Damsel question

[is_that_a_fish]

i want to add some damsels to my 125 gallon reef tank, the tank has nothing in it as of now except corals and live rock so my bioload is fairly low, there are a couple of inverts but no fish. Any way i was hoping to maybe get about 5 blue damsels, 5 yellow tail damsels, 5 yellow belly damsels, 3-5 domino damsels, (i think ive seen yellow damsels so i may add 5 of those if they exist), and maybe 3 javanese damsels. I think that will be it for my tank but do you guys think that all these fish would co-exist peacefully or would it be a war zone? Also if this is to much fish tell me a list that would be more practical. My filtration is a coralife super skimmer 220 and a 500gph powerfilter that i occasionaly run carbon in, i also have various powerheads. Ive got about 200lbs of live rock and about 100lbs of live sand. thanx in advance for your help.

 

[sir_dudeguy]

do you guys think that all these fish would co-exist peacefully or would it be a war zone?

seeing as damsels are mean little b-tards, i say they wont do well w/that many of them (and that many different types).

IMO, i'd look into any fish OTHER than damsels. They get a lot bigger than you see in the stores too by the way. They dont stay small like that very long, and when they get big, some of them turn very ugly. Plus you'll never catch em' w/out taking everything apart, so thats just another reason to not get them.

 

[MIKE NY]

I have about 6-7 different species of damsels now, some of them nesting and laying eggs so from experience...... the yellow tails and yellow bellys(azures) will fight at first, maybe killing off the weaker, untill they set up their little teritories and after that they will be fine except for alittle bickering over teritory, but the blue devils and dominos will be terrors cruising the whole tank....don't get them....probably killing the weaker and attacking unmercifull any newcomers unless they are alot larger like tangs etc...

 

[Kahuna Tuna]

I agree with Mike, the domino's and blue devils will become terrors eventually. Three damsel species, Chrysiptera parasema, Chrysiptera hemicyanea, and Chrysiptera talboti are actually very mellow for damsels and can be great community fish.

 

[Navyblue]

The aggression aside, I don't think a 125G can hold 20+ fishes. Also, I agree with Sir_dudeguy that you should look into other species, unless you like the look of a tank full of fighting fishes. Even if you add only 1, you'd need to pay some attention in choosing its tank mate.

 

[cl2ysta1]

those damn damsels are nothing but trouble. they are cheap 5 dollar fish, but when you decide you want to get a nice fish. they will certainly kill them off!!! and they are impossible to catch. if you are just going to have damsels and dont plan on ever changing than go for it. If your looking for something that is going to school i would go with some chromis, or cardinals

 

[xravenzx]

If you go with damsels, it's quite a committment, especially with that many because it will be very difficult to get them out of the tank in the event you become interested in picking up another type of fish.

 

[is_that_a_fish]

I really like damsels, i think their colors are some of the best in the reef keeping business even though some of them fade a bit when they get older. So what 15-20 damsels do you think would co-exists somewhat peacefully in a 125 gallon tank with about 200lbs of live rock?