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55 gallon tank question; adding new Damsels 2/19/17 Hello Crew! <Nick> Thank you all for help in the past and I have hopes you can offer me suggestions/analysis now. I have a Blue Damsel that has recently gone nuts, but was previously peaceful. I’ll start with the history. I have a 55 gallon tank with DSB and maybe 1/5 of the volume is live rock. (60-80 pounds) I got the aquarium 16 months ago and it came with the Damsel. I introduced 2 Clownfish, and the Damsel wouldn’t let them leave their corner. I gave the Damsel a 1 week timeout in my quarantine tank and when re-introduced it got along perfectly with the clowns for 8 months. Then I added a Royal Gramma, and neither the Damsel nor the Clowns thought anything of it. There was not one territorial display. They all got along for 6 months. One month ago I introduced a Kole Tang. The Damsel made a lot of territorial displays the first day, a few the second day, and then everything has been peaceful in the tank for 21 days. Two days ago I watched as the Damsel frantically chased after every single fish. It would swim right up to them and do some kind of fluffed up dance. It would never attack any of the fish. It just harassed each fish till they bit it. It would do these displays to the Cleaner Shrimp, to certain sections of rock, and to all the fish. I’ve watched a long time from a distance the last two days and I’ve never seen it actually attack anything, but it harasses the other fish until they finally bite it. The rear fin is a little tattered, but there hasn’t been any serious damage. I’m very confused. Can you offer any opinions on this behavioral shift? <Does happen at times... perhaps some sort of environmental clues, aging... development... endocrinological... But some individual damsels and especially certain genera (Dascyllus and Stegastes are good ex.s); REALLY become MEAN> I find it odd that this fish is picking fights, but not throwing any blows. The Damsel’s swimming is quick, jerky, erratic, sometimes spastic like twitching, and raises it’s fins when bothering the other fish. The only other change I can think of is that the Damsel is now eating the Nori that I now feed the tank. So, the fish’s diet is a little different. Did vegetables drive this fish crazy? <Doubtful... likely hormones> Any help is much appreciated. Sincerely, Nick <A good idea to trade this fish in... or move to a larger system w/ some of its own species to interact with. Bob Fenner> Re: Chrysiptera cyanea beh. 3/26/14 Mr. Fenner, <Nick> Thank you so much for the quick response. I apologize for leaving the subject line blank and leaving out the scientific. (Chrysiptera cyanea) I typed in word and copy pasted to email and I sometimes forget the subject when I do that. Nick <Ah, no worries. BobF> Royal Gramma Aggression Question
1/21/14 Damsel ID 9/27/13 Blue Sapphire Damselfish (Chrysiptera springeri)
compatibility 6/28/13 Chrysiptera rollandi, sel./stkg./comp.
7/20/12
Yellowtail Blue Damsel Or Not?
Stkg/sel. 5/12/11
Mixing Damsels With Niger
Trigger/Triggerfish/Compatibility 2/5/10
Re: Centropyge Compatibility Question--
08/14/09
Blue damsels, beh. 3/2/09 Hi i have 2 blue damsels, 1 smaller and 1 larger, the larger one has begun getting spotted, instead of all neon blue his spots are a darker blue. I thought it was just when he came out from being in a dark place but now its almost all the time. I heard that it might have something to do with the smaller damsel, and the larger one wanting to mate. But im not sure. Thanks <Mmm, not likely an issue... Behavioral/physiological change. Bob Fenner> Please help, Chrysiptera hlth. 12/22/08 Hey all, <Steph> For the past few months I've been having an issue with one of my yellowtail damsels (i have two). i have a 20 gallon tank <Mmm> and the temp varies from 81-83 degrees. I've have them for a little over 2 years, so they are used to the temperature and conditions. For the past few months, my one fish has been losing his color at night, and then it will come back once we turn the light on, usually. there are some times however, like right now, where the tank will be on for longer and still no return of color (right now its been on for over and hour). i understand that they do lose color as form of camo, but this is different. Not only does his color fade, his swim pattern is different as well. he swims near the top of the water or stays in a corner at the very bottom, he bumps into things, sometimes he swims around lethargically, other times he's quick and jolty. <Good description> our second fish rarely acts like this, sometimes he does lose his color, but other than that he's pretty normal. what can be wrong with the first fish? <Reads like nutritional deficiency, spawning/social behavior, or senescence/old age...