I was thinking of adding 5-7 alleni damsel to my tank that already has 10 established dispar anthias. There are also an achilles, PB tang, cleaner wrasse and a pair of firefish. I am only concern for the dispars, do you think these damsel will pick on the anthias? Please share your experience about these damsel.
adding Alleni damselfish in with anthias
- Thread starter Felixc
- Start date
They're pretty common where i live. I've been eying them for a long time but always thought they'd live up to their notorious temperment. However the more I research the more I find that most people tend to relate them more to the docile side, as far as damsels go. Might just take the plunge. My biggest concern is for the group of dispar anthias, they seem to be the most delicate fish in my tank, wouldn't want to lose any of these as they are shooling nicely now along with my lyretail and bartletts.
Allen's damsels are among the most docile in the Pomacentrus genus. I've kept them in the past and never recall them bothering any of the other fish in my tank. I would start out with 2 or 3 and see how they fare with the dispars before adding the full compliment. I'd be suprised if they bothered the dispars since the dispars are already established. One thing I've notice with Allen's damsels is that when they're happy their color is gorgeous but when something is not to their likeing, either water quality or tankmates, they are rather dull in coloration.
Thanks for the info. If I may tickle your brain, there is another Pomacentrus species that has me pondering as well, the p.auriventris. I've encountered many LFS that have listed the auriventris as the "Allen's damsel. These are clearly two separate species, do you have any knowledge of this fish? Would you put it at the same level of temperment?
FelixC,
I am familiar with P. auriventris but I never have kept one myself. They are definitely not Allen's damsels and you are correct that they are two different species. I believe they have a similar disposition to P. alleni but I have no first hand experience. Some Pomacentrus are very aggressive so you have to be careful. Scott Michael's book on Damsels is an excellent reference. I've seen auriventris in various LFS enough to know that,similar to P. alleni, they don't color up well if they're not happy. When they're happy, they're stunning. With my previous P. alleni I never could quite figure out what specifically was making them unhappy or happy. Sometimes the color was gorgeous; other times it was dull. I suspect because they are relatively mild-mannered, they need calm peacefull tankmates. HTH.
I am familiar with P. auriventris but I never have kept one myself. They are definitely not Allen's damsels and you are correct that they are two different species. I believe they have a similar disposition to P. alleni but I have no first hand experience. Some Pomacentrus are very aggressive so you have to be careful. Scott Michael's book on Damsels is an excellent reference. I've seen auriventris in various LFS enough to know that,similar to P. alleni, they don't color up well if they're not happy. When they're happy, they're stunning. With my previous P. alleni I never could quite figure out what specifically was making them unhappy or happy. Sometimes the color was gorgeous; other times it was dull. I suspect because they are relatively mild-mannered, they need calm peacefull tankmates. HTH.
how many alleni did have at one time? From what I gathered, the flashing of colors that goes on and off has alot to do with displaying to other members of the group. Hence if you have just 2 or 3 in a tank, there will be minimal displaying. Similarly to Tanganyikan Cyprichromis, the more competion in the group, the more displaying that occures. I was planning on 5-7 alleni, but wouldn't it be something to keep a group of auriventris that has similar disposition.
I had two P. alleni at the same time. They kept their distance from each other. I had never heard that the neon color was flashing behavior. Interesting. Eventually I lost one and had the other for maybe 2 1/2 to 3 years. If you get a group, please update this thread on their behavior with the dispars and their coloration.
