Blue Damsel

[squirt_12]

I am think about getting a Blue Damsel for my 10g when its ready but I can't find any information on them.

Is a 10g fine for them?
What all will they eat?
Requirements?
Tank mates?
Reef safe?

I will have about 15# of LR in the tank when I am all done getting LR and them I plan on getting a good light, probably T5, and getting some corals for the tank. I have roughly a 2" sand bed right now and will be adding another 1-2" to it.

[travie]

I've heard damsels get aggressive, and being a 10g, you probably won't be able to fit anymore fish in their with the damsel. But I'm sure if a 10g is big enough for a damsels though. A few inverts as a CUC should be fine.

[kaybee]

Is a 10g fine for them?

I'm not sure. They don't get large but are active swimmers.

What all will they eat?

Pretty much any type of fish food. Not very particular.

Requirements?

Damsels in general are among the hardiest of SW fish (can tolerate sub-par water conditions and are said to be disease-resistant).

Tank mates?

This is where they get somewhat challenging. Damsels can be very aggressive fish (even toward the hand that feeds them), and are capable of initiating effective aggression toward even larger fish, and can be extremely aggressive toward their own kind (especially male vs male). My blue damsels are kept with fish that outclass them in aggression.

In my experience with them (I've got 3 in different tanks), they don't like anything new or different added to their environment. Mine would attack new non-fish (inverts, etc) that were added after them and would topple over/pushout/reject new corals frags placed in their territory (extremely frustrating). With damsels I recommend they be the last fish added to the tank. In a 10gal it would probably be the only fish you could keep in there (and again, I'm not sure if a 10gal is big enough for them).

Reef safe?

Yes and no. They won't nip or consume corals (in general), but as mentioned they may not take too kindly to corals placed in their tank (stocking corals first, adding damsel later would work well). Additionally mine had the tendancy to fan and dig in the sand. This would cover corals in proximity (and result in me getting my hand bit as I tried to fan the sand off the corals). The likelihood of this occuring depends on your set up and personality of the damsel.

I'd also like to add, that damsels are among the most difficult fish to net. I ended up removing my blue damsels from my reef tank. Pretty fish, but frustrating.

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

I have to agree with the aggression thing. There are very few fish available in the aquarium hobby that are more aggressive then the innocent looking little Damsel. A Damsel defending it's territory will take on fish many times it's size. In the wild they tend to be farmers, caring for a sponge, often times a barrel sponge. They will defend their "farm" with great ferocity. A single little Damsel has been known to take on a fully grown French Angelfish and drive it away from the sponge it is defending.

[squirt_12]

Thanks for the post Kaybee and ILMGB. This is really making me not want to get a damsel fish. Are all of the damsels aggressive like this? If so I think that I will just have to go with another fish. The LFS I am going to order one from can get in these damsels:
Domino Damsel
Rock Damsel
Green Damsel
Blue Damsel
Cloudy Damsel.
Are they all aggressive?

[kaybee]

All damsels are aggressive, though some species more than others.

The domino will get too large for a 10gal (4"-6"), and damsels get meaner the larger they become. You'll want a small damsel species if you're set on one for a 10gal.

Also be aware that some damsel species are very colorful as small juvies but become less attractive as they mature. For example some one on here (cocoa pleco?) has a Neoglyphidodon melas, a white damsel with neon blue bottom fins and yellow vibrant top fins. This will eventually become a solid bland-black fish. Similarly, the domino will lose its white markings as they grow.

Blue Damsels (also known as Blue Devils, for self-explanatory reasons) have already been covered. An even more aggressive species is the Tasmanian Blue damsel.

The others, I'm not familiar with, do you have their scientific names? I googled "cloudy damsel" and that one looks very similar to Dascyllus reticulatus (which has been the most aggressive damsel I've owned).

Is the 'green damsel' a green chromis? Chromis are less aggressive than damsels but seem to do best in schools (however, they're still capable of eliminating each other).

I've never owned them, but I've heard that yellow-tailed damsels are not as aggressive as the others.

[rageybug]

I know I am re-opening an old thread here but I just found it and thought I'd throw my opinion in.

Damsels can be brutally aggresive towards just about anything you put into your tank but are arguably some of the nicest looking fish in the SW world.

I have had experience with yellow tailed, blue, domino and talbot's damsels. I can honestly say without a doubt, the Talbot's damsel was one of the most docile fish I've ever owned. I had all the benefits of a damsel (size, beauty, price etc.) but was so calm and easy going that I sometimes forgot it was a damsel. They can be a little hard to locate but most LFS will get them on their order lists a few times a year.



Here is a link to a photo... http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploads/talbot_damsel.jpg