Damsels are not reef safe!

[ca1ore]

Another reefer here, @ca1ore had 60+ damsels in his 450 mixed reef. Nothing major to report. A mix of Azures and another I forget which. More often than not damsels in the genus of Chrysiptera are what we are after for both coral and aggression safety.

Not all damsels are crated equally - in fact, many fish identified as 'damsels' aren't actually damsels. Why anyone would keep Dascyllus genus in their tanks is beyond me - they are devil spawn and there are countless threads stating this. Chrysiptera genus, on the other hand, are mostly benign. You just have to be smart about it.

As noted, I kept over 60 in my prior 450 - azures, rolland, YT and talbot without any major issues. They just need their own micro territories.

My guess is that the damsel in the video is after algae on the tiles rather than the zoa.

 

[backbayreef]

Not all damsels are crated equally - in fact, many fish identified as 'damsels' aren't actually damsels. Why anyone would keep Dascyllus genus in their tanks is beyond me - they are devil spawn and there are countless threads stating this. Chrysiptera genus, on the other hand, are mostly benign. You just have to be smart about it.

As noted, I kept over 60 in my prior 450 - azures, rolland, YT and talbot without any major issues. They just need their own micro territories.

My guess is that the damsel in the video is after algae on the tiles rather than the zoa.

Interesting- thanks for sharing. I’ve learned so much about damsels in this thread alone! I had little appreciation for damsels tbh - they were used to cycle tanks and just add a little color & movement. Some can be a pain in the neck since they nip at your hands while doing maintenance!

He didn’t just go after algae, he ate half the frag as well - as I was trying to gather proof. Up until this event, I never thought that damsels could eat corals after so many years in the hobby! Anyway, frag tank is now free if adult damsels - I got 4 little dudes left and they seem to be fine.