Domino Damsel experiance??

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AW2EOD

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Jun 14, 2004
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Alright...so, most of you know that I'm cycling this 55gal. salt tank cause I've talked to alot of you, and because I ramble on about it cause I'm excited. lol

Anyway, I bought fish for the cycle, last week. I got 2 Domino Damsels and 2 Three Striped Damsels. I've heard that they're territorial so I put them in all at the same time. Now, a week later, one particular Domino has killed the other 3 fish. Is this normal or is he just a mean S.O.B.?? He chews their fins off, then pecks at their gills until they're dead. Then, Tank, my Emerald Mithrax finishes them off.

What's goin' on here? That one mean Domino is the only fish left in the tank. Is that enough for the cycling process?
 

DanielHoerr

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Jul 20, 2004
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We have damsels as well. You can see here that recommendations point away from the dominoes.

I watch the larger of our 2 dominoes chase the smaller domino, the gramma and the 2 blue damsels all the time. He's very aggressive with them, but has yet to kill anyone. He doesn't bother our clownfish or yellow tang at all however.

The guy at the aquarium shop said the dominoes would be aggressive, but only the larger one is so.
 
well,

I've never had a domino but I have heard they are VERY mean. When I cycled my 40 gal I used 2 blue damsels and 2 3-stripe damsels. After the cycle was done and I was able to add a couple more fish the 2 blues mysteriously died. I can't guarentee it was the 2 3-stripes but ... both little buggers are still with me today (through many tank tragities). They're tough as nails those little buggers!

If you plan on getting more fish I'd seriously consider getting rid of the domino first.
 

AW2EOD

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Well...I was just using these fish to cycle the tank. This 55gal. is going to be a hold over tank for a Dog Faced Puffer and a Voliton Lion for 6 months till I get my 150gal. We'll see how tough the little S.O.B. Domino is when I toss those 2 guys in the tank with him. lol I just couldnt believe that a fish that small would be so mean and would kill 3 tank mates, of the same species, within a week. Right now, he's just happily swimming around, eating ALOT, and having the tank to himself. About an hour ago, I seen him picking at Tank, my Green Mithrax (about the size of a half dollar coin), and he learned really quick not to mess with him.

Back to previous question...is one Damsel enough to cycle a 55gal. tank or should I put him in my 15gal. reef (with no fish in it) and get new fish to cycle the 55gal?
 

wayne

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They are very, very mean. I recall seeing big 6inch + specimens in a shark tank in Denmark holding theor own.

I really , really hate to see this sort of idiocy re: 'I just bought them for cycling'. Why can't you just cycle using live rock like any normal person? You've already killed more fish than you plan to end up with.

Yes this really hacks me off.
 

Aquatick

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Jul 21, 2004
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Originally posted by wayne
They are very, very mean. I recall seeing big 6inch + specimens in a shark tank in Denmark holding theor own.

I really , really hate to see this sort of idiocy re: 'I just bought them for cycling'. Why can't you just cycle using live rock like any normal person? You've already killed more fish than you plan to end up with.

Yes this really hacks me off.
AGREED!
 

benjen

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If you want to cycle your tank, put in uncured live rock, a couple of uncooked cocktail shrimp, or a couple capfuls of pure ammonia. Take out any critters in there if you use the cocktail shrimp or ammonia.

Why?

- Because you aren't torturing any damselfish, or in this case crabs, by making them basically breathe poison.
- Because cycling with fish is ineffective. (It only generates enough bacteria for those exact fish and you cycle again when you add more fish.)
- The bacteria colonies will be able to take much bigger wobbles than they could cycled with fish.
- With shrimp, you get an interesting lesson in why you want to get dead stuff out of your tank fast.
- With uncured live rock, you get all sorts of interesting bonus creatures in your tank, because the rock is fresher.
- With ammonia, you get no chance of odd smells from your tank as stuff rots. (I didn't have much of any smell with either rock or shrimp, but some complain.)
 
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