Should I go for territorial or frighteningly intrusive?

[treesprite]

Trying to decide between a  single cherub angel and  a few yellow tail damsels. I guess I have more experience having cherub angels with timid fish than I do with having any kind of damsel with timid fish. If there is any chance at all of being able to keep a little group of yellow tail damsels with more timid fish, I'd rather get the damsels than an angel. However, if it wouldn't work either way, I would probably prefer then angel. 

 

I've had cherub angels a couple times. I really like cherub angels because they are one of the most entertaining fish species to watch in a tank, keep a tank lively nearly all of the time, use the entire water column (unlike almost everything else), and they are that pretty bright blue color with yellow accent (same colors as the yt damsels). However, I had to re-home them each time,   because they absolutely could not be kept with timid fish.  They are and are not aggressive, depending on how you define the term. They didn't chase and nip other fish, they basically darted around the tank all day like maniacs and stuck their annoying intrusive noses into every single little hole. It was highly annoying to clownfish who kept chasing it away (each time  I had a single angel), nipping at the angel's tail, but the angel didn't care and would just go back for more just to taunt the clowns (at least it seemed that way). The behavior of the angels was very frightening to timid fish who were ending up burying themselves under rocks and starving to death too afraid to come out of holes to eat.

 

If a small group of yellow tail damsels, who although territorial over a certain area would not act  insane over every inch of the tank, are calm enough to at least leave me a chance of being able to keep with something fairly peaceful, I would prefer those. My current tank is a 75g , but I have a 120g sitting around waiting to be used. I'm thinking maybe I could put several damsels in the tank. If I wait until (if and when) I have the 120 up, maybe I could try 7 or them... please give me your thoughts on the numbers.

Edited February 1, 2016 by treesprite

[Jason Rhoads]

I have two yellow tails, but no experience with cherubs. You might be OK with the damsels if you add them last.

 

Mine are terrors who wage jihad every time I go anywhere within 12" of "their territory." They do, however, seem to tolerate the fish that were there before them, bigger then them, or who are so dissimilar to them that they don't recognize as threats (goby, blenny...).

[treesprite]

Cherubs don't care if they were there first or last. They act a little shy at first, but once they finish their first round of exploration that changes.

 

Why isn't there a perfect fish?