> all levels in the tank are where they should be. i don't think anything is wrong with my tank, because then my other fish would be affected.....I've researched as much as i could and always come up empty. Please help, Stephanie, Spike and McNabb <You can try supplementing the food... Zoe, Selcon, SeaChem's Vitality..., moving the hard elements of the tank about... for the first two... Bob Fenner> Chrysiptera parasema Compatibility 9/21/08 I have a Blue Tang (Paracanthurus hepatus), Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma flavescens), Foxface (Siganus unimaculatus), and a clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) in my 75 gallon mixed reef. I purchased these relatively small approximately a year ago and now they've all grown up. True to my word, I have purchased a 135 gallon tank to upgrade to so that they can stretch their fins a little more. <Wonderful to here, I wish it was the case more often than not.> I was entertaining the idea of adding perhaps 3-5 yellow-tail damsels (Chrysiptera parasema) to the mix but was concerned about aggression. I had planned to move the existing fish to the 135 and let them get adjusted for a few weeks before adding the damsels. Also, I will have 2 areas in the tank with no rock and I have cut a piece of eggcrate which I can put in the tank to section off a small area in order to let new arrivals get adjusted and also aid in catching anything that needs to come out. How do you rate my chances for success with this setup? <I think you have a high likelihood for success. Although with time, I suspect this will be too small a tank for these tangs. These Yellow-tail Damsels are some of the least aggressive of the damsels. In fact, you might have problems with other fish picking on them. I like your eggcrate idea. I'd love to see a picture.> Thanks for the advice. <Welcome, Mich> Damsel Question, sys., env. hlth. 4/27/08 Hello. I enjoy reading your posts and some have been very useful. I have a nano-tank(6Gal), with two blue damsels. <Misplaced here. Need more room psychologically> I cycled the tank, checked all my levels, etc. I waited 2 weeks to add the fish and they have been in there now over a month. The ammonia is nil and the other levels are within acceptable ranges. The issue I have is one of the damsels spends a lot of time at the top of the tank, almost swimming sideways at times. He also appears to have spots on his side that looks like a human going grey, ie, losing color. He does dart around pretty good, so it is hard to tell if he is sick. The other damsel does bother him frequently but I don't see any frayed fins, etc. I cannot locate any bacteria or other disease that resembles what I am seeing. I am afraid to add a wrasse or more rock until I know if there is a disease. <... is environmental to the largest degree...> Also, as a nano tank, it does get algae quite a bit. I clean it weekly and add water as needed. Is there anything I can do to keep the growth low and can this be something that is affecting my damsel? Thanks for your help. Dale <Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/marine/fishes/part2.htm the second to last tray. This fish, these fish, are mis-placed; cannot live well/long in such confines. Bob Fenner>
Damsel identity... Rolland's Damselfish & Black Cap Damselfish = Chrysiptera rollandi 9/6/07 Hi. I recently purchased a Rolland's Damselfish. <Chrysiptera rollandi> I have seen pictures on the internet of what looks to be an identical fish listed as a Black Cap Damselfish. Are these the same fish? <Yes, just a different common name, one is based on the physical traits, the other on the scientific name and likely the first person to describe this fish.> If not, how do they differ? <They don't.> Thanks! <Welcome! Mich> -Connie Fish ID at Live Aquaria 8/21/07 Hey There WetWebMedia folks! <Hello there Rich> I was wondering if you would concur with this fish ID for a Chrysiptera rollandi variety at Live Aquaria. http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden/ItemDisplay.cfm?ddid=23822&siteid=20 <Nice pic... and does appear to be this species: http://fishbase.org/Photos/ThumbnailsSummary.php?ID=5486> Even if he is correctly ID'ed I still have found little info about this species other than the bit on your Chrysiptera page (where the photos as well as the photos on fishbase.org don't look at all like this fellow). <I suspect it is about the same as its congeners in care, temperament> He is a neat looking little fish that I would like to add to my 110 tall FOWLR that has mostly peaceful, small fish including a purple fire fish, algae blenny, royal Gramma, a trio of Carpenter's flasher wrasse,1 perc clown,1 PJ cardinal and I have a Chromis cyaneus in a quarantine tank waiting to go in the big tank. <This genus members do MUCH better in groups...