damsel eggs... rdg., the usual
3-11-08
hello,
my black with yellow tail damsel have laid eggs today 3-11-08,the father is now
guarding them ,my question is : they laid them inside a barnacle, which a home
of the father and also a royal Gramma, could set up a small tank a place the
barnacle there without the parents, and try to
feed them, would the tank need anything special, i have a 12 gal eclipse, i
could put a foam insert over the intake tube, I use to breed s.w. fish ,i would
feed them crushed flakes and baby brine ,would this work ,any suggestion would
be appreciated ..thank you Ruth
<... Using spell, grammar checkers, reading here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/marine/fishes/part2.htm
scroll down... the tray on Damsels, their Reproduction... Bob Fenner>
Damsel questions 1/25/06
I just purchased a Sergeant Major Damsel which looks like it might be
Abudefduf saxatilis , I have a couple questions regarding its behavior. I'm
feeding
it flake food and frozen brine, and the flake food bottle says to feed it as
much as it can eat in 2 to 3 minutes, but the problem is that it eats really
fast. I'm worried that if I let him go at it for 2 minutes he might over eat. <I
feed small amounts until the fish show no interest.> Also
a little while ago, I went up to the aquarium and the fish had its dorsal fin
raised up as if in "aggressive mode," and acted a little bit lethargic. This
only lasted for a minute though. Should I be worried? <No> Water parameters are
good, and it seems to be fine now. Also I heard that this is a very aggressive
fish, <The school bully.> what other animals can I add to the tank without
having to be worried about them being bullied? <The same, three spot damsels,
blue devils, etc.> This is the only animal, meaning I have no cleaning crew,
<I'd consider getting one.> any recommendations? Thank you so much for your
time, you guys are a real help. <You're welcome, and in the future please do a
spelling/grammar check before sending. Really don't like editing queries for
spelling/grammar. James (Salty Dog)>
Andy
Damsels
Hi, I recently purchased two blue devil damsels, one is 2in long, another 1 in long.
Please tell me how old they approximately are and if they are male/female (they both are same color, smaller fish has more black on the tail).
<Impossible to determine sex... age... likely a few to several months>
At what age (size?) are they sexually mature and start mating? If they are a pair might they still fight?
<Several months... they might fight in any case>
Also do I need to supplement an Eclipse filter system with protein skimmer, what are the alternatives?
<Skimmers are very worthwhile... though fitting one onto an Eclipse unit is tough... requires cutting the top. You might want to Google this topic... or read, search on WetWebFotos.com re>
My tank is 25 gallon (tall), have sand, live rock, macro algae, two Turbos, sand sifting star and mushroom coral. System is 3 years old, ammonia is zero.
Veronika Garga
<Okay... Bob Fenner>
Blue damsel problem
Hi Bob, <Hi Angie>
While I just found your site a few days ago it has helped me tremendously I just
started a salt water tank about 2 weeks ago its 55 gallons and currently has a
fluval304 filter, 300 watt heater we let the coral sit 7 days as recommended by
our pet store and the ammonia, PH, nitrate and salinity is perfect according to
our tests as for decor its just "natural" nothing plastic rocks with cave like
holes and such and some silk plants as recommended because they said for live
plants we would quote "have to spend about 500 bucks for lighting" I'm not sure
how true that is and some stuff called cycle to "mature" the tank as we are new
to salt water I have had fresh water aquariums in the past.
My problem is to start off the tank we purchased 6 damsels 3 3 stripe and 3 blue
<too many fish to start the cycle, two would have been plenty>the first day in
all was fine and today one of the blue damsels looked very bloated and his mouth
was open like in sort of a kissing position for a long time then after a bit it
sort of looked like it was peeling just around the mouth I have never seen
something like that before I wasn't sure what to do we had ran out to purchase a
smaller tank as a "hospital tank" and when we came home he was belly up we
immediately took him out with a sample of water to bring to the pet store
tomorrow I just had a few questions in general about this and the tank.
1. do I have to worry about whatever it was he had going to the other fish they
are all looking fine and seem to be swimming happily in their new home?<I would
guess one of the black and whites went a few rounds with him. You will find
later that the black and white damsels will raise holy hell in your tank>2.
