new damsel and cycling

[smooth_9]

help:
one of my damsels is just laying in a hole is a rock since yesterday. Is this normal behavior. I am new to salt water my tank is still cycling I think. The tank has been set up for 2 weeks and the readings are:
temp-78.6
PH-8.2
S.G.-1.025
amonia-0
nitrate-10
nitrite-0.5
I took a nitrite reading today, and the color was not on the chart. I use the red sea test kit with the liquid drops into a test tube. I have a total of four damsels, had five one swam into a got stuck I had to perform surgery to get him out.
Thanks and any info will be welcomed
Lydell

 

[sinner's girl]

since you're still cycling, it's normal behavior, cycling may kill or stress your damsels, though your readings are still on the low side.... the damsels may also kill or stress each other. But healthy, happy damsels don't lay on thier side not moving.
you have a choice. you can keep the damsels in your tank and risk losing them (you may or may not, they are hardy fish) or you can take them make and cycle with raw shrimp from the store. if a the damsel dies you could just leave him in the tank and that will cycle the tank (i believe).
Good luck with the tank

 

[blutang]

When I first started cycling my tank, I had the same experience, it is fairly normal....however, if you have other damsels in there with it, you will need to watch them, because most likely its getting picked on if you have others in the tank with it.

 

[ntvflgirl]

So what do you do when they are being picked on. My devil damsel is herding all the others into the end 1/8 of the tank. Will isolation "cure" them?