# damsel fish



## R/CBOONE72 (Jan 14, 2011)

I currently have one blue damsel. He is aggressive towards my new goby and I understand they are slightly aggressive. He was the fish I got to start me in SW from fw. I would like to know if getting 2 or 3 more blue damsels would ease aggression in this fish towards my goby and my soon to be together ocellaris clowns iny new tank, or should I give my blue damsel to a fish store and order 3 or so blue/green chromis as I understand they have great temperament. Thanks for your input.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Nooo.... do not get more blues in an attempt to lower aggression. All that would do is give them more to fight over!
Blues are not slightly aggressive.. they're downright vicious. They are usually only good for cycling the tank, and then you trade them back into the store. Some stores even loan them out for this purpose instead of selling them!
Get RID of the blue beastie before you try to add anything else, or things will get bloody.

Green Chromis, on the other hand, are the opposite. They are mild schoolers and a pleasure in almost any tank. 3-5 of those will normally not bother anyone. Better yet, they way they change color makes them a useful indicator of tank conditions; if something is wrong they'll fade out as reliably as a chemical test strip.


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## funlad3 (Oct 9, 2010)

But don't chromis usually die off until they reach a number of between one and three? Just what I've read. If they don't I'll eventually be getting some!


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

What?

Well, that could be sorta true in a way; if you have too few of them, they will fight amongst themselves like barbs would, eventually with only the few baddest ones surviving. With enough of them to spread around the aggression, though, they do okay.


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## R/CBOONE72 (Jan 14, 2011)

Okay. Thanks. I will give the blue damsel away and order some chromis.


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## funlad3 (Oct 9, 2010)

What's the magic number then? Again, I've read three works well.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

That's just what you tend to wind up with in the end, but if you want to have a bunch of them, then get over a dozen. You'd need a big tank, of course. They like to hover over a big Acropora table into which they can dive for safety as a group, but since that's pretty much out of the question, you'd have to get creative in mimicking up something similar. This is only for optimum results, mind you, but they like their hidey-holes.


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## funlad3 (Oct 9, 2010)

Well that's cool! I can eventually get three, but I'll need better lighting first...


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