territorial Damsel?

[fishy_fishy]

Hi i just recently started my tank and i was told to throw in some damsels to start the cycling. I threw them in on Saturday and today i noticed that this one damsel has claimed out this rock(not live just some old ocean rock)and chases any1 who gets near it. I have 3 other damsels in there with this one and the other three are always huddled into a corner cuz they get chased away by the other territorial one.
Is this normal? Is she maybe pregnant? Should i bring it back to the fish store and leave the other three alone in the tank?
Some tank specs:
1 week Old
16 gallon
4 damsels
3-4 inches LS
18" 15 watt actinc bulb
Last tests results:
8.4 PH
Alk= High
78 degrees F
Ammonia=0.25
Nitrite= less than 0
These were takin on Saturday the day i threw the fish in, since then i havent had time i will try today to run some new tests and post the new results. Please keep in mind im new at this and the tank is only a week old. TY in advance

 

[jackdp]

You'll probably take a lot of flak for cycling with damsels, but that's beside the point. Damsels are mean little SOB's and can be very territorial. 4 damsels in a 16 gallon could equal a non stop rumble, or sometimes in such a small space they never really claim their own territories. It doesn't sound like you've got the latter. You really could've cycled with only 2, but too late...there's not much to be done now. good luck!

 

[angelofdeath132]

normal, i cycled with 4 yellow tailed damsels, they are very territorial, killed each other off till now there's only 1 left.

 

[jackdp]

Angel's story might be a bit extreme...i have 2 yellow-tails, a domino and a clown in my 20 and they've been living happily together for months.

 

[doodle1800]

Well... I have a yellow and a 3 Stripe that I used for cycling. Since I put the yellow in after the 3 Stripe (a week later) - the 3 Stripe has been a pale grey almost ever since, a nervous wreck, and picks on anything that gets near.. They are both leaving soon for a pair of clowns. (giving them away for cycling in someone else's tank)..

 

[fishy_fishy]

well i could take it back i guess.. and just leave 3 in the tank

 

[timo]

I watched a blue torment then kill a smaller yellow tail. Two weeks later I added two percs and since then all has calmed. I think the orange scares the blue damsel.
It appears as if each damsel has their own sort of aggression, and varying degrees of it.
Take it back when you want to, but do take it back. I understand they don't get nicer with age.

 

[fishy_fishy]

lol ok

 

[dsa_mom]

sorry to say so but we had a similar experience, we kept taking back the most aggressive, but then someone else would step in and become just as aggressive as the fish we just took back. One by one they all went back to the LFS. Better to lose them all before you have to tear down a whole tank to catch them.
I agree that chromis are a better simple fish.

 

[saltym3]

initally started with 4 blue damsels and 2 stripped. only the strong survived. out of 6 2 remained and i returned them before i added anything else. when i mean survived i dont mean water params. they killed off each other.