I'm guessing he meant opposite side of the pacific, as compared to where most of our tropicals come from.
garibaldi damselfish?
- Thread starter elisa20
- Start date
I'm guessing he meant opposite side of the pacific, as compared to where most of our tropicals come from.
AquaticEngineer
New member
I'm going to keep one in a 200 gallon tank with a closed loop and a chiller with a 110 gallon lobster tank for the sump. It will also incorporate a surge tank, and have a tight optic par38 LED light positioned over the area with the kelp. Dimmable par38 bulbs will be positioned at opposing angles over the other areas of the tank.
Think that'll handle one Garibaldi if I start him as a juvenile?
Also, does anyone have information on the interactions of males and females of the species? I was curious if it would be possible to keep one male and several females?
Jeremy Blaze
Former Reef Addict
IF they could adapt to hot water, why are they still only found naturally in cold water?
MrTuskfish
Team RC
DD had one the other day. Mexican, they say 60-77 F. Even if i could meet the temp needs; the last fish I'd ever buy would be a giant damsel. The equivalent of a pit-bull the size of a St. Bernard. (Michael Vick is drooling).
http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden/ItemDisplay.cfm?c=2733+3&ddid=130202
http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden/ItemDisplay.cfm?c=2733+3&ddid=130202
AquaticEngineer
New member
That's so funny, I just said that to a friend of mine the other day. Yes, a chiller is an absolute necessity to keep these guys long term.
Yeah I saw that on DD, way over what I would pay. I'm going to get mine from a local wholesaler, should be less than $40 piece.
I think it'll be cool to have in the tank to go along with all my other Pacific coldwater species I already keep.
Jeremy Blaze
Former Reef Addict
Are your other pacific coldwater species in a coldwater tank?
AquaticEngineer
New member
Yeah, I have two 110 gallon Marineland lobster tanks that I keep at 55F degrees right now. Working on a 200 gallon to plumb into one of them, and a 25+ gallon one for my grunt sculpin, war bonnett, and fringehead.
fender4string
New member
There's a fish that's very close to these in appearance but is much cheaper and much hardier: http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=830+835+2743&pcatid=2743 
AquaticEngineer
New member
There's a fish that's very close to these in appearance but is much cheaper and much hardier: http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=830+835+2743&pcatid=2743
I dont think it'll handle the salinity in my tank though :lolspin:
quincy2008
New member
I have had one in my 300 gallon mixed reef for 10 years at 76-78 degrees. Never been a problem.
GriffinMarsh
Member
I feel like I need to chime in on this. I had a customer who kept one in a 800g FO for two years and supposedly was the king of the tank(i never saw it). That tank included a clown trigger, queen trigger, lion fish, puffers, and a handful of large angelfish. All bowed down to the garibaldi! He then hit temps in the mid to high 80s and lost it when his chiller failed in the hot AZ summers. He was lucky to find another TWO! mind you when his tank was back up, and lost both in less than a few months. I guess the moral of the story is while some are able to adapt well to higher temps, they can't withstand them too high. He assumed that the other two that he got just couldn't crack it with the other aggressive fish. So I guess if you are able to find one in good health and feel like you have the ability to keep one, its your tank and your own perception on your aquarium keeping abilities, go ahead and give it a try. And while I think in the right environment they are a cool addition, they really don't have a place in my heart for a mixed tropical/temperate tank.
ThRoewer
New member
I have seen lots of Garibaldis for sale back in the 90s at DeJong. I found the large Southwest Australian Paraplesiops meleagris they kept in the same cold-water system to be more impressive. And sometimes they also had Leafy and Common seadragons in the cold-water section.
Back in Germany I tried cold-water tanks with fish and inverts I caught and collected during the summer at the North Sea. I kept that tank in the basement where it never got too hot, yet most of these animals still didn't make it for too long. Pholis gunnellus and some sand gobies were the exception and did well until the next summer when I released them back into the sea.
All in all cold-water is way harder than warm-water tanks as most cold-water fish are very sensitive to elevated temperatures and the resulting lower oxygen levels.
Back in Germany I tried cold-water tanks with fish and inverts I caught and collected during the summer at the North Sea. I kept that tank in the basement where it never got too hot, yet most of these animals still didn't make it for too long. Pholis gunnellus and some sand gobies were the exception and did well until the next summer when I released them back into the sea.
All in all cold-water is way harder than warm-water tanks as most cold-water fish are very sensitive to elevated temperatures and the resulting lower oxygen levels.
AquaticEngineer
New member
Most all of the Garibaldis are coming from Mexico, but that doesn't mean they are coming from warm waters. Most are collected just south of San Diego on the Pacific side of Baja and if you've ever dove those waters at the depths they reside in its definitely not tropical 
Same goes for Catalina Gobies.
Coldwater tanks overall are extremely easy to keep if set up correctly with a chiller you can count on to keep the tank at a stable temperature. I run mine with a 3/4hp main chiller at 57F and a backup 1/2hp chiller set to come on at 60F.
That being said, Garibaldis in general tend to rule the roost eventually. I much prefer my Blacksmith Chromis, Swallowtail Seaperch, and Shiner Perch. Peaceful schooling fish that all school together even though they were collected from completely different geographical ranges.
Same goes for Catalina Gobies. Coldwater tanks overall are extremely easy to keep if set up correctly with a chiller you can count on to keep the tank at a stable temperature. I run mine with a 3/4hp main chiller at 57F and a backup 1/2hp chiller set to come on at 60F.
That being said, Garibaldis in general tend to rule the roost eventually. I much prefer my Blacksmith Chromis, Swallowtail Seaperch, and Shiner Perch. Peaceful schooling fish that all school together even though they were collected from completely different geographical ranges.
AquaticEngineer
New member
After having a few myself I tend to agree with the above post. As beautiful as they are, they drastically limit the types of fish you can have. If added last and as a juvenile you can make it work, but there are thousands of other fish available for a coldwater tank I would want before a garibaldi again
