Anyone keep Damsels?

[epstein]

I'll take yer zebra and give him a whirl....

 

[Larah]

Yeah we can do a house call for ya captn'!
Canada you say????

 

[Larah]

I think I may try a yellow tail real small damsel once I get everyone else that I plan to get.. Add him last and we'll see how he does... That'll be a few months down the road....

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11794563#post11794563 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Sk8r
Damsels will pick a territory and defend it. Very few people who have a 500g tank will devote it to damsels and fish on that scale, but it makes a nice show when it's done. They're among the most colorful, healthy and active of reef fishes, but they are strong swimmers and want their room. Mostly they dive and dart and defend, and as long as they have plenty of room, they're cool. I had a blue velvet that got to 4 inches, and fat as a pig. That's one of the onerier ones. Notorious. The sergeant majors [striped] are as notorious. The plain blues and yellowtails tend to be milder and take their orders from the blue velvets. The domino [white spot] is another 'boss' fish. The chromis [a damsel] will reduce their own numbers until they like the population density. I kept 5 in that mix.
I kept a damsel tank successfully mixed with clowns [who are a damsel], chromis [damsels], a yellow dottyback [too mean for the tank: he had to go], a royal gramma, a scooter blenny, a mandarin, and lots and lots of rock, a 50 g sump/fuge, and 100g tank.

I hear what you say--but these damsel does have his territory on the right side of the reef but in this case the clown is in the upper left corner--gallons away from it--as soon as the clown is introduced the damsel goes out of its way to seek it out

has any one experimented with material that you can drape over the overflow spikes without restricting the flow---that way the clown woudn't end up in the sump and if I tried it again the damsel might give up. I did drape a net over and the clown would hide between the net and the overflow--the damsel would not go near the net. After I week the net got pretty grungy and I removed it--next night the clown was in the overflow again

I just added three baby basellets to the tank and the zebra went nuts for the first hour--they hid in the rock for three days, came out and the damsel doesn't even bother

This is what puzzels me--why just that particular clown--I know it the same familty--but the zebra leaves everything else alone

 

[Sk8r]

Dominos grow---the size of a dinner plate, ultimately. But slowly. They're good fish.

Re keeping fish out of the overflow; go get gutter guard at Lowe's: brown plastic with holes, cuts with scissors.
Construct a domed or tilted [so fish slide back into tank] landing zone atop your overflow, using scissors to shape material around pipes and duct tape to secure it.

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11795444#post11795444 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Sk8r
Dominos grow---the size of a dinner plate, ultimately. But slowly. They're good fish.

Re keeping fish out of the overflow; go get gutter guard at Lowe's: brown plastic with holes, cuts with scissors.
Construct a domed or tilted [so fish slide back into tank] landing zone atop your overflow, using scissors to shape material around pipes and duct tape to secure it.

thanks--I like the idea--I'll do that today and retry the clown again:smokin:

 

[kgouso]

The size of a dinner plate?

I thought Dominos only got to about 4-6"

I have two younger damsels A Domino and a Blue . (I also have two clowns in the tank)

The Domino and Blue are only about the size of a silver dollar at this point. The Clowns are about the same also.

The Domino does act like the boss of the tank, and will chase the blue damsel but never shows any agression toward the clowns at all. They Dominoe swims over where the clowns hang out all the time and neither seems to mind the other one being there.

The blue damsel taunts the Dominoe because the blue is way to fast for the Domino... The blue will swim over by the dominoe and then dart away if the domino trys to chase it.

The Dominoe will try and hide behind a rock and wait for the blue to swim by and then chase it, but he never gets close.

The blue damsel pays no attention to the clowns either...just swims around the tank and pecks at any algea on the rocks.

I can't belive how fast that blue damsel is...It can change directions 5 times and cross the whole tank in a split second if it wants to....and when the lights come on it does travel the entire 125 gallon tank all day long.

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11794849#post11794849 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Larah
Yeah we can do a house call for ya captn'!
Canada you say????

good we are two minutes from the air port (cross country) so let me know when you are coming and will send the dogsled for you:lol:

 

[K' Family Reef]

had 3 when reef was first set up
after awhile couldnt wait to get them out - had to use a fish trap but eventually got them removed... we wanted a more peaceful display tank and were glad when they were finally removed!

regards

 

[Larah]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11796294#post11796294 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by WarrenAmy&Maddy
had 3 when reef was first set up
after awhile couldnt wait to get them out - had to use a fish trap but eventually got them removed... we wanted a more peaceful display tank and were glad when they were finally removed!

regards

Yeah i had that with the one bluoe devil I had in there when I first started the tank.. Finally captured him..
I was hopign that the yellow tails would be, shall we say, more docile???

 

[Larah]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11795775#post11795775 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by capn_hylinur
good we are two minutes from the air port (cross country) so let me know when you are coming and will send the dogsled for you:lol:

Dog sled? Good grief man, where do you live? An igloo? LOL!

 

[Norward]

Wow Larah! You sure know how to pick a thread topic and keep it going - LOL. So you got a CB angel! How's it working out? IMO, damsels are best when they are the smallest fish, the last fish, and/or the only fish. I know some have had success with them, but I just wouldn't want to take the chance. Besides, let's see what other interesting fish that you find and fancy between now and then.