clownfish vs damsels.

Hello I am about to setup my first salt water tank and was wondering what would be more..."humane" I guess.. I really want two clownfish for my 29g fowlr tank.. But I am not sure if I can manage a salt water tank. So I was thinking about buying some 3$ Damsels and experimenting. I heard that damsels are mean fish but could somebody tell me more about them? Also, would you start out by using a bio start? Like Bio-Spira? Or would you use damels? thanks! Also, are clownfish very hard to maintain? I found them at the lfs for $19.99 so I want the tank cycled first.

 

everyone is going to say to use a raw shrimp or somerthing to cycle your tank because the fish can die from the cycle process. i used yellow tail damsels. $5 each. they were fine. and they are a**holes! they bully most peacfull fish. and are super hard to catch!

 

Ha! yeah? I heard that they will attack your hand when you clean the tank?

 

my damsels never did, my black clown fish does every time tho... but then again they are closely related to damsels, so would explain why they are all jerks!

 

If you are unsure if you can manage a SW tank than RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH! Go through all the forums here read the stickies and I will say it again RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH!

On a side note, it is not nearly as hard as you might think. I am not sure if you have experience with FW at all and many people think it takes a lot of time and money and is a lot harder than a FW setup but to be truthful it is only as complicated as you make it. It is more expensive and you want to buy right the first time instead of buying cheap having problems and buying again. Research what you really do need so you dont waste money on things you dont need and have a plan on what you want the tank to be before setting it up. Lastly, patience is a virtue with this stuff dont rush the cycle it will only cause problems.

 

All clownfish ARE damsels. They are both from the same family genus. Most will do ok with the other as long as they have enough room. Each of these species are very territorial!

 

+1 Exactly. Couldn't have said it better, myself.

 

I guess it wouldn't be too hard for just a fowlr. tank... so would you suggest for starting up a new tank to just buy pre mixed saltwater or mix it yourself?

 

And I know clowns and damsels are From the same family. I ment yellowtail damsels.

 

One person's story does not reflect the decades of trial and error on which this hobby has been built.

Plenty of folks on here, including myself, that started in saltwater when sacrificing live fish was the norm. Ammonia damages the gills, and in my own personal experience, the fish that do survive the cycle have a much worse personality than those that are introduced afterward. I've kept plenty of damsels over the years with no problems. In fact, I have a yellowtail now with a striped wrasse and green chromis. The YT is the most peaceful of the three.

A raw cocktail shrimp will provide the necessary ammonia to cycle your tank and form the bio-filter. No need to cause a live fish to suffer.