treesprite January 16, 2016 Share January 16, 2016 Would like to know details about what species you are keeping with what other fish, in what numbers and what tank sizes. Any other information would be good. I Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flooddc January 16, 2016 Share January 16, 2016 I have quite a few in my tank (yellow, blue, gold). They are very aggressive toward each other even the same type. In a small tank, they will likely kill one another! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmerek2 January 16, 2016 Share January 16, 2016 I have one yellow tail damsel in my 125. It doesn't bother anyone or anything but it is also the smallest fish in the tank. I bought it because the yellow tails are suppose to be less aggressive than the others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LCDRDATA January 16, 2016 Share January 16, 2016 (edited) Would like to know details about what species you are keeping with what other fish, in what numbers and what tank sizes. Any other information would be good. I had a pair of Yellowtail Blue damsels (Chrysiptera parasema) in my first, 25 gallon tank 30+ years ago, as well as in my 75 gallon DT for several years. These fish all lived up to their reputation as attractive, hardy, and relatively less aggressive. They'd get a little territorial at times but not out-and-out belligerent. I had a Neon damsel (Neoglyphidodon oxyodon) in my 55 FOWLR, he got along reasonably well with the other fish but started out as the smallest fish in the tank and the other inhabitants were well equipped to take care of themselves. He's gone through a growth spurt since I upgraded that tank to a 90. The only folks he seems to pick on at all is the pair of Black damsels (Neoglyphidodon meles) I added when I upgraded. These were originally in my 30 cube -- and purchased as Lemon Chromis -- but turned a solid blue-black when they reached maturity. The only other fish in the cube at the time was a Pink-Spotted Watchman goby, and they generally left him alone. They were smaller than the Neon when I added them to the 90 FOWLR and there was some initial aggression as the Neon established who was boss, but they get along with him (and everyone else) now, which is good because they've both grown considerably since they went into the 90 and the larger of the pair is now roughly equal in size to the Neon. That having been said, I don't think the Neon or the Black damsel would be something you would want in a tank when adding anything that wasn't at least semi-aggressive on its own, and would want them small -- preferably smaller than anything else -- if adding them to an existing tank. I hope this helps -- good luck! Edited January 16, 2016 by LCDRDATA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite January 17, 2016 Author Share January 17, 2016 (edited) I'm down to just my clowns, and am thinking I should go back to the 1990's when my original reason for wanting a saltwater tank was to have bright colored fish. There were not a lot of choices in the era before the internet took over the earth, but there were lots of bright colors of easy fish in the shops. Unfortunately, most small, brightly colored fish are semi aggressive and can't be kept with the kinds of fish I was wanting to put in my tank. I think I want to just have the clowns, a yellow tang, some yellow-tail damsels, and an orchid dottyback. Would like to know about some other kinds of damsels that aren't horrifically aggressive. I want kupang damsels, but they are like 500 times more aggressive than yellowtails (I had one years and years ago that killed several yellow tails, and almost killed an orchid dottyback within just a couple hours of putting the dottyback in the tank). Right now just have the 75g, hoping to be able to use my 120 in a few months. Edited January 17, 2016 by treesprite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VKernus January 17, 2016 Share January 17, 2016 I have a blue damsel,black spot near tail. He is the only on in the tank. He can be a bit aggressive but is kept in place by the other fish. He is a digger. Loves to dig caves in the sand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunWyrm January 19, 2016 Share January 19, 2016 I have a blue damsel,black spot near tail. He is the only on in the tank. He can be a bit aggressive but is kept in place by the other fish. He is a digger. Loves to dig caves in the sand. C. cyanea if you were curious, and sounds like he's a she. Obsessing over these fish recently as I'm trying to pair mine up again. They do love to dig. Also love barnacles. They're on the aggressive side though. What about an Azure (C. hemicyanea)? Looks just like the Kupang (IMO) and I had a Yellowtail and an Azure together in multiple tanks, and they were always pretty peaceful with other fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite January 20, 2016 Author Share January 20, 2016 I thought Azure and Kupang were different species, but when i searched, i was getting everything showing both names for the same fish. How could i go about identifying or creating a damsel pair? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite January 20, 2016 Author Share January 20, 2016 Does anyone have an orchid dottyback with damsels? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM January 20, 2016 Share January 20, 2016 I've wanted a starcki damsel a while ago. Supposedly one of the calmer ones and very pretty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apcoleman January 20, 2016 Share January 20, 2016 Does anyone have an orchid dottyback with damsels? I have an azure and an orchid dottyback. Both are very passive in my system but then again they have 250g so they dont cross paths much. The azure has been with me for 4 years and never had an issue. The dottyback when I had my 90 was more of a punk then to anything that had a longer shape. Now it doesnt bother anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 January 22, 2016 Share January 22, 2016 I had a pair of Yellowtail Blue damsels (Chrysiptera parasema) in my first, 25 gallon tank 30+ years ago, as well as in my 75 gallon DT for several years. These fish all lived up to their reputation as attractive, hardy, and relatively less aggressive. They'd get a little territorial at times but not out-and-out belligerent. I had a Neon damsel (Neoglyphidodon oxyodon) in my 55 FOWLR, he got along reasonably well with the other fish but started out as the smallest fish in the tank and the other inhabitants were well equipped to take care of themselves. He's gone through a growth spurt