would you suggest getting real plants and the new lighting and removing the silk
ones and is that really how much it will run us to get the lighting?<your tank
is too new to be thinking about live plants. At least wait till it cycles. And
no, lighting will not cost you 500 bucks. Go to www.Drsfoster&smith.com. They
have a good selection of lighting that will work with live plants. Around 4 to 5
watts per gallon would be sufficient.>
3. this one might sound novice but I am a beginner, how many times a day are we
supposed to feed damsels the guy at the store said once every 2 days and not to
feed them when we get home as they were fed already that day so today when we
fed them they acted like they were starving poor little guys :)?< I would feed
less and feed once a day. Your only overfeeding if you put more food in the tank
than your fish can consume. This leads to problems also.>4. I have read a lot
in the articles and questions on here about a protein skimmer do you suggest we
get one right away the man said I can wait till the tank is about 2 months but I
don't want to do anything that would be harmful to the fish so if you suggest it
should go in now I will get it right away?<A protein skimmer is not absolutely
necessary but certainly improves the water quality. In a new tank it probably
wouldn't do much, there is not enough nutrients to take out of the water
yet. Like your dealer says wait a couple months.>
5. and lastly we really really want to get a yellow tang but the man said that
we should wait till the tank is quote "cloudy" a bit even tho I'm hoping it
never gets in that shape but we love this fish so I would like to know when
would be the best time to get him?<I don't understand what he means
"cloudy". Tangs require good water quality and plenty of room since they are
very active swimmers. You don't say how big the tank is, but 70 gallons is a
good choice for keeping tangs. A 55 gallon will work, but keep in mind as a
tang grows they need more room.>thank you for your time I know you must receive
many many emails per day and so sorry for so many questions its just that when
we went to buy the filter and coral one guy helped us and he told us a bunch of
things about starting a salt water aquarium then when we went back to get the
damsels it was another man and everything he said sort of contradicted what the
first man said so were in a tight spot with too much advice from people that I'm
not so sure know exactly what they are talking about & thanks for having such a
resourceful site :)<I recommend you purchase Bob Fenner's book, "The
Conscientious Aquarist". It is a excellent book that you can always refer
to. James (Salty Dog)>
Angie
Re: blue damsel problem
<Hello Angela>
I wanted to thank you sooo much for answering so quickly and was just wondering
one more thing the man at the store said it was a minimum to start with 6 fish
and you had said 2 would be fine and a different man said today that while its
cycling I am going to lose more fish I don't want them to die so am I really
going to lose more fishies :(( I just want them happy and don't want to kill
them off. You won't necessarily lose these fish its just that when you start
cycling a tank, the more fish in it increases the initial level of ammonia to a
more toxic level. This varies with the size of the aquarium. James (Salty
Dog)>
thanks again
Angie
Adding another damsel & strange Jawfish
Hello Crew! <How goes it? Michael here, back after some hectic times>
I have a few questions that I am hoping you can answer. <Will try my
best> I have a well established 55-gal minireef and one of the inhabitants (my
first marine fish actually) is a yellowtail damsel. I am wondering if
it would cause a problem adding another yellowtail damsel to the tank
(territory problems, getting picked on, etc.)? All of the other fish get along
great with one another as I have been careful in their selection. I know
with some fish, adding two can divide up the new aggression so I am not sure if
I should add one or two damsels. <With stocking issues considered, I would add
two. Also, before adding them, you may want to feed your damsel, rearrange the
rockwork, and turn off the lights when adding the newcomers>
Also, is there any way to determine the sex of damsels? <Besides behavioral
cues, not without a microscope for most species> How difficult is it to get
them to pair up in a captive system? I have several wonderful pairs of
creatures in my tank (fire shrimp, perculas, cleaner shrimp) and it would be
great to have another matched. Can I plan for this or will it be just a lucky
chance if they do pair up? <Damsels will often start out male when younger, and
as they age change sex to female. If you wanted to get a mated pair, I would
start out with about 5 young specimens (1" or less) and let them grow up
together. A female may emerge, with a mate chosen if you're lucky>
One final question--more of an observation really. I have a Yellowheaded
Jawfish (one of my favorite fish to watch) and he has finally settled into the
same hole for the last 3 weeks. He kept moving around, digging up all my sand,
until I gave him a handful of aquarium gravel to use for his hole under a
rock. He used it all and it is amazing how he has stacked them up making a den
for himself. Starting last week, he has taken to barricading himself in his
hole using the pebbles!! At first I thought the pebbles caved in on him so I
looked under the tank through the glass and he has quite a little cave dug
under the rock. When feeding time came, he pushed them out and came out to
eat. Then he went back in and barricaded himself back in his hole! Is this
normal for them or is my fish afraid of open spaces? I thought it was the
addition of my coral beauty (after he came out of 6 weeks of QT) but he started
this behavior before I added the new fish. I am just curious if you have heard
of anyone else having this happen? <Depending on how your tank is decorated,
this could be quite natural. How long have you had him? Is the tank sparsely
decorated? Usually they get used to their surroundings in a month or two, but
yours seems a bit shyer than is average. However, all fish are different. Make
sure there is plenty of cover for him and he may come out more often. As a side
note, I have a figure 8 puffer that wedges his head in a decoration I have in
his tank to sleep - every fish is different!>
Thanks again for all your help and you have a wonderful site!! <No problems,
hope I've helped>
-Ray W.
