damsel lovers thread

[Baby Damsel 219]

There's a cuc thread and a wrasse lovers thread. so Let's make this one

 

[tzabor10]

Not looking good for the Damsels. Poor fish

 

[Ironwill723]

I think Azures are my favorite. Small peaceful and you can usually do a group of them in your tank if it is big enough.

 

[Serpentman2024]

I'm a big fan of damsels until they decide to be little terrors. Almost impossible to get out of a tank!

 

[Baby Damsel 219]

I was planning on getting a sergeant major damselfish o r a three-striped damselfish. Do you think is is a good idea?

 

[taytay_1119]

I looooooovveeee my talbot damselI’ve had two since I’ve started this hobby.

 

[Ironwill723]

I was planning on getting a sergeant major damselfish o r a three-striped damselfish. Do you think is is a good idea?

What size tank?

 

[Baby Damsel 219]

20 gallon

 

[Baby Damsel 219]

any advice?

 

[tautog83]

My starcki doesnt sit still for more than .1 second but...

 

[Cheese Griller]

20 gallon

definitely not the sergeant major. They get very large. If you're okay with the three stripe being the only fish in your 20 gallon, that should work, although when the fish gets to full size it may need an upgrade to a 29 gallon.

 

[PharmrJohn]

There's a cuc thread and a wrasse lovers thread. so Let's make this one

I'm a sucker for Velvet Damsels. LOL, learned the hard way about juvenile vs. adult distinctions! Yes, I kept it. It was a little ugly, but a lifeform nonetheless.

I like the yellow tail Damsels too. Pretty basic, but nice to look at!

 

[Ironwill723]

any advice?

I would avoid both of those in that size tank. Damsels in the Chrysiptera genus seem to be the most peaceful.

 

[areefer01]

I was going to say "most" hobbyist but maybe it is better to say "in general" damsel lovers stay with the Genus of Chrysiptera. Searches here and elsewhere will yield Talbots, Azures, Randles, and others that are a bit more friendlier or accepted. Starcki's are amazing when you can A find them and B don't mind paying a premium. They are the bees knees.

@ca1ore had over 60 Azures in his 400 or 450 gallon system.

I've kept 7 captive bred Sapphires (Pomacentrus pavo). That was fun, chaotic, in my 210 gallon mixed reef. The only problem is as spawning occurred it was difficult to introduce new fish. The new fish didn't know the egg nest location(s) so got up pretty bad. Beautiful fish though but sadly I had to rehome them.

I've successfully kept a Surge Damselfish (Chrysiptera brownriggii). I don't see many these days but it was a fun fish to keep. Peaceful. Open water swimmer in my display compared to the Sapphires above. Could just be the one I had but kept to its own.

In this case the Sapphires and Surge are in the system at the same time.

Previous display I kept 1 Azure (Chrysiptera hemicyanea) and 2 Talbots ( Chrysiptera talboti) together and that worked out well. Peaceful and uneventful.

Currently I have 11 Biota Lyretail Damselfish (Neopomacentrus azysron) in my 210 mixed reef and they are a lot of fun. Spawning. Shoal for a bit. Small bickering. No torn fins. No fight clubs. Little bit of nest defense but not overly aggressive. Small size - less than 2 inches. Black body, yellow inner fin, blue trim. Steamers. Brings a reef to life with all of the hustle and bustle that they provide. These fish hug the reef structure. Need a lot of rock (in my opinion, experience) and mature corals. The more mature display the better off you will be. The best part - captive bred and a good deal. I bought 5 originally to test the waters. One day I get an email and they are on sale for 20 bucks a pop. Ordered another 6 which brought me to 11.

There are plenty of damsels that will work in a reef tank. The trick is really adding them at the right time. Chrysipterea genus has a lot of choices that will work. Just be patient and when the time is right add them.

 

[dochoot]

Have considered but trepidation with aggression reputation.

 

[ca1ore]

I was planning on getting a sergeant major damselfish o r a three-striped damselfish. Do you think is is a good idea?

No

 

[dochoot]

What would be the most b9 damsel to try? I have a big tank and stocking.

 

[Baby Damsel 219]

definitely not the sergeant major. They get very large. If you're okay with the three stripe being the only fish in your 20 gallon, that should work, although when the fish gets to full size it may need an upgrade to a 29 gallon.

there is a community reef in this tank. 2 clowns, 2 yellowtail damsels, a six-line wrasse, and lemon damselfish

 

[danenelsen]

I love Damsels! If only they weren’t so mean…I had a Springeri for a short time, and loved him!

 

[fodsod]

I'll grab a pic tonight, but my yellow tail blue damsel is my oldest fish. He's around 10 years old, fat and grumpy living his best life. :beaming-face-with-smiling-eyes: