Damsels, yes or no

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blasterman_

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Jan 6, 2008
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No matter how many experience encounters you've heard, damsels + other tankmates are strictly case by case scenarios.
Buddy of mine (well, not a buddy anymore because he's a flake) had a unique solution for removing damsels from a cycled tank given they are so hard to catch. After the tank was cycled he'd throw in a picasso trigger, and not feed the trigger. End of problem (and damsels).

The damselfish get's a bad rap, and I'm not sure why because I've kept many species not nearly as pretty and certainly more annoying. Damsels are also hardly, and usually cheap. As long as the other tank inmates are established like cowns then the damsels likely won't bother anybody. Most angels, even dwarfs, won't take crap from a damsel unless it's a big one.
 

silentskream

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May 16, 2004
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we just started our FOWLR tank.. we got 2 tomato clowns, 3 blue/green chromis, oneblack and white stripe damsel, one purple/yellow damsel, and one ocelate damsel (sp?)

yes, they kinda like to charge towards each other and towards the clowns and chromis, but really the clowns and chromis do it back.. and to each other.

all the fish tend to "play tag" in the tank.. but there doesn't seem to be any real aggression. I would assume this would change if the clowns become a mated pair, or once the fish are older in general. but really, it seems to be ok now.

I should also mention that i've been told that if you slightly overstock damsels in a tank it can reduce the aggression levels.. my guess is that's because the fish stay slightly stressed because they aren't able to establish territory.

P.S i LOVE the ocelate (again, i dont know how to spell it) damsel.. orange with a bright blue line across it's face and a peacock-like eyespot on it's tail with the same bright blue.. this is a beautiful fish that i'd never seen before. if you can find them locally, check them out, they're very pretty!
 

buttered loins

GO SPRINGBOKS!!!!
Jul 9, 2007
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Wollongong, Sydney, Australia
I personal hate damsels because they just want to attack everthing they see, but they should be good with clown fish as long as the clowns are in the tank first. If i was to choose one it would be the domino damel because they are less aggresive then to the other ones.
 

PEMfish

Ta hoy, Watch thes!
Dec 11, 2007
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Blasterman is right.
I have a blue yellow tail. A month after I got him I got a small clown. He was picked for a month but now they get along in the 10g.
I would only put 4 fish in a 24g. Maybe a pair of Ocellaris clowns, a damsel ( ONLY ONE ), and a Yellow clown Goby.
 
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sixpack_ey

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Apr 28, 2006
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Thanks guys! I wasn't exactly sure how to stock yet. A pair of clowns and a damsel sounds good. Why a yellow clown goby? Just a personal favorite? And I was planning on adding some shrimp, too. Will three or four fish be okay with shrimp, and if so, how many are okay? I was thinking a cleaner shrimp like the skunk shrimp. And what about a decorative crab like the strawberry crab or something like the purple reef lobster with those fish?
 

Subliminal

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Feb 21, 2007
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Princeton, NJ
The only fish I've flushed alive was a damsel. Man that little guy made me MAD.

Chromies and clowns are the better choices for anemonefish, IMO.
 

PEMfish

Ta hoy, Watch thes!
Dec 11, 2007
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The shrimp will be fine. As for the Goby, The royal won't work. So I chose something that would, and has at least the similarity of yellow.
 
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