Do Not Ever Ever Buy A Damsel!

About 10 years ago, I had a damsel that liked to arrange his own rocks! They were small but still as big as he was. He would push them around and create a nice little niche for himself. I used to have fun with him by moving the rocks around and he would just give me an angry look, and gather them all up again.

 

LOL thats really funny! One of my first damsels when I started my first tank would kick up tons of sand, digging himself a little hole or something, by fanning his tail really fast. I would put the sand back and he would do the same thing (angry look, kick it up again).

 

I just found this post because I was wondering if my damsel's digging was normal. Mine digs out a spot in the front corner of the tank and then sits there like its a bunker. After reading these posts I don't think I'll purchase too many more damsels in the future, not if they're that territorial. I had 3 yellowtails until a couple days ago. One died and the starfish promptly took care of most of it.

 

I never had luck with the rock rearranging thing. My yellowtail blue damsel would continue mugging fish even after the neighborhood changed. Finally, when my other fish got bigger than the damsel, he retreated to a far corner.

 

Well the first problem is people always want to buy more then one they fell the fish may get lonely ? I have used yellow tailed blue Damsels since for every and I have never had one to get large or aggressive. The one I have now that was used to cycle a tank November 05 and then used to do this larger tank in January. 06 is about the size of a dime and you never see it. The last one I used in Richmond to cycle a tank is now about 8 yrs old I last saw him in January pass and he is about the size of a thumbnail and still hides in his same hole.

Now all of the others you can have Period ! But then again when I start stocking fish they are tangs and and larger. Like that little damsel now swims around with about 6 tangs a few other like a rabbit and fox face LOL he yields right of way.

 

When it comes to damsels, the rounder bodied ones such as the domino are typically more aggressive then its the longer bodied such as blue damsel and fiji devil damsel, then you have the compact bodied like the yellow tail and 3/4 stripe which are better community reef tank fish.

On the plus side with yellow tailed damsels, they are known to be a flatworm machine! They eat do AEFW type!!! So they can be VERY beneficial if you have acro's.

 

~Damsels vary ~

I have had a Damsel for a year now(Chrysiptera taupou), a.k.a. –Fiji Devil Damsel. He is a handful to say the least. In all actuality I hated him at first due to his aggressiveness but he has become one of my favorites, far more personality than any fish I have had. I call him Royal ( like Royal from "The Royal Taninbams" movie). Royal pushes rock and coral around and digs holes in the sand as he sees fit. It bugged myself at first, but it is his home not mine. What strikes me odd to even comment on this thread is that when I introduced my mandarin I had no problem at all… I was a little apprehensive due to the fact that after research I knew Damsels tend to be semi-aggressive, nevertheless he has done fine in my tank. . . Sorry to hear the Damsel was not successful in your reef tank. Hope the wrasse works out for you though!