pseudochromis and Blue-Yellow Tail Damsel go at each other

[john0087]

Hey all,

I just added a psuedochromis (3 dys ago) to my tank and during feeding, my damsel and the chromis go at each other. When not being fed, things seems to be fine between them. Should I be concerned? Am I not feeding them enough. I feed them flake food once a day when i get home from work. They chase food like crazy. Should I introduce a second feeding in the morning.

Concerned that when I add my next fish, a clown, there will be trouble. I am waiting on the clown so I can develop a stable reef tank for annenomes for the clown.

Hindsight being 20/20, i should not have listened to my fist LFS (I don't go to them anymore) and not gotten the damsel first.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

This is going to sound mean, cruel - you pick, but I'd scoop both of them out and either return them to where you purchased them or give them a ride in the porcelain slide! They are very mean, aggressive fish that will seriously limit what you can put in your tank. Just my O2.

KG

[An t-iasg]

KG - We do not advocate the disposal of a live fish by flushing. Many people here see their fish as their pets and to flush them would be unthinkable. There are many viable alternatives to keeping the aggressive fish. I'm sorry, john0087, but since I'm not a SW advisor I can't help you with your problems at feeding time. You may have to choose one or the other for your tank. If it came down to this, you could return one to the lfs or give it to an aquarist whose tank can handle the aggression.

Any more mention of flushing and this thread will be locked.

[fishfreek]

One of the issues was adding the yellow tail first. These little guys are one of the most agressive damsels aside from the notorious domino.

How big is the tank? One thing that might help is to put the damsel in QT for a week or so and in the mean time totally rearrange the rock in the tank. The end affect is that the damsel will think its being introduced into a new enviorment and wont clam the entire thing as its own right away. Another thing to do would be to provide feeding on opposite sides of the tank. A little agression during feeding is fine so as the damsel is not actually nipping or banging the other fish up aganst the rock.

[Hara]

You might try rearranging your rockwork a bit. Keeping the lights off for a few days sometimes helps. One of the things that will factor into the success of this is how big your tank is, if it is a small tank, the problem may never resolve itself until one of the fish dies from the harrassment. You might see if the LFS will take one of the fish back.

[ellisz]

I have 2 yellow tails, a royal gramma, a percula clown, a Yellow tang and a mandarin in my tank. The damsels were the first fish in there. They don't like new arrivals and don't like my hand in the tank but they coexist peacefully. They are smaller than the rest of the fish though.

It can work but they are mean.

The suggestions above about the rock work rearrange are good.

[quarryshark]

This is going to sound mean, cruel - you pick, but I'd scoop both of them out and either return them to where you purchased them or give them a ride in the porcelain slide! They are very mean, aggressive fish that will seriously limit what you can put in your tank. Just my O2.

returning may be an option. Its not necessarily the fish, but the sequence that they were placed. Most aggressive last.
Flushing is cruel.

[coolchinchilla]

Think about it... Flushing means that you put the fish into chlorinated water and put into a sewer with various unmentionable contents including ammonia, bacteria and enzymes. You give your fish the most painful death possible by flushing. 8O I've heard that some fish actually survive for up to two days in the sewer. <shudder> No living creature deserves that kind of treatment.

[john0087]

Thanks.

I am not going to flush the damsel. He is my first fish and I will not do that.

They get along fine until feeding....Until this morning....

NEW PROBLEM.......Damsel shows signs of distress

I woke up this morning and the damsel looked pale. I turned on the lights and he was vvery pale, with a red spot on his gills anf tail. No other physical signs of problems. He was swimming around like he was lost.

He seemed ok list night. I didnlt have time to look in my books for any disease. Fed him this morning and he ate ok.

Please help

[haus]

When not being fed, things seems to be fine between them.

Does one of the fish hide a lot when it is not feeding time. I had a yellow tail damsel and a domino, prior to knowing about the aggressiveness, and they seemed to be alright during feeding time, but the rest of the time, the yellow tail spent most of his time hiding from the domino. Both of my fish went back to the lfs, and it was an invaluable lesson learned.

[john0087]

False alarm.....Damsel seems ok. I get up at 4:30 for work.....

Do you all worry about your fish or am I a freak

Anyawys. In both books that I have bought, it says that the purple dottyback(not bi-color) and the blue yellowtail damsel are both the least aggressive of each species and that both are ok for a community tank. Is this a load of BS.

Oh, my tank is 37G with 25# of live rock.

Its been 5 days and they seems to be ok. They have been interacting and feeding time is not like watching sharks attack. I hope all will be well when I add a clown. The dotty was with a tomato clown at the LFS when I got him. The dotty is a riot to watch as he likes to sneak up on the damsel and then swims away when the damsel turns....

How about feeding them to a lion or puffer?

KG

Cruel? You want to talk about cruel? How many fish, corals, livestock etc do you think survive so that you and the rest of those self-righteous people can keep just one specimen? 1/10 - maybe less? Get off your soap box. Damsels are pugnacious little creatures that should never be captured yet alone kept in captivity. Again, just my O2.

KG

[quarryshark]

Get off your soap box. Damsels are pugnacious little creatures that should never be captured yet alone kept in captivity.

Your opinion and you are entitled to it. The majority (fortunately) feel differently here and there are not many that would advocate flushing any creature that was willingly brought home to care for. Especially if there are other options.
No soap box, just suggesting humane ways to remedy the situation.

[Hara]

Originally Posted by KG

How many fish, corals, livestock etc do you think survive so that you and the rest of those self-righteous people can keep just one specimen? 1/10 - maybe less? Get off your soap box.
KG

Keep your rudeness to yourself. It will not be tolerated on this board.

[Brenden]

Never had a damsel and probably never will. My LFS overloads their tank with them and they have no aggression. I asked about it and they said with so many in the tank they do not establish a territory and thus all get alone. I know this is not practical but thought I would share it.

[quarryshark]

IMO, there is nothing wrong with most Damsels. Its just that folks add them in the wrong sequence. They are aggressive fish and should be added last. The problem is that many use them to cycle, their territorial instincts kick in and they terrorize any new additions.
I have a starki damsel which was my last addition (see gallery). He is the perfect gentleman.