Damsel Aggression

[SaltyMix]

Okay reef team, I’ve got a damsel aggression issue but I’m not willing to give up on my cute little yellow tail just yet!

Which totally sucks because I was just celebrating how great the tank has been and then this week happened.

She was the first fish in the tank. Probably my first mistake, but I genuinely am not interested in a bunch of other fish like gobies or firefish. Maybe I’ll pick up a royal gramma buuuuut I just am not feeling it yet.

So my damsel was about the size of a nickel when I got her after cycling the tank and she had it all to herself for 2 months.

I recently got two clowns. She actually seemed so excited to have friends and was mimicking their swim pattern. I honestly thought she was sick. There was no aggression and they were schooling fairly well.

Then one of the clowns did become sick and now I have that one in a hospital tank. It was ich but were 4 days into 2nd quarantine and the clown is super healthy already, swimming good and eating very well.

The other clown is still clowning along (honestly love these fish but they’re ***** weird.) the damsel has started coming out of her rock work and attacking the other clown. Like full body slams. But she’s coming out to do a body slam across the entire tank.

So I tried to shift my rock work hoping to “break up her territory”. It didn’t work. She still body slams the clown.

Then I decided we’ll do a reset.

I pulled her out of the tank and put her in a 5 gallon over night with an air stone and a heater (which I had to go buy).

When I added her the following evening after work, she resumed body slamming.

So, now I have 1.5 inch long yellow tail damsel in a guppy breeding “isolation” net which I know is just going to stress her out. But also catching her was a 2 hour project that required taking half my rock out.

Should I keep her isolated until I can add more fish and maybe increase the population since she’s only displaying aggressive behavior with the other clownfish?

Do I wait until I can introduce the other clown back in and have the larger clown as as a buffer?

I am planning on getting a flame hawkfish next, I actually had the fish in my cart when I noticed the clown was sick and would need quarantine, so I’m waiting until I have the clown back into the display before ordering the hawkfish and then putting that in quarantine.

My local store also just got in a six line wrasse and I was hoping to do the hawkfish’s quarantine at the same time as the wrasse.

Any suggestions would be great and thank you so much in advance.

 

[Dread Pirate Dave]

Okay reef team, I’ve got a damsel aggression issue but I’m not willing to give up on my cute little yellow tail just yet!

Which totally sucks because I was just celebrating how great the tank has been and then this week happened.

She was the first fish in the tank. Probably my first mistake, but I genuinely am not interested in a bunch of other fish like gobies or firefish. Maybe I’ll pick up a royal gramma buuuuut I just am not feeling it yet.

So my damsel was about the size of a nickel when I got her after cycling the tank and she had it all to herself for 2 months.

I recently got two clowns. She actually seemed so excited to have friends and was mimicking their swim pattern. I honestly thought she was sick. There was no aggression and they were schooling fairly well.

Then one of the clowns did become sick and now I have that one in a hospital tank. It was ich but were 4 days into 2nd quarantine and the clown is super healthy already, swimming good and eating very well.

The other clown is still clowning along (honestly love these fish but they’re ***** weird.) the damsel has started coming out of her rock work and attacking the other clown. Like full body slams. But she’s coming out to do a body slam across the entire tank.

So I tried to shift my rock work hoping to “break up her territory”. It didn’t work. She still body slams the clown.

Then I decided we’ll do a reset.

I pulled her out of the tank and put her in a 5 gallon over night with an air stone and a heater (which I had to go buy).

When I added her the following evening after work, she resumed body slamming.

So, now I have 1.5 inch long yellow tail damsel in a guppy breeding “isolation” net which I know is just going to stress her out. But also catching her was a 2 hour project that required taking half my rock out.

Should I keep her isolated until I can add more fish and maybe increase the population since she’s only displaying aggressive behavior with the other clownfish?

Do I wait until I can introduce the other clown back in and have the larger clown as as a buffer?

I am planning on getting a flame hawkfish next, I actually had the fish in my cart when I noticed the clown was sick and would need quarantine, so I’m waiting until I have the clown back into the display before ordering the hawkfish and then putting that in quarantine.

My local store also just got in a six line wrasse and I was hoping to do the hawkfish’s quarantine at the same time as the wrasse.

Any suggestions would be great and thank you so much in advance.

How big is your tank? Sounds like an aquatic MMA tank math in the making.

 

[Tcook]

How large is the tank? You are also looking at two other fish that can become extremely aggressive. You will likely need to rehome the damsel. A big no on the 6 line imo. Did you treat the infected fish in separate QT for 30 days in copper? What about the DT? Do you plan on a fallow period?

 

[SaltyMix]

How big is your tank? Sounds like an aquatic MMA tank math in the making.

It’s 30 gallons. What do you think? 2 clowns, a flame hawk fish and a 6 line wrasse.

Are these fish going to be too aggressive with one another? And can I do anything to limit it? I love the clowns, their black clowns and seriously adorable little goth freaks.

 

[bluemon]

Btw, you have to take out ALL the fish to treat ich.

Treat all fish in a hospital tank for two weeks while the tank goes fish less for 6 weeks.

Otherwise, when you put the clownfish back in the tank, it’ll get ich again

 

[SaltyMix]

How large is the tank? You are also looking at two other fish that can become extremely aggressive. You will likely need to rehome the damsel. A big no on the 6 line imo. Did you treat the infected fish in separate QT for 30 days in copper? What about the DT? Do you plan on a fallow period?

It’s a 30 gallon.

