In my bigger tank (240g) I have 4 x 4 stripes, large Blue Velvet, Yellowbelly, Azure, Blue Fiji, and Starkii and I have no problems what so ever, even when adding a new comer. But this is an 8' tank with lots of LR.
I think tank size and Damsel size and order of stocking matter a lot. I would agree if you add more, unless they are much bigger they may be doomed.

 

[smschwentner]

our 3 stripe damsel lives comfortably with our Nemo in our 10 gallon. he doesn't like it when I add ANYTHING to the tank, including the little hermits I added yesterday. He would carry them around in his mouth, dropping them here and there. Nemo and Black Fiffy (the damsel) had a buddy, Blue Fiffy (a bright blue damsel) but he died and we haven't added anything since.