> I could easily partition the quarantine tank (20 long) and intro them at the same time to the main tank. Is he likely to settle in with my collection or is he better left at LiveAquaria for somebody else? Thanks Rich <In this sized volume, with the fish species you list, this damsel should do fine. Chrysiptera spp. can be a bit nippy, bully-ish for their small size, but if there's room... as it appears here there is... Bob Fenner> Damsel Fish, Chrysiptera, Amphiprion, gen. comp. 7/30/07 Hi <Hello> I am writing to ask about my damsel fish, I recently started using a different fish store after the old one was not very helpful and to be honest not too good. I lost the first set of clowns I put in so I let the tank cycle longer ,added a few new bits it did not have like extra power heads etc. I went to the store to get new pair of clowns but I also wanted some think <something> different, although the old fish store had said not to get damsels because of aggression, the new one recommend a yellow tail which they had in their tanks and recommended it as a hardy fish which was less aggressive than the others. <They are a little less aggressive, but can still be troublesome to timid fish.> He was fine at first but then he started to bully the clowns at first to the point they would not eat, but now they are fine, and have been in the tank for around 5 weeks now and eating normal. But he is still being very territorial doing the normal territorial things -rubbing up against them, charging at them, pushing them back when they swim else where. <Normal behavior for these guys.> The tank is not a large one, it's around 27 gallons so I'm limited on what I can put in. I'm getting a yellow goby in the next week or so but my question is will the damsel fish calm down when there are more fish added and realise that its not just his tank or will he be the same to all fish and keeping all the swimming room to him self? <His behavior shouldn't change.> He has no main territory apart from behind one rock where he sleeps. And my second question is my clownfish front stripe sort of looks cracked on top I've seen this on other clowns before I was wondering if it was just a normal thing or if their was something wrong? <Normal. As to the damsel, I'd be returning it. I'm not fond of having damsels in a community system for the same reasons you state. James (Salty Dog)> Hope u can help Yellowtail Damselfish... solitaire, and Centropyge in a 35... 7/8/07 Hello WWM Crew! I have a 35 gallon tank consisting of 20 pounds of LR, one yellowtail Damselfish and one Ocellaris Clownfish. About 2 weeks ago I added a Coral Beauty. <Needs more room than this by at least twice> The Coral Beauty has had no problems eating or interacting with the other fish. Today when I feed my fish, I noticed the Yellowtail Damsel wasn't eating. As I watched the Damsel, I noticed part of his lip is losing color. Any suggestions of what I should do to keep this fish healthy and eating? Thanks, Ryan. <Perhaps some sort of negative interaction going on here... And the Damsel is likely a social species of the genus Chrysiptera... live in groups... Please... read re these species needs (and all future purchases) on WWM... Systems, Compatibility especially. You need a larger system, more members... Bob Fenner> Yellow Tailed Damsel Harassing Royal Gramma 4/23/07 Hi Bob, I love your website. <Hello, Chris here today.> It has been extremely useful. Thank you. <Welcome from all of us.> I am a long time reader with a first time question. I have read the FAQ's regarding my problem but I still felt compelled to ask. I have a 40 gallon breeder reef tank. It has housed a tomato clown and yellow tailed damsel together for 1 year or so. I added a Royal Gramma a few days ago and he was immediately harassed by the damsel. The Gramma has been hiding behind a powerhead nursing a lightly torn up tail fin. He eats the frozen mysis shrimp when they pass within a few inches of his powerhead at feeding time, but I have not seen him venture out further than this. Will he and the damsel ever get along? <Maybe, maybe not.> A gentleman asked the same question in the FAQ's, only he had a 75 gallon tank. You told him that everything ought to settle down, and that he could "Leave all in" with a tank of that size. So now I am wondering, what about a 40 gallon tank? Otherwise is there anything I could do to ameliorate the situation? Thank you so much, Tom <I would give it a couple weeks to a month and see if they can adjust to each other. This is dependent on the Gramma continuing to eat of course. If this stops he will have to be removed. Otherwise you could remove the damsel for a couple of weeks and allow the Gramma to establish himself. This helps sometimes in situations like this. If none of these work then the two fish will just need to be permanently separated.