I added my first fish - 3 damsels

See... Everyone should have to do it at least once! Then I too will have stories.

So he's coming out slowly, still a very timid fish. Last night the domino carried pieces of food and dropped them just outside of the little cave the timid one has made for himself. He'd pop out grab the food, and hide again. At first I thought this was a coincidence, but they did it 3 or 4 times.

Now thats unusual for damsels.:shock: Normally,dominos beat the crap out of ALL the other fish in the tank.
 
LOL why does everyone have it in for damsels. With proper training they can be great fish. You just gotta show em who is boss.

Now catching them to put them in time out is a differant story.
 
Even though he is a royal bastard, sometimes I get a sadistic thrill seeing my damsel toss hermits across the tank.
 
Even though he is a royal bastard, sometimes I get a sadistic thrill seeing my damsel toss hermits across the tank.

LOL I have 2 damsels in my tank atm. One is very shy the other seems to check everything out. I know which one is going to the sump before I add new fish.
 
I had a domino in my tank to cycle it...I now know that is wrong and mean, but I was super newb....I added 2 clowns and they beat the snot out of the damsel...had to take him back to the LFS before he looked anything more like he was in a paper shredder....
 
well for one cromis are nice looking fish same family as damsels without the aggression. The thing I like about them the most is they school or shoal. :Cheers:
 
I read a lot about them, and they were on my list as potential starter fish also. I haven't been able to find any locally though. Apparently, they're not popular according to the LFS's I frequent.
 
Ya some places dont carry them. I got mine at a petco. Was the first fish in the tank. I had 5 but I killed one when i was re-arranging rock. I dont usually buy fish at petco but they caught my eye and I went for it.
 
I've got a local marine store, and a few an hour away. Our petco/petsmart's etc. don't sell marine in Canada. It's honestly difficult to find dealers.
 
ya they big chains arent the best places for live stock anyway. Have you looked at blennies and gobies for other fish choices.
 
But don't we have to keep in mind that we have to recommend fish taht are compatible with the Damsel(s) that he already has...

Here's a compatibility chart that will help if you need it.
Marine Compatability Chart

Also, I know alot of the more seasoned veterans on the forum buy some livestock online...maybe that's a good alternative for you...I've never done it, so I don't know how it works out.
 
Well ya he will have to work with the damsels thats true. I have seen damsel tanks and they looked quite good. The biggest issue for him is he lives in Canada most sellers wont ship there for some reason. Most gobies live in the lower section of the tank and damsels for the most part (what I have seen) live in the upper water column. As long as you add new fish in the dark or re-arrange rock, then the damsels wont notice the new arrivals for a while. By then they usually will let them be. There are exceptions fire fish are free swimmers and like to be in the same area as damsels and would probably get torn apart. Dragon goby and lawn mower blenny would be on the bottom and I would think not noticed by them. Oh I did have a coral beauty that got along fine with my damsels. You just have to watch him because he will nip at corals.
 
I'm glad you referenced this chart, Ted. I have a cool link to it where you can hover and it draws lines and stuff for easy reading, love it! Anyway, that's where I started when I decided to buy damsels, according to this their compatible with clowns, gobies and tangs which is what I want to stock with.

We have several "Big Al's" stores locally which specialize in marine and have great prices - they're all within an hours drive. My LFS marine resource is very small and expensive, but it's nice to deal directly with the owner who is very experienced. (But seriously $60/percula clown vs. $20 at Big Al's... It's sometimes worth the drive.
 
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