We’re still in QT doing copper treatment with the other clown. I’m following the BRS/Marine Collectors ich video on YT to a T. Even with the bleaching tank transfer method thrown in. I’m getting aggressive with the treatment because I want a healthy fish, even if it was only $20 in the store. I’m already attached.

Anything I can do to keep the Hawkfish from being aggressive. It’s my all time favorite fish and the endgame goal for my tank.

 

[SaltyMix]

Btw, you have to take out ALL the fish to treat ich.

Treat all fish in a hospital tank for two weeks while the tank goes fish less for 6 weeks.

Otherwise, when you put the clownfish back in the tank, it’ll get ich again

This is great info! I’ve treated the system too. I had the clown out of the tank with the first suggestion it wasn’t doing well. I think day 2 of it not eating and then I threw it in quarantine and it developed white spots two days after. That’s when I started medicating.

I was out of town when it went through the original qt and I think I maybe missed a symptom or the person house sitting for me did.

 

[bluemon]

Btw, you have to take out ALL the fish to treat ich.

Treat all fish in a hospital tank for two weeks while the tank goes fish less for 6 weeks.

Otherwise, when you put the clownfish back in the tank, it’ll get ich again

This is great info! I’ve treated the system too. I had the clown out of the tank with the first suggestion it wasn’t doing well. I think day 2 of it not eating and then I threw it in quarantine and it developed white spots two days after. That’s when I started medicating.

I was out of town when it went through the original qt and I think I maybe missed a symptom or the person house sitting for me did.

What do you mean when you say you treated the tank?

 

[SaltyMix]

I added a uv sterilizer but I don’t yet feel the need to dismantle the tank.

 

[bluemon]

I added a uv sterilizer but I don’t yet feel the need to dismantle the tank.

UV alone won’t eradicate ich.

Putting the clown back will more than likely mean ich again

 

[Lavey29]

UV alone won’t eradicate ich.

Putting the clown back will more than likely mean ich again

This is correct. All fish need to be treated in QT and the tank needs to fallow for 6 weeks. Uv sterilizer will not rid the tank of ich.

 

[SaltyMix]

UV alone won’t eradicate ich.

Putting the clown back will more than likely mean ich again

Dang it. Well, I don’t have a secondary tank that can hold all these fish. Soooooo what do you suggest. But seriously I’d love to know what to do about the damsel. I’ll do more reading up on ich but I’m more concerned about the aggression.

 

[not_eman209]

I had a domino damsel that bullied two clowns and a goby in a 43 gallon. I rearranged the rocks and it was still being a bully, ended up having to remove him from the tank and relocate him on Facebook

 

[Lavey29]

Dang it. Well, I don’t have a secondary tank that can hold all these fish. Soooooo what do you suggest. But seriously I’d love to know what to do about the damsel. I’ll do more reading up on ich but I’m more concerned about the aggression.

You tank is small. I have 2 yellow rails, springerie, yellow, 6 line and clowns in my tank with no issues. If you have enough rock work to create clear defined territory space then all the fish will be fine.

I would suggest using a 12 inch mirror affixed to the front of your tank for several days.

 

[larrysaltisfun]

If you don’t have coral and inVertebrates, you can treat your display tank for ich. As already indicated all fish need to be treatedI the only downside of that is it would severe limit your ability to add in invertebrates/ coral at a later time as copper will continue to leach out for months or even longer

 

[SaltyMix]

You tank is small. I have 2 yellow rails, springerie, yellow, 6 line and clowns in my tank with no issues. If you have enough rock work to create clear defined territory space then all the fish will be fine.

I would suggest using a 12 inch mirror affixed to the front of your tank for several days.

What would the mirror do?

I totally want a 55 or a 75 peninsula but it’ll have to wait until next year or I get a windfall

 

[bluemon]

If you don’t have coral and inVertebrates, you can treat your display tank for ich. As already indicated all fish need to be treatedI the only downside of that is it would severe limit your ability to add in invertebrates/ coral at a later time as copper will continue to leach out for months or even longer

True, but OP can just do hypo without any risks to future inverts.

 

[Tcook]

@SaltyMix Read this thread about QT. Will save you a lot of headaches

Current Quarantine Protocol

2024 Quarantine Procedures Jay Hemdal David Scarborough Protozoans (Cryptocaryon/ich, Amyloodinium/velvet) and Metazoan trematodes/flukes are by far the most common parasites found on newly acquired fish. A carefully managed, proactive quarantine process can effectively eliminate these...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[bluemon]

Dang it. Well, I don’t have a secondary tank that can hold all these fish. Soooooo what do you suggest. But seriously I’d love to know what to do about the damsel. I’ll do more reading up on ich but I’m more concerned about the aggression.

You tank is small. I have 2 yellow rails, springerie, yellow, 6 line and clowns in my tank with no issues. If you have enough rock work to create clear defined territory space then all the fish will be fine.

I would suggest using a 12 inch mirror affixed to the front of your tank for several days.

You have a special case as you have multiple damsels. Damsels will more likely fight amongst themselves than be aggressive toward other non conspecifics

 

[SaltyMix]

If you don’t have coral and inVertebrates, you can treat your display tank for ich. As already indicated all fish need to be treatedI the only downside of that is it would severe limit your ability to add in invertebrates/ coral at a later time as copper will continue to leach out for months or even longer

I do have coral and inverts. I’ve got 4 crabs (hermit and emerald) and one coral frag.

I’ll try and figure something out. But honestly the damsel is the thing that is the problem here.