Red Chromis/Honey Damsel

[Dakippy]

I went to the LFS and picked up 2 Honey Damsels and they have beautiful colors! Does anyone have any experiences with them?

 

[Haydn]

Oh dear- can you take them back. Neoglyphidodon crossi are stunning fish while juvenile but grow into 4" of drab, aggressive adult.

 

[mort]

I had two in a 8ft coral tray at the lfs I ran. They acted like rottweilers patrolling a yard, stopping anyone putting their hands in. Mean isn't a good enough description ime.

 

[FenrirAysen]

Oh dear- can you take them back. Neoglyphidodon crossi are stunning fish while juvenile but grow into 4" of drab, aggressive adult.

Wish i'd gotten this advice. Mine owns the entire reef with the exception of the Red Firefish and the Yellow Wrasse. He doesn't mind sleeping with them for whatever reason. He hates everyone else. I'm going to be heating up a big 32 gallon Brute full of saltwater and moving rock and everything out just to catch him at the end of this week. He even tried to hunt down a small neon stripe goby. Little guy couldn't possibly be a threat. He's annoying as hell. I bought two more Chromis for my solo Chromis so that he'd have safety in numbers. It slowed it down a little but he's relentless. I think he's what scared my Ruby Red Dragonet and eventually stressed my Royal Gramma to death.

Bottom line for anyone who finds this after, a Damsel is *almost* a predator. If you aren't gonna put other fish like him in the tank, or fish that get a few inches long and can bury under the stand, don't buy a Red Honey Damsel. You'll be stressed just trying to balance the social dynamic. It can be done, but he'll never be kind. Ever.