> <Chris> Damsel/tank (small) (skimmer) question 3/13/07 Good day to all the staff of this wonderful website! I've read this site and its archives for the past 3 weeks and its been very helpful, got a couple of questions though. 1. is it true that yellow-tailed damsels lose their "yellowtail" color when they mature? <Mmm, not really... actually intensifies under "ideal" conditions... good water quality, nutrition, social factors...> how long (is it months or years?) does a damsel of this kind mature? <Likely just several months... You can look on fishbase.org... and read their Cartesian graphs re such...> 2. my second question is, i have a 20 gallon with 2 yellow tail damsels and 1 clown <... too crowded... not healthy, sustainable> with about 15lbs of live rock, everything is fine and i don't plan on adding anything more, do i still need a skimmer? thanks in advance! <I would have, use one, yes. See WWM re... Bob Fenner> Chrysiptera taupou behavior 1/3/07 Hello Crew, <'Allo, Bruce! Graham with you.> I'm new to the marine hobby and have started to stock a 29G that was an established FOWLR tank owned by another person. I have 40 lb.s +- of LR and plenty of hiding spots. <Not a very big system. Keep in mind that water is displaced by the hiding spots. Your 29g can quickly become a 18gal with 40lbs or LR and substrate.> The first fish was a maroon clown about 1.5" long, followed by a six-line wrasse about 2" long, and last was what I have identified as a Chrysiptera Taupou; Village Belle, Fiji Blue Devil, etc. <Again, this is a small system, probably too small for the damsel & clown.> I believe the LFS called it a red tailed wrasse, <Hmm...> but it perfectly resembles the subject fish in my Atlas. All fish were added within a 5-day period. The damsel initially showed some aggression to the wrasse and clown, but after two days things appeared to settle down, although the damsel was always first at the buffet line. <I assume that the damsel was not the last?> Two more days go by and the damsel has apparently terrified the clown as it spends most of the time in the left top corner near the sump return. <It sounds very characteristic of damsels of the Chrysiptera designation. "Devil" should have been a marker for you, but with the LFS's moniker of Red-tailed Wrasse, you can be forgiven.> Today I came home from work and the wrasse is dead, and the damsel is doing what appears to be fanning sand on top of the wrasse with it's tail. Could the damsel have killed the wrasse? <Oh, no. Yes, the damsel may have killed the wrasse, but without knowing how long this system has been up and running, nor what your water conditions are, I might add that the Six-line (Pseudocheilinus hexataenia) would be the first to go with poor water conditions.> Does the damsel need to go back to the LFS? <In all likelihood, yes. You don't have much room, and even less room for stress triggered by aggression.> It is very pretty, and everything I read says the clown should be a good match for it. <We as hobbyists strive to balance "pretty" fishes with proper selection of these same specimens with regard to their tankmates and life-support. I think you will find in short order that, although the Maroon clown (Premnas biaculeatus) is a tough customer when it has been established in it's environment and feels secure, it is obviously stressed and the devil is seemingly taking advantage. (Maroons *are* usually pretty mean to other clowns, though)> The next addition was going to be a yellow tang, followed by corals and clams (I've read that the six-line wrasse is necessary for the clams) and a move into a 50G within another year or so. I thought I had a good mix of fish. What do you think? <I think you need to slow down a bit and do some extensive reading. Nothing bad can come of your waiting, but many bad things can and likely will result from hasty decisions. least welcome would be your discouragement from the hobby after failure.> Thanks, Bruce <You're very welcome Bruce. -Graham T.