Damsels? Good or bad idea

[fishykid9212]

Hi right now I have a 92G corner tank, and I have a hippo tang, 2 clowns, and 2 damsels. I would like to put a few more damsels, but will I have problems with them fighting other fish?

 

[avshockey311]

BAD idea. The damsels I had did nothing but cause trouble. And once they start causing trouble they are near impossible to catch.

 

[MAreefer1]

YEOP I DISLIKE DAMSELS VERY MUCH!

I had three Damsels in my reef, and they are...NOTHIN BUT TROUBLE!

They attack other fish, corals, and inverts...when I tried to get it out of my tank, it took me a full 3 hours!

Damsels are nice cheap fish, but they belong in small FO, With no LR.

 

[rjwilson37]

You might be lucky like me with two damsels and they won't cause any problems, but if you add any more, it could be big trouble. You can add Green Chromis/or Blue Reef Chromis type damsels if you want.

 

[dattong]

i always like damsels especially stripped and back dotted ones, but they are trouble makers thou

 

[JENnKerry]

I'm a firm believer that damsels won't really be aggressive if:

#1 you only keep one to a tank. This way they can't gang up on others

#2 you keep them in larger tanks to reduce the aggressiveness

I'm like RJ and have two in my 125 (yellow tail & Azure). They leave everyone alone. But of course they are two of the more docile ones you can get.

 

[bawla47]

i have a yellow tail damsel thats been in my tank 8-9 months. havent seen any aggressiveness yet either. crossing fingers.

 

[Pandora]

Yellow tail damsels are really not aggressive at all; they are a joy to have around. It is really the blue devils (also have yellow tails, different shape) that most people refer to as bullies and troublemakers.

On your question though, if you already have 2 established ones, not usually a good idea to introduce more later. Newcomers commonly get beaten on.

 

[sean48183]

It's the adding new ones where you might get a problem. I keep 4 damsels(4 stripe, big ole blue devil, yellow tail and a tomato) and they all are fine together minus a few occasional scrums. I however would not dare add any fish smaller or of similar shape to my tank. Not only for the damsels but my rusty angel is by far the meanest in my tank. If you really would like to add some move the rocks around. I did this when I added my last 2 and by the time all this fish were done being freaked out they didn't even notice the newcomers.

 

[Shawnts106]

... do I even need to say anything

Damsels = @^%# = explosion!

DAMsels are called DAMsels for a reason... hahaha

 

[ledford1]

Damsels are bad ideas! I'll never buy damsels again. I've had blue damsels, yellow damsels, and the three-stripe damsels. Not any more though.

They're too aggressive and eventually start picking on more peaceful fish. Then you have a heck of a time trying to catch the darn things to get them out of the tank.

Chromis are a good alternative to damsels, or just about any other small, active fish for that matter.

 

[fishykid9212]

lol I have a yellow tail and a green chromis, I might try a few yellow tailed because they aren't doing any harm. It was the striped ones, they are a pain in the^&*^ they kiilled a queen angel within a day but the yellow tailed, I have never had a problem same with the chromis

 

[Pandora]

Like with any fish, its tough to talk in generalities. As proof to that, I'd like to point out that chromis ARE a type of damsel, LOL. I've also yet to really meet anyone with a problem with yellow tails (not to be confused with yellow tailed blue devils).

 

[Rock Anemone]

Agreed with all of the above. I would love to have a school of Chromis in my tank but they tend to pick eachother off until a pair is formed, which leaves you with two fish rather than a school. It's a hit or miss though and some people have luck!

Rock Anemone

 

[MIKE NY]

I have a few in my tank with now problems except for the occational territory fight, but no real damage. I have a pair of humbugs, a female blue devil, a rollands, yellow tail and an azure. The trick is to add them together or two or three at a time so they can establish their territories.

 

[scunan]

I just found a damsel in my sump today and put him in my 150 gallon reef, I hope he gets along with my trigger lol

 

[AllenFord_SC]

If you did want to add more, rearrange the rocks a bit and add the fish while the lights are off. This will give them time to settle in and hide. Also try to make them about the same size as the other damsels. Personally I think a school of 3 - 5 chromis is a beautiful thing to watch.

 

[know-it-all]

they are really only are nasty to other fish the first couple days.
after that, they stop caring

right now, I've got 10 in a 72, and I'm looking into 5 more
3 big 'ole yellow's
3 blue's,
and 4 red honey's

 

[Chappy]

Damsels are great if you are cycling your tank. Hopefully they die so you don't have to catch them when the cycle is over. Or you just buy a big lion, let him eat, then catch him if you want to.

 

[bhdmc]

You bet you will. WWIII in your tank. The fun part really begins when you try to catch them to get rid of them. I like Chappy's idea of a Lion fish to get rid of them.