Why not Damsels ?

[Wannareef]

My 110 just cycled, I'm at xmas shopping with the misses, My daughter and Grandson of 9 wants to surprise me and buys me 2 new black with blue strip damsels for my tank, which he bought with his own money I get home and he's already put them in the tank, and suprise, yes, This is going to be a Reef tank, I've read not to put in damsel, but why ? can I get away with keepimg them in there, I'm not getting rid of them because they were a gift from my grand son, so what's the damage in keeping them.

 

[afelder]

The reason people don't like damsels is that they get territorial and nasty. Just make sure anything that you put in either is meaner or can handle getting picked on a little.

 

[nahtanoj]

the damsel you have is a velvet damsel, i had one, not that mean to fish, but mine ate sps, so he had to go. as long as you aren't going sps you'll be ok, and of course not all of them will eat the sps. but if you notice bits missing, it's them. and as they grow and get older, they will lose the nice blue stripe. wonl't be as attractive.

 

[Mark82]

How's it going? IME I had a pair of yellow tail Damsels and they were very aggressive. I couldn't add any other fish with out them terrorizing the poor thing. Seeing they were the first fish in my tank they were very territorial and would not except any others in "their" tank. So they went back to the LFS, and they were hell getting them out of the tank. This is just my experience with damsels. Hope this helps.

 

[newnanoboy]

yes, they are territorial and will terrorize anything less aggressive than itself. it will also eat most of the food you feed and leave less for the smaller less agressive fish, but good luck.

 

[chun3rd]

i have had damsels that are peaceful and mean. just keep an eye on them, cuz they can look very peaceful one second then snap at ur corals and fishes the next second. I suggest if they are really harmful to your reef tank, and u dont want to disappoint ur grandson. ur might want to start a 5 gallon tank for ur grandson and ask him to raise the fish for u......no hard feelings...

 

[newnanoboy]

i think with 110g, you'll be ok with leaving them in there...

 

[dancing4raiin]

My maroon clown is more territorial then any damsel i've ever had.

 

[Bruce]

Let's recall that clowns are also in the damsel family. Some are more territorial (and MEAN!) than others, however it's also possible to have relatively docile ones, as well. It's just like people: we're all different.

I have a yellow tail that has remained small and has been fairly innocuous, however I also have another (species unknown) that is in his own 20 because he's such a bastard.

IMO you don't want them in a tank you REALLY care about. They commonly cause more trouble than any of them is worth (with the exceptions of clowns - who has a salt tank that wouldn't want a clown?!).

I agree with the earlier statement; get your grandson a tank and ask him to help you raise it. It'll be a great educational experience (for the both of you!) and won't hurt his feelings.

 

[danyen]

like everyone already said... they tend to be mean little s.o.b.'s. They're fast too, so in your size tank they're a pain to get out. They aren't usually a problem with softies and lps. And everyone is right, they tend to get uglier as they mature. Sorry there's no real good news... it's not that they aren't reef safe, it's that they're bullies.

 

[reef_doug]

I would hate it if a $3 blue damsel killed $200-$300 worth of Barlett Anthias.