Peaceful Damsel?

[Jeremy K.A.]

Hey everyone I was at the LFS the other day and some Talbots Damsels really caught my eye. I love their coloration! Are they like other damsels, extremely aggressive or are they a more peaceful one that can be kept in a community reef?

 

[GoldeneyeRet]

They are a great community fish

 

[Halal Hotdog]

Even the tamest demon is still a demon...

 

[nereefpat]

Talbot's are supposedly peaceful, and they are part of the mild mannered Chrysiptera genus. My yellow tail damsel (a cousin. In the same group) is the wimpiest fish in my tank.

 

[SDK]

Mine is fine with other fish and always out where I can see it. I’ve had it for about a year now with no behavioral issues. They will definitely find a place to call home and defend it, but are otherwise very mild mannered for damsels.

 

[Jesterrace]

Depends on the individual fish as all of them even the Springer's have horror stories. Definitely better odds of success then a Blue "Devil" Damsel or a 3 Stripe for sure though.

 

[User1]

As noted above you want to buy Damsels in the Chrysiptera family tree. They are pretty grounded but of course this comes down to how many in a tank, their opportunity for safe zones, sleeping quarters, nooks, crannies, rock, and lastly coral, to break the chase. Talbots, Azures, Rolland's, and Tracey's are considered more reef friendly. Again, size of tank and everything else above will play a role to say if you can support one more more.

I've kept a trio of Azures and Talbot's together in a 40 breeder. @ca1ore has over 50 damsels in his 450 gallon. Today I'm currently down to 1 Azure in my 210 but not because of him/her but that is all I moved when I upgrade last year.

 

[Sailfin11]

My captive bred azure damsel is actually the calmest fish in my tank. I would highly recommend them for the amazing color!

 

[Katrina71]

My son's is a big baby. 3+ years

 

[SDK]

I've kept a trio of Azures and Talbot's together in a 40 breeder.

Curious if this was a trio of each species or one mixed trio. I'm working on a 40B build right now and want a few Damsels in there...

 

[Hemmdog]

I have a duo of Rolland’s in my 40, they are awesome, best buds.

 

[User1]

Curious if this was a trio of each species or one mixed trio. I'm working on a 40B build right now and want a few Damsels in there...

3 of each. 6 total. Only other fish in the tank at the time was a pair of clowns. Worked out ok. Hind sight being 20/20 I would probably only kept a trio of one instead of them all. It did add a splash of color and speed though. The only reason why I think it worked is that I had 4 large hammer colonies that they seem to dart in and out of and a lot of rock that provided some caves to hang out in or a safe spot if you will.

Talbots got a lot the best. The Azures once paired up bullied the 3rd a bit to the point it was on the other side of the tank mostly.

 

[SDK]

Thanks for the detailed response!

 

[Snowclown]

I have single starcki damsel. He’s great and peaceful. His color is unbeatable, he’s a pretty one.

 

[User1]

I have single starcki damsel. He’s great and peaceful. His color is unbeatable, he’s a pretty one.

You are correct. Beautiful fish. More expensive but worth it.

Edit: forgot to add that a lot of people ignore them because of the "damsel" tag. So rarer and at times difficult to get.

 

[Jeremy K.A.]

Very interesting and informative replies from everyone! Thank you all very much. The tank is 55 gallon mixed reef, currently contains 1 clownfish, a court jester goby, a chalk bass, sail fin tang, 2 bangaii cardinals, a lawnmower blend and a twin spot hogfish. All of these fish are very peaceful, and the Tang is NOT anywhere near fully grown for anyone wondering haha. Would it be alright to add a Talbot damsel? If so, should I add a single one or multiple?