Teach Me Thread- Damsels

[teresaq]

I would like to start this as a informational thread to get a better idea of their personality's for everyone..
since there are different genus of this fish, which are the least aggressive. I know some of the common ones like blue-green and blue reef chromis are usually pretty calm, but what about the bi-color chromis. I know there are some pretty mean ones too.
Tell what you have owned, and your experience. What size tank did you have them in?
The only ones I have had are Cloudy damsels. They were kept in a 37 gal. The only other fish in the tank was a clown. They seemed to get along, and actually bred.

 

[flower]

A friend had a two spot (Domino Damsel), and it was all alone in a 40g tank full of live rock and a few coral....she told me it had been banned there because it killed every other fish it was placed with. She was giving me some live rock, however she had her husband reach in to get the rock out...he showed me his hand after he had gotten the rock, two bite marks dripping blood.
She told me never get a damsel, and I totally agree, and never had one of my own. Who would want such a nasty mean fish, at least sharks bite because they are hungry, that fish was just mean.

 

[bender77]

My first 2 fish were a clown fish and a yellow tail damsel in a 10 gallon that got moved up to a 15 gallon. The yellow tail killed everything else I ever tried to put in the tank. He has since found a new home. And I paired my clown in a 24 gallon. Now my clowns kill everything else.
Damsel = evil LOL

 

[rainbow grouper]

Well time to defend the damsels.I personally don't like the fact that damsels get such bad reviews they are perfectly fine if you keep them with either bigger or aggressive fish and the biting issue is easily overcome flick the water they go away and stay away. My talbot was fine in my 75 gallon with eibli angel tomato clown fish yellow tang 1 spot domino damsel and a few others. My yellow-tail blue damsels are fine in the 140 with my Pajama cardinal, yellow tang maroon Clownfish, six line wrasse, Talbot damsel, coral goby, pair of watchmen Gobies & Mimic tang.

 

[meowzer]

Damsels = DEVILS
I had 2 black 3 spot damsels and they were MONSTERS....they attacked me or my husband everytime I had to do something in the tank.
I disagree with you RG because these were in my 225G and WERE NOT the biggest fish...but they were the meanest...they went after everything
I had to tear the tank aprt to get rid of them.....
NOW I DO have a blue YT....and it behaves...and 2 green chromis

 

[rainbow grouper]

Quote:
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///t/388299/teach-me-thread-damsels#post_3423679
Damsels = DEVILS
I had 2 black 3 spot damsels and they were MONSTERS....they attacked me or my husband everytime I had to do something in the tank.
I disagree with you RG because these were in my 225G and WERE NOT the biggest fish...but they were the meanest...they went after everything
I had to tear the tank aprt to get rid of them.....
NOW I DO have a blue YT....and it behaves...and 2 green chromis
Perhaps it's just my damsels are good boys.(i can handle them

)

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by rainbow grouper http:///t/388299/teach-me-thread-damsels#post_3423671
Well time to defend the damsels.I personally don't like the fact that damsels get such bad reviews they are perfectly fine if you keep them with either bigger or aggressive fish and the biting issue is easily overcome flick the water they go away and stay away. My talbot was fine in my 75 gallon with eibli angel tomato clown fish yellow tang 1 spot domino damsel and a few others. My yellow-tail blue damsels are fine in the 140 with my Pajama cardinal, yellow tang maroon Clownfish, six line wrasse, Talbot damsel, coral goby, pair of watchmen Gobies & Mimic tang.
Is it possible that just like the dwarf angelfish ...how some nip coral and some don't, that some damsels could go against the norm? If that's so, then you RG have the ONLY nice domino on Earth, treat it well. I'm sure all damsels are fine if they live with more aggressive fish, like maybe Great White sharks.
And the flick the water thing...do you really stand guard over your tank to personally intervene in the event of a fish fight? I have no intention of having to intervene in fish fights, so I'm careful what I add to the tank. I will remove a wounded fish and find it a better home if there is aggression, and find a new home for a fish that picks on everything ( IN RED: this has not happened to me yet). I won't upright snails that fall over either. ...

 

[rainbow grouper]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///t/388299/teach-me-thread-damsels#post_3423692
Is it possible that just like the dwarf angelfish ...how some nip coral and some don't, that some damsels could go against the norm? If that's so, then you RG have the ONLY nice domino on Earth, treat it well. I'm sure all damsels are fine if they live with more aggressive fish, like maybe Great White sharks.
And the flick the water thing...do you really stand guard over your tank to personally intervene in the event of a fish fight? I have no intention of having to intervene in fish fights, so I'm careful what I add to the tank. I will remove a wounded fish and find it a better home if there is aggression, and find a new home for a fish that picks on everything ( IN RED: this has not happened to me yet). I won't upright snails that fall over either. ...
Flower my mum sold it on (dam) about 2 weeks into getting the first tank BTW When i say flick the water my damsels don't attack other fish i'm talking about when you put your hand in the tank.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by rainbow grouper http:///t/388299/teach-me-thread-damsels#post_3423693
Flower my mum sold it on (dam) about 2 weeks into getting the first tank BTW When i say flick the water my damsels don't attack other fish i'm talking about when you put your hand in the tank.
Most of my post was in jest....all except the first line. I do think some fish stand out different than what is the usually expected in the behavior of the critter. I even had a Hippo tang that ate corals, so that's way out of character....it does happen.
Damsels are beautiful little fish, but I would never recommend one to a new hobbyist as a first fish. They should be tagged as an aggressive fish and have a warning. Plenty of people keep aggressive fish and that's fine. I see so many noobs getting those fish first off and 99% of them have to get rid of the fish. That isn't fair to the new hobbyist who loses at least $100.00 in other fish before they find out how very aggressive damsels can be.
If you want aggressive fish, you plan things out as tank mates and you're ready to deal with that. Unfortunately most new hobbyists just want a cheap pretty fish, to go with other more expensive pretty fish.

 

[novahobbies]

I too had a few of these critters when I first started out. 2 Domino Damsels, a fiji devil (he looked so PRETTY!) and a couple blue damsels. Of those fish, one blue damsel succumbed to ich, the other was taken back to the lfs, and the fiji devil actually was killed by the DOMINOS. The durned dominos lasted a long time before they too got traded in, but they were always a menace in the tank.
I agree with Flower, these should not be the standard "first saltwater fish" unless you're planning on keeping only damsels. Just too much chance for problems to develop. A much more docile first choice would be the good old blue-green chromis. Had a few of these, never had any problems. When I get the big system back up again I'll try a trio of blue reef chromis....