Damsels aggressive?

[TigerBarbs]

Saw a video on youtube of a reef tank with a yellow goby, 2 clowns, 2 firefish, and a blue damsel with a yellow tail. I thought damsels were aggressive?! They got along in the video.

 

[mr_X]

in the end it's up to the fish but the odds are they are territorial and aggressive.

 

[Yash]

My damsels ruled the tank and bothered the clowns, guess I wasn't lucky.

 

[bighabeeb]

Saw a video on youtube of a reef tank with a yellow goby, 2 clowns, 2 firefish, and a blue damsel with a yellow tail. I thought damsels were aggressive?! They got along in the video.

Sometimes you can get lucky - it also depends on how big the tank was and in what order the fish were added. Sometimes if you add an aggressive fish like a damsel last they'll behave themselves a bit better.

I only had a damsel once and I was thankfully able to get him out, because he terrorized everything in the tank, including fish 3 or 4 times his size (he was a little guy and he HOUSED a hippo tang I was keeping briefly)

 

[Frogmeister]

I've only managed to keep one damsel to adult size, the others have all turned very territorial as they have matured. I'd personally not take the risk as removal of any fish is far too stressful for my liking.

 

[TigerBarbs]

Ok thanks for all the answers

 

[Animal-Chin]

Mine went insane after a year. I ended up having to remove all coral and live rock from my tank to get him out. He would stress fish out until they died. I would never recomend one to anyone who wants a peaceful community tank.

 

[xxStLxx]

Like I said in another post I had a 5 dollar damsel in my old 100g FOWLR I used to have and it chased around my 60 dollar butterfly till it croaked. I say if your going to do a damsel use it for cycling your tank then remove it and add it as the last fish to the tank so that it's at the bottom of the pecking order

 

[Travis55]

KNOCK ON WOOD, I've got a pair of blue with yellow tail damsels as well as 2 pair of true perc clowns and a huma huma and they all get a long. The clowns keep the damsels in line and the huma runs the clowns. All seems well.... so far.

 

[Coralreefer1]

Damselfish can be aggressive as they are very territorial. It is their nature...Given ample room to claim their territory combined with the order in which they are added to your tank and livestock in your tank prior to and after adding damsels, are pertinent variables that need be addressed in order to have success with these often pretty and interesting reef fish.
Having said this, damsels in the Chrysiptera and Pomacentrus family boast the best chance of displaying reduced aggression. The Azure, Yellowtail and Neon damsel, Princess and Starcki for example, represent some of the more beautiful and docile species. Stay away from the Domino, Three and Four Stripes, Beau Gregory, Fiji Blue Devil and Blue Velvet Damsels.
Personality of each individual also plays a part in where the particular fish falls in the spectrum of aggression. Unfortunately, you can't tell that prior to purchasing your damsel or any other livestock.

 

[wapparia]

I agree with most of the comments about damsels. my lfs told me they were the best fish to have to start the tank along with a pair of clowns. after about 3 month the damsel(Bowie) tortured the clowns to the point they died. he would only allow them 1 small corner of the tank and as soon as they swam out the corner he would chase them round torturing them untill they went back into the corner. i introduced other fish (dartfish, algae bleeny) and he tortured them. i had to take all of the rock and corals i had in to catch him and i had a job to take him back to the lfs.

i agree don't buy a yellow tailed blue damsel they are evil