> Yellow Tail Damsel 11/21/06 Hello Crew: I wanted to run a reef stocking question by you. It is a 55 Gallon work in progress and I am trying to finish the fish list. I currently have 2 Percula Clown's, 2 Cardinals, and a Yellow Watchman Goby. I would really like to add either one or a small group of Yellow Tail Damsels. Would this be a problem for the Cardinals? <Likely not them... but the Perculas may negatively interact with these other Damsels in time> If not how many would you add? I really appreciate any information you can share. Thank you very much for everything you do. <Perhaps three... of small size. Bob Fenner> Adding a Yellow Tail Damsel to a peaceful 55g 11/20/06 Hello Crew: < Greetings, Emerson with you today. > I wanted to run a reef stocking question by you. < No problemo > It is a 55 Gallon work in progress and I am trying to finish the fish list. I currently have 2 Percula Clown's, 2 Cardinals, and a Yellow Watchman Goby. I would really like to add either one or a small group of Yellow Tail Damsels. < One would most likely be fine. > Would this be a problem for the Cardinals? < I have seen cardinals and damsels housed in a 55g with no ill effects. We are talking about damsels though, and these as with all fish can vary greatly in temperament from one to the next. > If not how many would you add? < I will venture to say that you could add a couple of damsels to your tank, given that they are of different species. A Yellow tail and a Talbot's would probably do fine given enough rock to claim as their own. If it were my tank I would add one damsel and enjoy the show :) > I really appreciate any information you can share. Thank you very much for everything you do. < You are very welcome and I hope the best for you and your tank! > Yellowtail damsels in a 29? Not advised 9/27/06 Hi Bob. Great website. I just set up a 29gal. saltwater tank with 20 lbs. of live rocks. I only want Yellowtail Damsels in this tank. Because I know that they are very hardy and can be in groups. <Mmm... are feisty with each other though... particularly when/where crowded in a small volume...> My question is: How many Yellowtails can I put in my tank? Thank you. <I would look for other livestock for this small system. Please start reading here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/smmarsysstkgfaqs.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner> How many blue devil damsels in a 55G tank? 8/13/06 And don't say zero. :) <Heeee heeeeee!> I know people dislike them, and I know why, but they're the reason I got into SW in the first place. For the last ten months I've had three in my 55G tank, along with a chocolate chip starfish (eight months), and a few small hermit crabs and shrimp. All is peaceful; the damsels do snipe at each other occasionally but it's not serious. I would like to get a few more. I do not plan to have any other kinds of fish in the tank - am I able to add more, and if so how many could my tank comfortably support? <Mmm, would have to define terms here... but three of the "standard species": http://www.wetwebmedia.com/chrysiptera.htm\ and the files linked above.> I will, of course, be quarantining them prior to their introduction to the main tank, and I intend to rearrange all rocks when they go in. Thanks! Heather <Could crowd a bunch more in... but they would eventually reduce their number to about this. Bob Fenner> Compatibility/Marine/Blue Devil & Tang, Flame Angel compatibility 2/23/06 Hi Bob and Crew, <Hello Mandy.> You have a fantastic site and I'm really impressed with your generosity in giving your time, so firstly thank you! <You're welcome.> I have a 55G tank Current inhabitants: 1 yellow tang 1 flame angel 1 sixline wrasse 2 blue-green Chromis 1) I really love the Blue Devil Damsels (Chrysiptera cyanea) and am wondering if they will be compatible with my yellow tang and flame angel? I would like to add 1, 3 or 5. <The tang and angel could hold their own but I think the Chromis' would be picked on.> 2) Will I need to remove the Chromises and sixline - are they compatible with the Blue Devils? 3) Would the Yellow-Tail Blue Damsel (Chrysiptera parasema) be a better option? <Yes, much less aggressive than the Blue Devil and do not grow quite as large.> Previous research: I posted a thread on the forum and unfortunately didn't get a definitive answer: http://wetwebfotos.com/talk/thread.jsp?forum=2&thread=34311&tstart=0&trange=15 I also researched WWM: Damsel compatibility http://www.wetwebmedia.com/damselcompfaqs.htm Chromis compatibility http://www.wetwebmedia.com/chromcompfaqs.htm Damsels http://www.wetwebmedia.com/damsels.htm Chrysiptera Damsels http://www.wetwebmedia.com/chrysiptera.htm I am a long-time reader, first-time emailer, and would very much appreciate your professional input. Thank you so much for your time. <You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)> Mandy Australia Orange tail damsel - 1/6/06 Hello and Happy New Year, <Thank you and the same to you> I first wanted to say that your website is great and I really appreciate all the hard work you guys put into it. <Our thanks> I am actually returning to the hobby after a two year hiatus. I have a 24 gallon nanocube with about forty pounds of beautiful aquacultured Florida live rock that is teaming with life. I'm trying to keep something low maintenance, so will not be keeping corals, except those that came with the live