School of damsels in 500G FOWLR with tankmates that can eat…

[4FordFamily]

Hi all,

I am considering adding a group of damsels of some sort to my 500G 10 foot wall tank. It currently houses some nasty fish (but no groupers lol):

10”+ French, queen, and passer angels
8” Emperor angel
9-10” Golden Puffer (biggest risk)
10” Dussumeiri and some smaller tangs
4.5” sohal tang
6” Australian harlequin tusk (tie for biggest risk)
4 flame angels (totally eatable to the puffer but he ignores)
1 coral beauty angel (same)
6” Saddle wrasse (thalassoma)
6” Clown Trigger (surprisingly quite low on totem pole and not threatening)
will be adding more angels and several more thalassoma and green bird wrasses. (Most worried about this as I type this)

What are the odds of a school of larger damsels like chromis or otherwise getting along/not eaten like the flame hawks?

I did have a damsel (small yellowtail) that lived for a week but died (never eaten) in the tank somehow. A small chromis that the tusk ate. Added with lights on which was critical error.

A very eatable clownfish lived until it died (and had to be removed) also during a chaotic tank move (friends tank was leaking).

There is lots of rockwork and structure for hiding, anyone have experience keeping shoals of damsels in large FOWLR with fish that could definitely eat them? I’d love the small shoal of fish and movement but don’t want an expensive snack!

I know with groupers and lion fish no way. Guessing the large wrasses I am adding are the biggest risk to them. I’d really like even one sergeant major damsel due to my wife and I seeing them during honeymoon and other vacations.

Sorry for the dissertation!

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Hi all,

I am considering adding a group of damsels of some sort to my 500G 10 foot wall tank. It currently houses some nasty fish (but no groupers lol):

10”+ French, queen, and passer angels
8” Emperor angel
9-10” Golden Puffer (biggest risk)
10” Dussumeiri and some smaller tangs
4.5” sohal tang
6” Australian harlequin tusk (tie for biggest risk)
4 flame angels (totally eatable to the puffer but he ignores)
1 coral beauty angel (same)
6” Saddle wrasse (thalassoma)
6” Clown Trigger (surprisingly quite low on totem pole and not threatening)
will be adding more angels and several more thalassoma and green bird wrasses. (Most worried about this as I type this)

What are the odds of a school of larger damsels like chromis or otherwise getting along/not eaten like the flame hawks?

I did have a damsel (small yellowtail) that lived for a week but died (never eaten) in the tank somehow. A small chromis that the tusk ate. Added with lights on which was critical error.

A very eatable clownfish lived until it died (and had to be removed) also during a chaotic tank move (friends tank was leaking).

There is lots of rockwork and structure for hiding, anyone have experience keeping shoals of damsels in large FOWLR with fish that could definitely eat them? I’d love the small shoal of fish and movement but don’t want an expensive snack!

I know with groupers and lion fish no way. Guessing the large wrasses I am adding are the biggest risk to them. I’d really like even one sergeant major damsel due to my wife and I seeing them during honeymoon and other vacations.

Sorry for the dissertation!

Do you have a short list of possible species? I’m struggling to come up with larger, hardy damsels that will live peacefully in schools.
I’m really down on the ubiquitous green chromis due to the issues they have with Uronema. If you can find some from East Africa or Fiji they may do better.
Atlantic blue chromis tend to turn dark and ugly on me.
Sergeant majors are an option, but I’ve had them fight and not school.
There are some cool chromis out there like retrofasciatus and half blacks, but I’ve never had enough of those to make a school.
What about a group of fusiliers?
Jay

 

[4FordFamily]

Do you have a short list of possible species? I’m struggling to come up with larger, hardy damsels that will live peacefully in schools.
I’m really down on the ubiquitous green chromis due to the issues they have with Uronema. If you can find some from East Africa or Fiji they may do better.
Atlantic blue chromis tend to turn dark and ugly on me.
Sergeant majors are an option, but I’ve had them fight and not school.
There are some cool chromis out there like retrofasciatus and half blacks, but I’ve never had enough of those to make a school.
What about a group of fusiliers?
Jay

Jay,

I have always avoided damsels like the plague (well in the past ten years). If I did a sergeant major it would be one larger one but I hear they can be surly. Not sure how surly they can be in such an aggressive tank though.

I don’t know a lot about fusiliers, but chromis have been my thought as well- hard to find large though!

 

[4FordFamily]

In researching fusiliers, if not for the max size and the cost (could end up being an expensive snack) I think it a great idea, Jay! I know little of them, I learned today!

 

[Jay Hemdal]

In researching fusiliers, if not for the max size and the cost (could end up being an expensive snack) I think it a great idea, Jay! I know little of them, I learned today!

They are really good at avoiding predators. I forget the name of the blue one but they don’t get too large. A $500 school though
Jay

 

[Cthulukelele]

I really enjoyed my fusiller damsels. They were really interesting fish and I had a group of 3 that swam together for several years

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I really enjoyed my fusiller damsels. They were really interesting fish and I had a group of 3 that swam together for several years

I wasn't thinking of those (I meant actual fusiliers) but that genus of damsel, if you can find them, would be a good choice as well!

Jay

 

[Cthulukelele]

They have wonderful dumb faces

 

[Cthulukelele]

They definitely felt more like anthias than damsels though, so if you wanted something damsel-y in behavior or visual appearance it wouldn't really scratch that itch. I also really like talbots damsels for the peachy body and yellow heads, and I know quite a few reefers have been successful in keeping large numbers together in large aquariums.

 

[Zionas]

Sergeant Majors get big, ugly, look too much like food fish. Lots of the -glydon Damsels either turn big and ugly or just aren’t that appealing to begin with. I think you should still choose from ones in the genus Chrysiptera and some Pomacentrus. ^^

Azure (C. Hemicyanea)
Talbot’s (C. Talboti)
Springeri (C. Springeri)
Starcki (C. Starcki)

Peacock (P. Pavo) (from Biota)
Gold Belly (P. Auriventris)
Neon (P. Andamanensis)

Just naming a few off the top of my head.

 

[dennis romano]

If you didn't have the saddle wrasse, you could have a school of 6 or 8 immature blue head wrasse or yellow head wrasse and a supermale.