Why are damsels not appreciated?

[coolchinchilla]

<soapbox>
I'm a FW but I've wondered something as I read the SW posts. Repeatedly I've seen people talk down about damsels. 8O The attitude is that they are throw-away fish. Someone told me they are the guppies of salt water. People cycle with damsels and if any survive they take 'em back to the LFS. No one seems to keep damsels except nano reef folks. :|

When I've been admiring SW tanks at the LFS, the damsels are always so neat to me. They are colorful, active, small fish. They must be hearty. The colors vary from blue to almost purple, to black, to stripes --- so quite varied. I'd think a whole bunch of damsels would make for a cool tank.

What am I missing? Are damsels destructive to reefs or are they big poopers? Is it that big fish like tangs will eat them? Are they aggressive and kill each other? Or is it that they are cheap and if something is cheap people don't value it?

Thanks in advance
coolchinchilla

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Damsels are cool fish too!

 

[pufferman]

Usually when people buy damsels to cycle their tank (which is not considered humane), they are forced to take the fish back because of its aggressive and terrotorial nature. It wont tolerate any other fish, let alone sometimes the aquarist's hand. 8O Its just better to either cycle without them, or to add them last to an existing system. JMTC

 

[Konrade]

pufferman, I have two damsels one that I have had since the second day I set up my tank and he has survived it all and they are both very nice and peaceful and not shy at all. Also very very colorful and extremely hardy and cheap. That's just my experience, and yes damsels are generally very territorial. I guess I just got lucky? 8O

 

[pufferman]

well depends on the species as well. in my knowledge domino damsels, three-stripes, and yellow-tail blue damsels are all pretty agressive. Chromis are damsels, and clownfish belong to the damsel family, soo not every damsel is territorial, but the aggressive ones are who look the best for the best price. $$$

 

[natman2]

Damsels also very in there aggression within there own sub species. Some will terrorize a tank while others will be perfectly fine. 50/50 chance I say. Boils down to personal experience with Damsels as to whether you love em or hate em.

 

[schoeplein]

I had a zebra, domino, yellow tail, blue devil and yellow damsels all in my tank. They're an annoyance. My tank is peaceful so anything with a mild attitude wasn't appreciated -- especially when I saw the zebra play badmitten with my now perished mandarin goby. In a predatory tank - such as our 210g - they school around the large humuhumu and that's pretty neat.

Yeah, some of them look cool - but they're attitude is what did it for me. Dirty little buggers!

 

[pearsont74]

i have had 3 since my cycling ended and they are ok....so far they havent messed or picked on my paired clowns...
the 2 blue devils tend to pick on the yellow tail though.
plan to keep an eye on them when i get a few more expensive fish like the Niger Trigger but im sure they wil be fine.
I thinks its the conseption that damsels are the most cheapest SW fish so that tends to put them on the least desired of the SW fish -

 

[r6mason]

I have 2 domino and 2 green chromis in my 100 gal and they all get along.

 

[austinsdad]

No one seems to keep damsels except nano reef folks.

That's cause nano reefers ususally have only one or two fish. Less agression issues.

They are colorful, active, small fish. They must be hearty.

Yes on both counts.

Are damsels destructive to reefs or are they big poopers?

No on both counts.

Is it that big fish like tangs will eat them?

More like they'll pester and nibble at big expensive fish and stress'm out. Ususally when damsels are used at the beginnning and new, larger fish come later. These little guys have no fear.

 

[AndyH5512]

I have 2 damsels, and neither is more aggressive than my tomato clown. However, they arent the most friendly fish, either.....

 

[quarryshark]

People get them to cycle, they establish their territory in the tank leading to problems when other fish are introduced.
These fish should be added later down the line after the less aggressive fish.
I like active fish like damsels, very pretty, long lived and reef safe.

 

[zenn]

my 3 stripe damsals peck at my hand when i put it in the tank. They are ballsy little guys.

 

[ellisz]

I have 2 yellow tails that I keep saying I will remove when I move the tank. I have moved it twice and they are still there They do add color and the actually swim around. Some fish hide more. With these fish out swimming it tend to bring the others out as well. They are a bit tough on newcomers though. They did not like the Yellow Tang I added and he was 4x their size.

There are not too many blue fish that are hardy so they will stay. A school of chromis would be better though

 

[i have crabs]

i have a domino that picks on the dogface puffer

 

[zenn]

i have a domino that picks on the dogface puffer

you have a dogface puffer eh. Those things scare me.

 

[ellisz]

Puffers are cool. I like the porcupines better but the dog I had was more laid back.

Wish they were reef safe

 

[Guest]

I have three yellow tail damsels and they are mean buggers. They killed my blue hippo tang (learned a lesson: research first, and then buy). They are agressive toward my humu humu, and whenever I need to change the cylindrical filter on my powerhead, these folks start attacking my hand. I hate that part so much.

With that said, yes they are colorful. I have seen a 10 year old zebra damsel (at least the LFS told me it was 10 years old) and they are huge, slower, and more beautiful. They are about 3 1/2 inches big. It's amazing. Maybe I'll hold on to my damsels until they grow that big. Maybe they'll slow down.

 

[StrongBad]

I've have a green chromis and a blue damsel in my tank since it finished its cycle. They are still there to make sure I can actually run a healthy tank before I add more fish and coral and anemones. My question is...can the damsels be put in a quarantine tank for a while to "reset" their territory? This way when I put them back in the show tank with other fish they will be the outsiders.

 

[cd5]

I have a blue finned damsel in my one of my 20 gallon, it has killed 4 other fish I have bought(40$) and survive many salinity, ammonia, temperature spikes and falls (even a really horrible case of ich), it even survive that day I tried for a hour to move him into my second 20 gallon that just finished cycling got frustrated and tried to smack with some liverock(if I did not move him then my liverock that I made from base rock year ago would have died and I was also late for work), despite all this though he has survived and I still catch my self staring at him, actually a really neat fish

 

[flanque]

So what do you folks think of mixing my orange tale damsel with a yellow tang? I'm about to go and buy one this weekend and everyone I've spoken to and read here is that the yellow tang will teach the damsel a lesson or two in no time, and it should be fine from thereon in?