rock, and sponges and macroalgae! Well my question goes to stocking this tank. It will mainly be an invertebrate tank with crabs and shrimp and feather dusters, but for a fish I think I've narrowed it down to a Orangetail blue damsel, Chrysiptera cyanea. I want to keep one male and 2-3 females if this is feasible in this size aquarium. I would also like to keep some sort of goby, possibly a red-head goby, or clown goby. Wondering if this selection will work, or if you have any other suggestions. <David, three of the damsels is all I would keep in this tank. They do attain a length of three inches and as they age they become more aggressive, constantly defending their territory. I don't believe the gobies would fair too well with them. James (Salty Dog)> Thank you very much,<You're welcome> David Frisky fishes 10/5/05 Hello, My question is about the 2 yellow tailed damsels I have. Apparently they turned into a mating pair after buying from the LFS. After about a month of being in the tank the female started laying eggs, about 4 or 5 broods now, and they keep getting fertilized and hatching, though I'm sure all the fry get eaten or sucked into filtration, and those who dodge that bullet probably starve, so my question is...are all these dying fry having any sort of effect on my tank parameters? She lays new eggs about once a week, On advice from my LFS I tried lowering the water temp, but that didn't seem to discourage them from breeding, and I'm sure if I took out the fake plant she likes to lay them on, she would just lay them somewhere else, I would like to take a stab at breeding, but not with damsels, not worth most of the effort in the long run, seeing as how they are only $3.99 at the LFS, and I have read that damsel fry are hard to raise because they are so small. but any words of wisdom to curb my "spunky" fishes desire would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Jessica <No need to worry. You have a deli in your tank. Most if not all will be eaten as snacks providing some extra nourishment for your fish. Shouldn't have any effect on your water parameters, no more so than uneaten food in your tank. James (Salty Dog)> Orange tailed Damsel I have had an orange tailed damsel (Chrysiptera cyanea) for at least 5 years (no idea how old he was when I got him). He is in a 180 gal reef tank. Over the past year or so he seems to have gone through a transformation of sorts, now all of his fins are orange (or have orange on them and his whole body is flecked with orange. I attributed that to him going through some sort of super-male phase (do damsels do that). <Mmm, not as far as I'm aware... but this species does "color up" become more orange with age, growth> lately however there is a further development - his head is expanding in the area above and behind his eyes. This expansion appears to be symmetrical (left to right), but is to the point that the scales are raised. He almost looks like some of the fancy goldfish with the growths on their head. Behavior appears to be normal. Any idea what is going on here? <Well, damsels and many other fishes do get more "girthy" in the head region with time... but this may be pathological. Bob Fenner>
Re: Fiji damsel >Hi Marina (and crew of course)
>>Good morning, Connie! >I read your response today to someone
telling them about one of your fishes, a Fiji damsel. I have
checked all the suppliers on line that I know about and haven't
found any info. Could you tell me where you acquired this
pretty fish??? >>Oh my, that would have been Bob's
department, as I'd never seen the fish until I worked with him some
ten years ago or so. They came in a shipment he'd
ordered, but I'm going to do a quick search and see what I can
find. Ok, so far I'm finding that the pink and yellow
damsel I have been calling "Fiji" is something else entirely
from what most others are calling
"Fiji"! O! Lament the common
names! But I'm not finished yet. >Thanks
so much for your help, Marina. Connie >>You're
welcome, now let's see what I can find for
you! Here's something close, but it's not the same
fish
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.cfm?genusname=Neoglyphidodon&speciesname=nigroris
>>Here's a pretty one, but not the one I was talking
about...BOB! LOL http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.cfm?genusname=Chrysiptera&speciesname=bleekeri
>>This one demonstrates the posterior dorsal fin spot, but on the
animal I'm thinking of it wasn't ringed, still, beautiful
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.cfm?genusname=Pomacentrus&speciesname=vaiuli
>>
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.cfm?genusname=Chrysiptera&speciesname=rex
>>Well, that's it for my search. We'd have to
ask Bob if he remembers this little fish at all, because I've now
