an all damsel fish tank?

brob22

New member
i have a 30 gallon tank and want to mainly focus on corals.

would say maby 5 yellow tail damsels do well. or would i b better off with a differnt type?
 
My 40 breeder frag tank is a dedicated damsel tank. I love all the colors you get in such closely related fish. Kind of like the ciclids of saltwater. They do have a hierarchical social structure and will fight for dominance occasionally, but 5 in a 30 sounds like a good number to me. I try to keep odd numbers and keep them well fed. In nature they form large schools swimming in and out of the branches of sps corals. Very beautiful if you ask me. Good luck.
 
One other thought... if you introduce them at different times try to introduce the larger ones last...
Also the big ones tend to do better in community for me
 
thx for the advise, i plan to have them as the only fish in the tank

i like them for the price colors and the fact they swim in and out of the sps

i dont like fish that are open water swimmers and never dart in an out of a cave or sps
 
It depends which species you have in mind when you say yellow tailed damsel. C. parasema all have yellow tails, you may have difficulty sexing them. C. cyanea, only the males have a yellow tail so you can select a male and a harem of juvenile/females pretty easily.

I presently keep 2 Chrysiptera cyanea in a 20gallon; one male and one female. They get along well and exhibit mating behaviour. You could for sure do a pair in a 30. Beyond 2 expect squabbling amongst the pack. Three is probably a death sentence for the sub fem. I don't have experience with larger groups beyond what I observe at the LFS.

Good luck.
 
I have a 90 gallon macro tank with 1 azure damsel, 2 yellow damsels, 1 purple dottyback and one diadema dottyback and I love the interaction between them all. I also have a mandarin and a cockatoo waspfish but they stay hidden. I personally think damsels are the best saltwater fish considering their bright colors and super cheap prices. I'll put it this way, if azure damsels were considered rare and costed over $200 there would be one in every reef tank and DD would put one up for sale every night lol. Seriously though I think you should go for it, if it were me I'd add them all at once and try to get them as closely sized as possible, assuming your tank can take that bioload which shouldn't be much with 5 small fish. The other awesome thing about damsels is they are easy to feed and could live in a toilet!
 
Won't repeat what others have said but I'd take a look at the Talbot's Damselfish. I have a pair and they are great. Based on what I've read over the years these fella's are a bit more calm and peaceful. There are probably two others I'd consider but these are my favorite so far.

Just keep in mind that you will need a lot of hiding spots for them to nip and tuck into. They constantly move until lights out. They find their little spot which usually consists of denser areas of the rock. Mine dart into holes often.

I have two in a 29 gallon with a pair of pajama cardinals. I'm combining my two cubes into a 40 breeder and will probably pick up a few more since I have a lot of rock and other hiding areas.
 
Be careful which damsels you choose. Many people on my local forum are getting rid of their damsels because they nip on zoas.
 
do u think springers are more peaceful as the yellow tails. im not picky, ill probly chose which ever damsels are the most peaceful.
 
Just choose the ones you really want and cross your fingers. This is after all primarily for aesthetic purposes. Talbots are regarded as the most peaceful, but I keep a pair of Cyanea because IMO they are the most beautiful.

Oh ya, avoid dascyllus of any flavor. They all get really big and really mean.
 
If you follow through, be sure to update! I've been wanting to pull the trigger on a damsel only tank but again, the aggression and possible anarchy has my foot one step back
 
Find some of Sk8r's posts in the "new to the hobby" forum. She has a Damsel's only tank (somewhat bigger) and has a lot of good hints on how to be successful with it (rock shapes to mark territory, etc...
 
thx guys

ill definately update if i go through with it

im lookin foward to checkin out sk8ers thread as soon as these crazy hours at work slow down. iv been workin 15 hour shifts
 
Back
Top