My fish, good or bad?

I am quite new to the hobby and bought my tank with everything in it already. I have a 37 gallon tank. From reading up on the forums here I believe I have a bad selection of fish/creatures for me being a beginner. I currently have 3 damsels (one solid blue, one blue with yellow tail, one silverish with yellow top). I have not read one good thing about damsels.
I also have two long tentacle anemones. I really wish to have more fish and bottom dwellers (goby, blenny, etc) so I am afraid the anemone will kill them or will die and wipe out my entire tank. One of my anemone's are doing well and has stayed locked and huge, the other moves around, stays in the bottom corner, etc.

I have a sebae clown fish and a regular clown fish, and a firefish.

I have some small snails, hermits, and an emerald crab for cleaning crew.

First question. I see a lot of people posting about returning fish to their LFS for credit. How open usually are LFS for this?

Second question. Do you think I should take in my damsels and anemone in and trade them? Or just one of the anemone?

 

Well welcome to the hobby! If you can give us a little information on the parameters of your tank it would be helpful...What kind of lighting do you have as anemones' require a high light level to aid them in producing zooxanthellae which they need to thrive. how many inches are each of these fishes? I would maybe take the damsels into your LFS for credit towards a bottom dweller....Goby, blennie etc. H20 parameters? Lighting? What typr of filtration are you using?

 

First question, LFS's are very open to giving store credit for fish, just expect maybe half the price, or less.

Second question, and I'm biased here, others will disagree, but I don't like damsels. They are very territorial, and have an affinity towards violence and bullying other tankmates. Some own damsels and have never had these issues, I have had these issues with every damsel I've owned.

As a beginner, I'd say that you'd be well served getting store credit for your anenomes (maybe one, maybe all-it's up to you). They're mighty hard to keep, and credit beats the real possibility of them dying.

Good luck!

 

welcome to the reef

 

It sounds like you have a bit of a recipe for disaster. Those clowns will probably start to fight as they get bigger, the damsels will become little terrors, and between your lack of experience/small tank/new setup the anemone will likely cause you grief. Get that stuff back to the LFS, do a bunch of research, plan it out and then go buy your fish. The inverts should be fine.

 

I think I agree. I like the anemones but worried. I have had this tank for a couple of months. No issues. This tank was setup in the LFS with everything in it for a few months... it runs pretty well... grows well.
I am not sure of the parameters but will hopefully be checking this evening.

The sebae clown is my largest probably 3 inches or so.. the regular clown is small.. a little over an inch... the two blue damsels are about the same.. the silver damsel is about 2 inches.... the firefish is normal size for a firefish.

My one anemone does really well... I may trade in the damsels and the other anemone for a blenny.
Thanks for the input.....

 

i agree with all on the damsels and nems bring them back, as for your store taking stuff back i feel they should for the fish/inverts life. if you go back to them and say i cant/dont want to care for them as responsable reefers/fishkeeprs/good store owner they would deff take them back.

 

get rid of the damsels for sure. In my opinion the only good type of damsel is a green chromis. anything else can burn in hell. They will either kill each other, or the clowns over territory. (especially the solid blue one. hence the name "blue devil"

 

I haven't had any luck with the green chromis,one is just a major bully,been trying to get him out of the tank for a couple of days now and I have a blue devil that was gave to me by the lfs cause she caught him by accident and dumped him in the bag but he seems to be mild mannered....for now.

 

Went to my buddy Jared at his LFS. I am pretty good friends with all the people there.
Traded my anemones and 2 of my damsels for an orange spotted watchmen goby and a salt change. Then went to another local shop (jared didnt have any peppermint shrimp) and got 3 peppermint shrimp, 5 more hermits, and 2 large turbo snails. Hopefully the apthsasia will be eaten in a couple days

I actually kept a small damsel just because my g/f bought it for me when I was sick one day. She doesnt do something nice very often. It just happens to be solid blue. It was the calmest one of all of my damsels though. It is still quite small.

Rearranged all of my rock and did a salt change... tank is looking GREEEAAAATT!