Lev F.
New member
Ever since the beginning of our hobby, I have felt that more people start with a damselfish as thir first fish in the tank than any other fish. Why? Damsels are hardy, inexpensive and widely available. Throughout the years, I have seen this fish cause more stress and more "why the heck did I buy this thing?!" reactions from aquarists, mostly because the cute fish they bought for there tank is killing everything else they try to introduce. This has lead to the common stereotypical vision about damsels as viscious and unsuitable for reef setups. This is not true, in fact, some damsels make great reef fish. Since this is the New to the Hobby forum, I think I will include my views on Damselfishes to prevent newbies from making any mistakes when it comes to the time they have to purchase their first fish. I think the most common mistake newbies make when buying their first fish is not researching the species, and in effect buying a fish not suited for their aquarium, and later, suffering as a result. So here is a basic guide of the Damselfishes commonly seen in LFS's to prevent newbies from making that painful mistake. This is just a basic guide, be aware that fish have different personalities and in an otherwise peaceful species, some odd fish is going to be a hellion. It's nature.
The Good
Talbot's Damselfish
(Chrysiptera talboti)
These are one of the most peaceful damsels in the aquarium trade. They are as hardy as any other damsel, but they are usually well behaved and are not viscious like some of their cousins. They also exhibit a beautiful peach-like colouration.
Chromis
(Chromis sp.)
These are great first fish. They are relatively peaceful and are social, and should be kept in groups. The best number is 3. They exhibit some awesome colouration, especially the Blue Chromis, Chromis cyanea. They are great reef fish and will seldom bother anything.
Yellowtailed Damselfish
(Chrysiptera parasema)
These are a hit or miss. I have classified them as "good" because I have one in my reef and she is extremely peaceful and doesn't bother anything. She is my oldest fish and my first ever saltwater fish. Try to get a smaller specimen which doesn't show much agression in the dealer's tank.
The Bad
3 Stripe, Domino and other Dascyllus
(Dascyllus species)
These are the ones most people get as first fish. They are incredibly cute and round, and have nice colouration to boot. The drawback? The are extremely territorial to anything. They can stress out and even kill fish 4 times their own size. When small, they are bright and cute. When half a foot in length, they are drab and ugly. The bottom line: Stay away. Far away.
Blue Devils
(Chrysiptera cyanea)
They aren't called devils for nothing. This is an aggressive territorial species, but not as aggressive as dascyllus and may be kept with semi-aggressive fish. Some people have them in reefs with no relative problems, but most people don't. They will stress out gobies, firefish, and other small fish. Best kept in reef tanks with Dwarf angels, Hawkfish, Tangs, and other fish that can hold their own. Makes a good addition to the FO or FOWLR tank, as long as tankmates don't look at it as prey.
Giant Damsels
(Microspathodon species)
These look stunning when they are juveniles. They're even called "Jewel Damsels" in pet stores. But, be warned. They get a foot long and have temper to match. only attemot to keep this if you have an enourmous tank and the tankmates are big and aggressive. Even then the giant damsels may stress them out. For newbies, it's generally smart to stay away from these.
The Ugly
Jewel, Velvet, Javanese,Blue Fin, and Cross's Damsels
(Neoglyphidodon species)
These damsels can be a disappointment to newbies. When they are small, they have stunning, neon, extremely bright colouration. Once they get larger, The lose that colouration and become brown. They are quite aggressive and will do best in Semi-Agrressive to aggressive reef or FOWLR tanks. I currently have a Behn's Damselfish in my reef, and he is small and relatively easygoing, but we will see how he will be when he grows up.
Keep in mind that I have included the most commonly encountered damsels, there are still other damsels such as Pomacentrus. Here I have listed the best and the worst. Anything else is in-between. I hope I have helped steer people new to the wonderful hobby of saltwater aquariums in the right direction to avoid the stress of owning an aggressive, unwanted damsel. I also hopefully brought some releif to the damsels so less of them have to endure the stress of being extracted from a reef. Remember, it's never the damsels fault!
Happy Reefing!
Lev.
The Good
Talbot's Damselfish
(Chrysiptera talboti)
These are one of the most peaceful damsels in the aquarium trade. They are as hardy as any other damsel, but they are usually well behaved and are not viscious like some of their cousins. They also exhibit a beautiful peach-like colouration.
Chromis
(Chromis sp.)
These are great first fish. They are relatively peaceful and are social, and should be kept in groups. The best number is 3. They exhibit some awesome colouration, especially the Blue Chromis, Chromis cyanea. They are great reef fish and will seldom bother anything.
Yellowtailed Damselfish
(Chrysiptera parasema)
These are a hit or miss. I have classified them as "good" because I have one in my reef and she is extremely peaceful and doesn't bother anything. She is my oldest fish and my first ever saltwater fish. Try to get a smaller specimen which doesn't show much agression in the dealer's tank.
The Bad
3 Stripe, Domino and other Dascyllus
(Dascyllus species)
These are the ones most people get as first fish. They are incredibly cute and round, and have nice colouration to boot. The drawback? The are extremely territorial to anything. They can stress out and even kill fish 4 times their own size. When small, they are bright and cute. When half a foot in length, they are drab and ugly. The bottom line: Stay away. Far away.
Blue Devils
(Chrysiptera cyanea)
They aren't called devils for nothing. This is an aggressive territorial species, but not as aggressive as dascyllus and may be kept with semi-aggressive fish. Some people have them in reefs with no relative problems, but most people don't. They will stress out gobies, firefish, and other small fish. Best kept in reef tanks with Dwarf angels, Hawkfish, Tangs, and other fish that can hold their own. Makes a good addition to the FO or FOWLR tank, as long as tankmates don't look at it as prey.
Giant Damsels
(Microspathodon species)
These look stunning when they are juveniles. They're even called "Jewel Damsels" in pet stores. But, be warned. They get a foot long and have temper to match. only attemot to keep this if you have an enourmous tank and the tankmates are big and aggressive. Even then the giant damsels may stress them out. For newbies, it's generally smart to stay away from these.
The Ugly
Jewel, Velvet, Javanese,Blue Fin, and Cross's Damsels
(Neoglyphidodon species)
These damsels can be a disappointment to newbies. When they are small, they have stunning, neon, extremely bright colouration. Once they get larger, The lose that colouration and become brown. They are quite aggressive and will do best in Semi-Agrressive to aggressive reef or FOWLR tanks. I currently have a Behn's Damselfish in my reef, and he is small and relatively easygoing, but we will see how he will be when he grows up.
Keep in mind that I have included the most commonly encountered damsels, there are still other damsels such as Pomacentrus. Here I have listed the best and the worst. Anything else is in-between. I hope I have helped steer people new to the wonderful hobby of saltwater aquariums in the right direction to avoid the stress of owning an aggressive, unwanted damsel. I also hopefully brought some releif to the damsels so less of them have to endure the stress of being extracted from a reef. Remember, it's never the damsels fault!
Happy Reefing!
Lev.
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