Kupang damsels

[hypertech]

I'm told they are not as aggressive and are more like a chromis. Anyone have experience with them?

 

Is there an LFS that stocks them?

[Origami]

I have three small ones in my display. Each is 1 to 1-1/2 inches long. They're very peaceful. I bought them from one of our LFS' that went out of business a year or so ago (in Maryland) along with a Rolland's Damsel.

[treesprite]

As passive as Cujo on steroids and PCP.

 

One that I had killed all it's tank mates except my clowns, and within 3 hours of putting a dottyback in the tank, the dottyback's tail was gone & the damsel was biting at the stump and not letting up the aggressive pursuit (dottybacks are fast and feisty - I did not think the damsel could beat it up). I turned the lights off and left them off until the next day when I could take all the rock out of the tank to catch it.

 

What I have read is that while they are more passive as juveniles, they are as aggressive as adults as other aggressive damsel species. The one mentioned above was a few years old and 1.5" long at the time it messed up the dottyback.

 

Sometimes Tropical Fish World and Aquarium One have them.

Edited August 27, 2010 by treesprite

[hypertech]

Are you guys talking about the same fish?

 

Yellow belly not just yellow tail.

[Origami]

Are you guys talking about the same fish?

 

Yellow belly not just yellow tail.

 

Yep, yellow belly.

http://www.ecomarine.com.br/images/kupang-damsel.jpg

 

Now, I've had mine (3 of them) for a year to 18 months or so, but they've never been a problem. If anything, my Yellow Tang thinks he rules the roost. They hang out in their respective areas about 1/3 down in the column, never seem to act aggressively toward any of their tankmates, and come out with everyone else at feeding time.

 

Forrest, you need to stop dosing PCP and steroids into your tank.

[treesprite]

The one that has a yellow belly AND yellow tail - it goes all the way across the bottom of the fish. Also called half-blue and azure. I have seen pictures in the past of a damsel with just a yellow belly that I think was called yellow belly.

 

http://www.bluezooaq...&pid=765&cid=15

Edited August 27, 2010 by treesprite

[Origami]

The azure and the kupang damsel are the same: Chrysiptera hemicyanea

 

A key difference may be that mine are somewhat young (probably 2-1/2 years or so since I picked them up at about an inch or so) and have a lot of space in the 180 display.

[hypertech]

They would be going in a 75. I was thinking 2-4 of them.

[treesprite]

What is the other livestock going to be?

 

All I had in my old 45g, for a few years, was that damsel and a pair of tomato clowns which included a very large female and small male - they all got along exceptionally well. This in spite of the facts that the damsel was vicious to all other fish, and the clowns were territorial towards all other fish except that damsel. Maybe the aggression level was in perfect balance for them, though I think if the female clown had not been in there, the damsel would have probably ripped apart the male like it did to the dottyback.

[Origami]

They would be going in a 75. I was thinking 2-4 of them.

 

I read somewhere that if you're going to keep them, it's better to keep them in odd numbers. I don't know, though, that's just something I read. I started with 4 and ended up with 3. I don't recall how the loss came about, but it wasn't because of violence (fish gangs ) or anything.