Originally Posted by
Debbie
Damsels are nice in the right setup. I seen a 150 gal tank that was soley devoted to damsels. They were in groups of 5, with just live rock and it was truly a sight to behold. The color, action etc was truly beautiful. So I have to disagree with most of the responses here. If they are kept the "correct" way in a large tank they can make a very inexpensive but beautiful addition.
Also, there was not aggression amongst these fish as I sat and watch for hours. It was a amazing.
I have to agree here. The Westin in Ka'anapali Beach Maui has a huge tank in the reception area that houses a bunch 30+ Blue Devil Damsels and a couple of yellow tangs. This tank had great color and a lot of movement. I personally would NEVER have a tank like that, but could definitly sit and admire others with a tank similar to it.
On the otherhand, damsels are usually the first fish that anyone buys when they enter into saltwater. This is due to their hardiness and how cheap they are...I am not immune to this as when I started my original 75g setup, I had 3 devil damsels and one 3 stripe.
Only 2 of the 5 became seriously aggresive. The 3 stripe nipped at my emperor and powder blue when they were originally introduced and the blue damsel nipped at my hippo tang when she was.
Subsiquently, they were all removed and placed in the QT tank. Except for the 3 stripe. He made it through so many disasters and still lived. Finally, a failed heater did him in the QT tank. Unfortunately, it took out a queen angel and a mated pair of Anthias as well