since I upgraded that tank to a 90. The only folks he seems to pick on at all is the pair of Black damsels (Neoglyphidodon meles) I added when I upgraded. These were originally in my 30 cube -- and purchased as Lemon Chromis -- but turned a solid blue-black when they reached maturity. The only other fish in the cube at the time was a Pink-Spotted Watchman goby, and they generally left him alone. They were smaller than the Neon when I added them to the 90 FOWLR and there was some initial aggression as the Neon established who was boss, but they get along with him (and everyone else) now, which is good because they've both grown considerably since they went into the 90 and the larger of the pair is now roughly equal in size to the Neon. That having been said, I don't think the Neon or the Black damsel would be something you would want in a tank when adding anything that wasn't at least semi-aggressive on its own, and would want them small -- preferably smaller than anything else -- if adding them to an existing tank. I hope this helps -- good luck! I love the C. parasema and always tried to have them in my tanks. They often bred when I had them and were often less aggressive than the other fish I kept, including clowns. They also add some vibrant colors to the tank. I also like the three stripe damsel Dascyllus aruanus, relatively docile and adds some nice contrast with the stark black and white stripes. Far less aggressive than the 4 stripes in my opinion and better looking to boot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lutz123 January 24, 2016 Share January 24, 2016 I had a Talbot's and would love another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOSKN5 January 24, 2016 Share January 24, 2016 Funny I have been thinking about a damsel for an open water fish in my 74 tower... looking at these three (only one just haven't decided) Starcki- pretty mellow from what I have read.. love the look.. more expensive but not bad... harder to find tho.. Blue saphire.. c. Springeri... another with laid back reputation.. love the black and blue contrast...cheap And the orangetail... Not sure if the orange is legit and will stay?? Maybe the more aggressive of the three.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmerek2 January 24, 2016 Share January 24, 2016 (edited) Will the springers lose the color as they get older? Edited January 24, 2016 by gmerek2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOSKN5 January 24, 2016 Share January 24, 2016 Will the springers lose the color as they get older?Not from what I have read... I also see some pictures of them that are clearly a larger mature fish with same colors... Anyone have any experience there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmerek2 January 24, 2016 Share January 24, 2016 Yea I'm worried that's their juvenile state and it will be a nearly black fish...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k January 24, 2016 Share January 24, 2016 (edited) I have a Starcki in a 300 with 30 other fish. It's not what I'd call "calm". I haven't seen it actually bully another fish but all of the fast moving Blue Reef Chromis stopped swimming and are now reclusive after its' introduction. I use a lot of Yellowtail Blue Damsels in a few large tanks. They do well as a background fish to add color and contrast, and are pretty friendly tankmates. I have 30 in a 400g tank and you see a big school of them come out at feeding time. It's impressive. My very first saltwater fish tank was 25 Blue damsels and a 3' Zebra Moray in a 75 filled with lava rock. The Damselfish book is what got me so interested in this hobby. Edited January 24, 2016 by zygote2k Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite January 28, 2016 Author Share January 28, 2016 For a 75g or a 120g tank, what would be a good number of (yellow tail or similar size/temperment) damsels, without overdoing the bio-load, to go with a clown pair, an orchid dottyback, and a yellow tang? (Rockwork is open-structure with lots of places to go, tunnels, holes... not just a clumpy pile, wall, or tower) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOSKN5 December 8, 2016 Share December 8, 2016 I wanted to update this thread for anyone searching in the future.. I added 4 blue saphire damsels (Chrysiptera springeri).. one was smaller and got pushed around and ended up in the top corner of the tank hiding.. so I gave him away... The other three have been doing great in my tank for about 3 months or so.. there is a clear larger one and two smaller ones.. the larger one gets along with them all, the two smaller ones bicker sometimes but no damage... They pay little mind to my other fish, other than the occasional shake at my clown or orchid dottyback.. At night time they all have distinct sleeping territory that they guard but still only posturing and a brief chase.. nothing brutal... Overall I am absolutely thrilled that I added them. The bright electric blue is amazing and they are constantly in motion... really neat fish that I would recommend with the following requirements: Don't add just one (at least 3) At least a 3-4 foot tank with clear territories for each damsel Add all at once Just my thoughts Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite December 8, 2016 Author Share December 8, 2016 (edited) I forgot about this thread. Now I am getting wishy washy and don't know if I want to just focus on colors, or focus on dartfish. I think the color focused would be easier fish to deal with than the dartfish, but I kind of would miss having a school of something. If I skipped the dartfish, how many yellowtails would be a good number in a 120 gallon 48x24x25 tank (the 75 is history) with a yellow tang, pair of ocellaris, orchid dottyback, and maybe a pair of dragonets? I think am pretty good with adapting rockwork to livestock needs. I got a couple yellowtails a couple months ago. They are in a 20h by themselves and seem to get along very well. I keep wondering if they are becoming a bonded pair (more like wishful thinking). If they are indeed pairing, would it make it difficult to put them in the 120 with an additional few? This fish thing is upsetting me. One little fish can completely change everything. I want to be able to have just the one big tank and no little tanks, not a bunch of smaller tanks just because I put some little fish is in the big tank that will keep me from keeping other kinds of fish that I like in the big tank. Edited December 8, 2016 by treesprite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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