spent the better part of 45 minutes with no luck finding the exact fish
I remember, nothing even *quite* close. I am very sorry,
too! Marina Damsel in distress question? Hi There, I just started up a 12G saltwater tank with 10 lbs. of live rock and two yellow-tail blue damsels <! this species needs a good ten, fifteen gallons per... in a larger system> (the tank was cycling without them for a month prior). My question concerns one of the damsels as it stays in the bottom corner of the tank and every time it tries to venture out, the other damsel chases it back to the corner. Yesterday it was hiding in the top corner of the tank and looked as though a goner, but I guess it was just sleeping. Is he sick and the other damsel is just picking on him, and should I rearrange the rocks so they can redefine their territory? Thanks a lot, Jon <There's not enough room for such redefinition. I would remove one of them pronto. Bob Fenner> Fish Disease Hello to You: <Greetings to you!> I have attached 2 photos of my male Blue Devil Damsel (is that right?). <I'm going out on a limb and saying that I think it's a female Chrysiptera cyanea (blue devil> He has some stuff on the base of the fin, and now on the edge of the same fin. He seems to be using that fin less than the "healthy" one kind of swimming in circles - HAHA - just kidding. <The two items mentioned above are what's concerning me. If he isn't using the fin something is wrong. Ich (Cryptocaryon) is spots that look like salt. Not likely in this case. Marine velvet (Amyloodinium) looks more like tufts of cotton or a covering of cotton. IMO this is what I think I see on your fish. I can't be positive from this distance. If she's been scratching or glancing against objects, this will give a clue that it may be a parasite> I needed a little laugh in this time of grief, as this is my first illness, and maybe death, <She isn't dead yet!> in these early months of the hobby. Any identification? <I don't get too freaked out about small places on fins because they can have accidents from time to time that will make the fins have small places that become less than translucent. These places sometimes come from other fish taking a bite or normal damage while swimming around the tank. Having written this, frequently fins are the first place that parasites will attach and become visible: especially ich> I just moved him to QT: of course I have a couple of crabs & snails in QT at the moment. <If he is infected, you are increasing the chances that the snails and crabs (while immune to the effects of ich or velvet) can be carriers of a disease> That limits treatment, right? <No copper with snails and crabs> I appreciate your help more than any LFS, because you don't take my money (CMA notwithstanding, but that was a steal anyway!) Thanks, Rich. <Check your CMA book for directions on giving treatments for Amyloodinium. Then check the website for the same. At least do a freshwater bath with formalin or Methylene blue (see CMA or WWM for directions) and possibly start a copper treatment. If you do copper you won't be able to put invertebrates in the QT any longer. Read and decide for yourself what will work best. Good luck! David Dowless> Chrysiptera <<Greetings,>> Hi, I found your page by an accident (a nice accident) Please if you can I will appreciate if you can get me out of this doubt? I bought two damselfish, the first one I'm pretty confident that is a Chrysiptera cyanea, but the second one I'm not sure, because the name is the yellow tail damsel (and looks like), but when I was surfing the net and for my surprise, in different places I found the same photograph for both of these fishes: Chrysiptera hemicyanea and Chrysiptera parasema. There are 2 yellow tail damsels?? If there are, how can I know the differences? <<Well, Fishbase has the Chrysiptera hemicyanea as the Azure damsel, and the photo they have does not show a yellow tail. Here's their link: http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.cfm?ID=6919&genusname=Chrysiptera &speciesname=hemicyanea And of course, the Chrysiptera parasema is the yellow-tail damsel as you identified: http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.cfm?ID=12448&genusname=Chrysiptera &speciesname=parasema The pictures you saw on the Internet were likely mixed up.