one damsel?

[rica5tully]

Hi,

I am having trouble with my system and needed a guinea pig to be the lone fish while I figure things out.

I bought a damsel yesterday and he seems o.k, but he isn't eating yet.

QUESTION: Is it completely out of the question to have a lone damsel in a tank with no other damsels or other fish? It's only temporary, but I wonder if damsels require a little school. Is it necessary that I buy two more and make a trio?

Thanks...

[OrionGirl]

No, and adding more will a) create territory squabbles and b) introduce more waste. Both of these together will cause more stress.

We have a single damsel that has been in the reef for about 5 years now. While he is not the only fish in the tank, he still does just fine without a school. Damsels seldom school successfully in a tank--it's just not enough room for them to be comfortable sharing turf.

[Elliott Wright]

It all depends what species it is, if its of the Chromis family i would
definetly recommend you to buy 2 or 3 more fish as these very
peaceful damsels prefer to be kept in a group for protection
they often starve to death when kept alone,but on the otherhand if its one of the aggressive species such as Humbugs dominos,Electric blues you are just asking for trouble if you
add some more to your tank. These are fine on their own
because a well establised aggressive damsel will usually attack
all other fish no matter what size

hope this helps

Elliott

[rica5tully]

So you think he's o.k. completely alone (with no other fish)?

Does he need lots of hiding places or will a big PVC pipe elbow do?

Do they usually take a day or two to start eating?

[rica5tully]

P.S. It's all black with two big white spots. Is that an aggressive kind? I think it is.

[OrionGirl]

Domino damsel. One or two places will be fine. And yes, most are very aggressive.

[Elliott Wright]

Thats a Domino and as i said these are very aggressive little fish
A pvc pipe will be all the hiding places this little guy needs so dont worry ,Marine fish can sometimes take up to a week to get
feeding properly try to temp him with some live food like Brine shrimps,then feed him good quality frozen food when he has
settled in.



P.S if he still isnt eating within more than a week something
must be up with your water,even damsels can be fussy
occasionally!Keep a close eye on water parimeters.


Good Luck!