Opinions on Damsels

[bacffin]

I was at the lfs today and asking a few questions to which I believed I knew the answers to. One of them was about seeding my new swa after the live rock and sand was in but not cycled yet.
I said to the guy I was going to drop in a couple of shrimp to get the ammonia started and he recommended to get a couple of yellow tail damsels instead. He said they are OK for a community tank and that the yellow tails are pretty tough to survive the cycling process. He also said cycling with shrimp can lead to other problems, but I can't recall what exactly what.
Does anyone have a comment on this approach and what the shimp process can lead to?
Thanks

 

[mudplayerx]

Using damsels to cycle a tank is extremely cruel to the fish. It harms their gills permanently.

 

[trainfever]

Yellow damsels are definitely not a community fish. They are very aggressive and territorial. I found out the hard way.

 

[teen]

a lot of people on this site say that its its cruel to cycle with damsels, because the high ammonia levels burn there gills and cause stress which can lead to disease, agressive fish and death. IMO, i think damsels cycle ur tank faster, about 4 years ago, i knew a lot less than i know today about salt water fish, and i cycled my 45 gl tank with 2 blue damsels and it was finished within about 2 weeks, give or take a few days. i know that each cycle is different, but i have just restarted my 45 and its been 1 week, and the shrimp, and live rock has not even raised my ammonia the smallest bit. imo damsels cycle faster, but the shrimp method is somewhat kinder, and less mean. i have never heard of the shrimp leading to future problems, but hey u never know until u try, and remember, everybody has different set ups with different ways, and what works for one may not work for u, and what works for u may not work for others, thats just the way i see it.

 

[gfk]

not to mention you will never catch the damsels ever

 

[1journeyman]

Damsels are pets... they shouldn't be treated as disposable ammonia factories.
I agree with the above posts that they are not community fish and that you will never catch them in a reef tank. Ask anyone who scuba dives or snorkels what is the fish they've been attacked by most... it's those dang little territorial damsels.
A dead shrimp causing problems in the future is a giant load of nonsense. I'd remember that the next time you are looking for a lfs. I'd avoid that one and let the owner know why. Anyone willing to spin a web of lies to sell a couple of $5 fish is going to lie to you more about bigger things.
As for damsels cycling your tank faster, that doesn't make much sense; plus you have to add in the cruelty factor. If you can't wait 3 or 4 weeks to cycle a tank the harmless way then you are in the wrong hobby.

 

[dragonfli]

I have had issues with LFS people. they might just like selling you a damsel over a shrimp.....oh wait he said three!? yeah the shrimp is the best method. and damsels are very territorial. i finally had to get rid of mine....the last resort before i got rid of my damsels was to take them out and put them into the QT, rearrange the whole tank and then put them back in to disorient them, and get them to lose the aggressive teritoriality kick that they were on. well that worked for a few weeks then they were very territorial once again and it didnt matter that it seemed the other fish had been there longer.
so i like damsels but but but...and i still think it is not always good to speed things up...especially in this hobby.

 

[bacffin]

Thanks for info folks.
1journeyman, I am not in the wrong hobby or am I cruel to pets. Nor am I in a hurry to cycle my tank, this is why I asked the question in the first place.
Regards,
Bruce

 

[crazyaqua]

I have a blue damsel in my tank and i used him to help cycle he can be a bugger sometimes but most of the time he gets along with everyone else and i have seen no ill effects for using him to start cycle.

 

[trainfever]

If you plan on having a tank with just one species of damsel, you'll be ok. But if you plan on any other fish, forget it. While they may not physically kill your other fish, they will attack and stress them out which will cause them to die.

 

[1journeyman]

Baccfin:
Sorry, my comments weren't made towards you.
I was trying to support your questioning the LFS. Sorry if that wasn't made clear.

 

[bacffin]

Ah! No problem 1journeyman, I am starting to see your frustration here. I will probably stay away from the damsels for 2 good reasons now. Because it is only a 45 gallon, I will most likely limit the amount of fish to 8 total and the last thing I need is a damsel making the whole tank it's territory.
Bruce

 

[wax32]

Believe it or not some damsels will eventually get pretty darn big too, so I believe your decision to stay clear of them is a sound one.