blue and gold damsels

[msweeney1994]

last night for my birthday i got 2 blue and gold damsels. i already had a clown, sic line wrasse, and a lawnmower blennie in the tank. i knew the blennie wouldnt be a problem but as soon as i put the damsels in the clownfish and wrasse started chasing them. i woke up thismorning and they arent chasing them as much. one of the damsles is hiding under a rock and the other swims around. i was wondering if i add a little more rock would that stop the chasing completely since its giving the other fish territory?

 

[Kahuna Tuna]

More rockwork will make for more caves and hidey holes and this should help with lessening aggression. A few thoughts came to mind, the first being that getting fish as a present rarely works out well, honestly if someone were to buy a fish for my tank as a gift I would doubt it would be compatible at all. The missus did that once and I explained to her that with marine fish compatability is everything and unless she really knew what she was doing she shouldn't be buying fish for my tank.

The other thought is that you already have several aggressive fish, clowns can be very aggressive depending on the species and I have owned a six line that was straight from the jaws of hell. Now you have damsels on top of that mix and adding any new fish may be a real challenge.

How big is your tank and how much rockwork do you have and which species of damsel and clown are we talking about?

 

[MrTuskfish]

If your profile is current: I'm afraid I see no way of any damsel living peacefully with any established clown in a 29 gal tank. The longer you've had the clown, the less the chance. A single clown is almost always a female and they are extremely territorial.

 

[snorvich]

If your profile is current: I'm afraid I see no way of any damsel living peacefully with any established clown in a 29 gal tank. The longer you've had the clown, the less the chance. A single clown is almost always a female and they are extremely territorial.

Unfortunately, this is correct. Noone buys fish for my tanks. The larger the tank, the great the permutations on what gets along with what else. The smaller the tank, the worse the effect of putting in the wrong fish.

 

[msweeney1994]

sorry its been so long. they have actually stopped chasing eachother now and seem to share the same areas of the tank. i didnt add any rock i guess they just got over it haha. thanks for the advice

 

[Angel*Fish]

What's a blue and gold damsel? You may have gotten one of the more peaceful damsels. As they mature watch for trouble, you may or may not be out of the woods.

 

[snorvich]

sorry its been so long. they have actually stopped chasing eachother now and seem to share the same areas of the tank. i didnt add any rock i guess they just got over it haha. thanks for the advice

Yes, but unfortunately your tank size coupled with your inhabitants is not likely to turn out well.

 

[jmchzn123]

My Damsels are going crazy after like 7 yrs in the tank with each other something is happening! They are pretty big now. Silver dollar size. Yellow fins and silver bodies. Now these were starter fish I bought to cycle tank (my 90 is about 7-8 yrs old, and yes I know never buy fish to cycle I was new and listening to bad LFS advice). They are super healthy and have always schooled with a little normal chasing but never anything like what I'm seeing now. 2 big ones are hiding and every color is heightened and sharp. Their scales are even shaded they look great but clearly stressed. Another bigger one but not the biggest is holding them both at bay in the corner behind rocks. Wont let them swim or eat. Now I have 3 smaller ones swimming around like nothing is going on....Is this a breeding, sexing thing. If so I fear it won't stop until one kills the other. I have a dozen fish books and can't find any info.

 

[Angel*Fish]

My Damsels are going crazy after like 7 yrs in the tank with each other something is happening! They are pretty big now. Silver dollar size. Yellow fins and silver bodies. Now these were starter fish I bought to cycle tank (my 90 is about 7-8 yrs old, and yes I know never buy fish to cycle I was new and listening to bad LFS advice). They are super healthy and have always schooled with a little normal chasing but never anything like what I'm seeing now. 2 big ones are hiding and every color is heightened and sharp. Their scales are even shaded they look great but clearly stressed. Another bigger one but not the biggest is holding them both at bay in the corner behind rocks. Wont let them swim or eat. Now I have 3 smaller ones swimming around like nothing is going on....Is this a breeding, sexing thing. If so I fear it won't stop until one kills the other. I have a dozen fish books and can't find any info.

It sounds like aggression to me, I'd get some of them out of there asap. The big one may not feel threatened by the smallest ones now, but they may be next. It sounds like maybe hose two matured enough to threaten the big one? Or maybe you have several mating pairs? Good luck.

 

[jmchzn123]

They are disrupting the whole tank!! IT LITERALLY STARTED OVERNIGHT! I'm thinking it has to be a breeding thing and a struggle for dominance. I never took a fish out. This in my first SW tank and its been up for 10 yrs. uuuuugh. I also have a BTA that started at about an inch is now 12 taking over the tank. I have to do something soon. Sounds like its time to dive in.

 

[Kahuna Tuna]

This is common in damselfish in a great many species. So many of them start out as cute and colorful juvies and grow into big, ugly, drab terrors. I would do whatever needs to be done to get them all out now and find them a new home. I have a pair of yellowtails in my 180, one of the mellower species and the female can still be pretty rough. You will continue to have problems in a tank that size from now on unless they are gone IMO. Good luck to you