Damsel Question

[AZReef13]

I know most damsels be come a terror in ones tank. I was wondering what the board thoughts are on the following damels below, since they are supposed to be more peaceful than most? I have an IM 40, mixed reef. Current fish are Yellow Accessor, captive breed Court jester goby and Mandarin. looking for the blue color, and more movement as well. Future ungabinants might be a pair Yasha gobies, Helfrichi filefish.

List;

Starcki Chrysiptera starcki

Allens ( Neon) Pomacentrus alleni

Azure Chrysiptera hemicyanea

Thanks for all the feed back

 

[Cliving1]

I would go with the starcki if you must. But I would add it last.

 

[Myles]

You have a small tank with fish that are real patsies-and your planned future additions are also real mellow. I think I would skip the damsel idea all together.
Myles

 

[water is wet]

The size of your tank might be the issue here other than that either the starki or the azure would be a good choice. The Chrysiptera aren't nearly as bad as some make them out to be when housed properly.

 

[Daddi0]

It's not on your list but I like the Springer's Damsel - Chrysiptera springeri They seem very peaceful, they are a gorgeous blue, and love to munch flatworms.
Cheers! Mark

 

[ca1ore]

Chrysiptera aren't nearly as bad as some make them out to be when housed properly.

Indeed .... I have over 40 in my tank .... OK, it's a 450, but still!

 

[AZReef13]

You have a small tank with fish that are real patsies-and your planned future additions are also real mellow. I think I would skip the damsel idea all together.
Myles

Any thoughts for a blue colored fish?

 

[AZReef13]

Indeed .... I have over 40 in my tank .... OK, it's a 450, but still!

Thats got to be quite a show with all of them....

 

[Myles]

If the new addition must be blue, you could look into the fang blennies. I have never kept them so I do not know if they would work in your set up. Another suggestion which would work is cardinal fish. There are quite a few species readily available which would add movement in the water column are are peaceful enough to get along with your tank inhabitants.
Myles

 

[tdlawdo]

Cardinals are a great choice I have had them for 10 years in my biocubes all less than 40 g. Not sure if there is a blue but there are some other nice ones.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[RioReefr]

Interesting someone posts about Damsel today -- I actually went to a fishing store today to buy a hook/line to literally fish mine out of the tank.

Menace, terror, destroyer....all these words are true when it comes to my yellow-tailed blue damsel. She was cool at first, but now just fights with everyone (including me!).

Kicks up sandstorms, literally knocks crabs/snails off the rocks, picked at my starfish legs, knocks over coral frags, pretty much picks a fight with all my fish (which are all cool) every hour of every day. She grabs every bit of food she can -- i mean everything. Kicks sand over the Nori I put in for the Tang.

BTW, she is super clever and super quick. I've tried countless ways of getting her out and sadly I am literally taking the hook & line method. I can no longer tolerate her antics and it just keeps getting worse. Eventually I could see her harming/killing one of my other fish or chasing them where the fish might jump out of the tank.

Please do yourself a favor and DO NOT get a damselfish. I don't why "they" list this fish as Semi-Aggressive, it is All-In-Aggressive. I think people only buy them because they are usually really cheap and hardy. But, I regret it everyday and wished I had known before. When she is gone, I know all the other fish are going to throw a party!

 

[tdlawdo]

Hahaha! I had the same experience with my first nano tank and blue damsel!! I could not get her out of the tank! Houdini fish and terror to everything in the tank!!! Ugh I hated that fish and it was my own fault of course wrong size tank for such a butthead fish!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[water is wet]

Interesting someone posts about Damsel today -- I actually went to a fishing store today to buy a hook/line to literally fish mine out of the tank.

Menace, terror, destroyer....all these words are true when it comes to my yellow-tailed blue damsel. She was cool at first, but now just fights with everyone (including me!).

Kicks up sandstorms, literally knocks crabs/snails off the rocks, picked at my starfish legs, knocks over coral frags, pretty much picks a fight with all my fish (which are all cool) every hour of every day. She grabs every bit of food she can -- i mean everything. Kicks sand over the Nori I put in for the Tang.

BTW, she is super clever and super quick. I've tried countless ways of getting her out and sadly I am literally taking the hook & line method. I can no longer tolerate her antics and it just keeps getting worse. Eventually I could see her harming/killing one of my other fish or chasing them where the fish might jump out of the tank.

Please do yourself a favor and DO NOT get a damselfish. I don't why "they" list this fish as Semi-Aggressive, it is All-In-Aggressive. I think people only buy them because they are usually really cheap and hardy. But, I regret it everyday and wished I had known before. When she is gone, I know all the other fish are going to throw a party!

If my memory is correct I think I've read somewhere that you have a fairly small tank which would explain your troubles. If that's the case It's not fair to blame poor planning on a fish.

These fish are not a problem when you give them adequate space and choose proper tank mates and IME having a couple of them is also a plus.

 

[AZReef13]

I agree that damsels are know to be terrors, that was part of my opening statement. I was told the Allens where peaceful as with the others listed, but my research I wasn't getting the comfortable feeling. Thats why I brought it up here before heading down a bad road. Thanks again for all the feedback..

 

[ca1ore]

Thats got to be quite a show with all of them....

Indeed. As long as you have adequate space and a group, they spend all their time hassling each other.

 

[Floowid]

You could look at the blue chromis (Chromis cyaneus). The chromis are pretty chill fish and the blue variety are pretty striking. They school/shoal in the wild but tend to pick each other off in any size tank, which is why I always have one and only one in my tank. I have never had chromis show aggression toward any other fish.

 

[AZReef13]

You could look at the blue chromis (Chromis cyaneus). The chromis are pretty chill fish and the blue variety are pretty striking. They school/shoal in the wild but tend to pick each other off in any size tank, which is why I always have one and only one in my tank. I have never had chromis show aggression toward any other fish.

Thanks, thought they where more aggresive than that. Maybe its because of the multiples ones in a tank.

 

[RioReefr]

If my memory is correct I think I've read somewhere that you have a fairly small tank which would explain your troubles. If that's the case It's not fair to blame poor planning on a fish.

IMO, 32G is not a nano tank. Its small, but all the other fish get along great. If my tank was 180G, I think she would still be a menace to everyone. Deliberately knocking off snails/crabs or kicking up sandstorms is just a bad personality. Anyway, this weekend she will be GONE!

I read a lot people getting Damsels to test out if their tanks have cycled properly ... basically using them as guinea-pig. If they survive, tank is cycled. If they die, then not. IMO, this is there only purpose because they are super hardy. I even seen National Geographic programs where they show damsels in the wild oceans. They are "jerks" in the oceans too, so has nothing to do with tank size.