>> Thanks for your time Carlos D?z (Guatemala, Central America) <<Cheers, J -- >> Feeding Tangs Thank you very much for your prompt answer, now I'm sure it is a Chrysiptera parasema. Another question...With the damsels I bought a Tang (Zebrasoma ). It attacked all the green hair algae. If he (or she) is still eating at that rate, my tank will be free of green hair algae in just a few days more... my question is: Then, what am I going to give him (or her) to eat? <Please look at the writings on WWM concerning Surgeonfishes. -Steven Pro> Re: Yellowtail Damselfish I have a problem with both my damsels. One keeps attacking the other one. <Very typical with many species of Damselfishes... territorial generally. Sometimes keeping them in odd numbers lessens the damage to just one in "even number" settings. You might try adding another individual if there's room, placing more habitat (e.g. live rock)... otherwise it would be prudent to remove the one getting beaten> I would like to keep one of them, but would like to get another fish. Do you have any suggestions? I started my tank only 2 weeks ago. <Please read through the "Livestocking" sections on our site: WetWebMedia.com ... There is much "going back and forth" we'd have to go through to inform you. For instance, you provide little information on how large your system is, its make-up... All important factors in such determinations> Oh yeah, this might be a silly question, but is it dangerous if a fish mates with other species within the same genus? <Dangerous? No. Generally will not result in viable offspring. Bob Fenner> Thank you. Yellowtail Damselfish Hi there. I was wondering if you could tell me how I can tell a male yellowtail damsel from a female yellowtail damsel? <little dimorphism... no reliable sexing I know for the laymen> Is there any other type of damsel that would mate with the yellowtail? <hopefully not, but I suspect so (other species within the genus). Please don't encourage it. Anthony> Thank you. Cindy Damsel in Distress Mr. Fenner: <<JasonC here, Bob is in the tropics somewhere... >> Thank you again for taking the time to answer questions. I have a 165g tank with 45lbs of live rock and 20lbs of red porous rock. Will continue to build up the rockscape as budget allows. I only have three Yellow Tailed Blue Damsels (Chrysiptera parasema) and one South Seas Devil (Chrysiptera taupou) in the entire tank. Have had these fish for 2 weeks and was using them to get the cycle going. The yellow tailed seemed to chase each other periodically but only for a brief spurt. My LFS thought that a 165 was large enough to allow these fish to each have space. <<the tank surely is, but the actual cover [rock work] is perhaps a little sparse for a tank of this size at the moment.>> However, after the water change two days ago the smallest yellow tailed, about 1 2" others 2", spends most of the light period behind the CPR overflow U section. It never did that before. <<most likely his first water change... >> Then when the lights turn to the blue only (to simulate dusk / dawn) it comes down and swims around. I feed these fish twice a day (flakes in am, brine shrimp in pm) and they gobble it all up. <<always a good sign>> Will this damsel thrive in this set up? <<the individual or the group?>> Do I need more hiding places? <<yes>> Should I feed more to possibly cut down on the other damsels chase spurts? <<probably wouldn't actually have the desired result - more energy to chase...>> Or should I try to take the fish out? <<more live rock will help. In a group of three like this, you end up with one being the low man on the totem-pole. More cover will help this, but most likely this one will always seem to be the most chased after, rock or not. Have kept three of these myself - sounds very familiar. Cheers, J -- >> Thank you again for your thoughts. Steve Re: algae Thanks Bob. Good news. My son has received one of your books already ' the conscientious' etc. I guess the next will follow soon. By Christmas I should have them all. I will follow Your advise and keep You posted. I found out that I have a lot of friends on the islands that could supply me with live rock and live sand if necessary. They are all excited about my final setup. Is it a good idea to put ' Caulerpa ' or turtle grass in the tank? <Caulerpa spp. are excellent, Turtle Grass is actually not easy to keep... for it you really need a very large system... or even a separate sump for culture> I might get that myself. I will send You photos and keep You updated. It seems that I never run out of questions. Sorry. If You ever happen to come this way, make sure You contact me before hand. Tel/fax: 504 442- 2713 <Ah! Will do so my friend. Haven't been back to your part of the world for a few years.> The question about the 'Chrysiptera parasema ' is that it costs only about a third of an ocellaris!! But I don't want to start with a damsel that doesn't allow another fish in the tank afterwards! Always at your service. Bernd <This type of "yellow-tail blue demoiselle" is actually pretty easy going... mellow enough to go with most all: http://wetwebmedia.com/chrysiptera.htm Be chatting my friend. Bob Fenner> |
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