<M. Maddox>
- Catching a Devilish Damsel -
WWM Team
My blue devil has turned very nasty now that he is an adult (even more so than
what I was willing to except before buying him). it's so bad some of
my other fish will not come out of the live rock. I really want to
return him but I can't get to him with a net with all the LR I have. I
even tried rearranging the rock but he just picked up his old habits. what
can I do? <I'd try baiting a barbless hook - this actually works better than
you might think.>
thanks, your site has really helped me with this great hobby for the past 2
years.
BTW, when does the second volume of the invert series come out? <Well, I'm
not as in tune with the process on this book as I was on the last one, but I get
the impression it should be ready sometime in the Summer, perhaps early
Fall.>
Mark
<Cheers, J -- >
A Little Story About Jack and Lilly...
I'm new to the hobby and I'm just starting to get me feet wet.
<Ahh- easy solution to that one- make sure that the siphon hose is in the
bucket and your feet will stay dry! (I couldn't resist that one!) Scott F. with
you today>
I have a 55 gallon tank and finally got it started 14 days ago. I purchased two
Damsel fish, (Jack and Lilly), in order to help with my Nitrogen cycle. Jack and
Lilly have been living happily in their new home for the past 10 days. When I
replaced the air driven gravel filter with two power heads, two days ago, Jack
and Lilly have changed. Both fish are purple and refuse to leave the rock they
call home. They just hang out by the lift tube and just sit on the gravel
refusing to eat or swim. I have checked all levels of Ammonia, Nitrites,
Nitrates, pH, Salinity and several other water test in an attempt to find the
culprit. All water tests were in acceptable range. My temperature did rise after
the addition of the power heads from 76-78 to 78-80. Do you think they are
spooked by the power heads after living with the air system?
<Well, in the absence of other possible causes of potential distress, such as
illness, it may simply be that Jack and Lilly need to adjust to the greater
current that the powerheads are putting out. One could speculate about more
exotic stuff, like stray electrical current, excessive vibrations, and all kinds
of stuff is possible! It could even be coincidental that the strange behavior
started when the powerheads were installed.>
Do you have any advise to what I can do in order to help Jack and Lilly. I have
grown very fond of the pair and enjoy having them as part of the family.
<I'm sure that Jack and Lilly will settle in just fine! I would simply keep
an eye on the fish and be prepared to intervene should disease or other problems
manifest themselves at a later time. Good luck! Regards, Scott F.>
Fishes IDS/pics - www.fishbase.org 7/13/03
Dear wetweb, my name is Sanusi. I'm a student of Diponegoro University
Indonesia. I have a problem in my thesis about damselfishes. it is because
there's a problem in finding picture of the species. Could you help me to send
me pictures of damselfishes especially these species: Pomacentrus cyanomous,
Abudefduf melas, Dascyllus reticulatus, Abudefduf assimilis and Abudefduf
leucogaster. Thanks for your attention. Sanusi
<cheers, my friend. Let me direct you to one of the finest databases on the
Internet for pics of fishes/IDs: http://www.fishbase.org
you can use their search fields to find pages on the species you seek. Kind
regards, Anthony>
Chromis Deaths
Dear friends:
<Ryan tonight>
I have had two unexplained death's in my tank last night. They were a pair of
black and gold Chromis. Pretty hardy fish I thought. <Truly depends on the
individual, my friend.>
I have a 46 Gallon bow front which is 2.5 months old. Did a 20% water change a
day earlier. <With what? Did you let the water age properly before
putting in in? Was the new water roughly the same temperature as the
system's water?> Water parameters are as follows:
pH: 8.0 - 8.2
NH4: 0
N03: 0-5ppm
N03: 0
Temp: 82 F
SG: 1.023
pair of blue damsels (small)
pair of ocellaris clowns (small)
maroon clown (small)
spotted hawk (small)
azure damsel (small)
4 hermit crabs
2 inch CaribSea aragonite
Is my tank still unstable? I used to have no problems with my 20 G.
What gives?
<Nothing you've given me really raises any flags. Possibly the
water temperature of the water change- Was all this livestock placed in at
once? Have you checked this system for available
oxygen? The pair kicking the bucket in harmony is a little odd- may
be factors out of your control here. To take the guesswork out of
situations like these, I would highly recommend a regimen of quarantine and
freshwater dips. Take note to carefully observe the rest of your
livestock in the coming weeks. This will be your greatest asset in
preventing more deaths. This article will be most useful http://wetwebmedia.com/toxictk.htm
Best of luck! Ryan>
Damsels
>Hey Guys-
>>And gals, we've got three as crewmembers, Marina here this morning.
>Great Site!!!
>>Thank you.
>I have a 55 gallon reef tank with plenty of cured rock
>>? Plenty of?
>...recently I lost power in my home for 4 days and lost everything in my
tank...for the past 3 months I have kept 4 damsels in the tank trying to keep
something in the water...after trying a tang and a clown (which both died of ick) the damsels have remained healthy.
>>Please DO get into the practice of quarantining ALL new additions to
avoid these deaths in future, protocol is a minimum of 30 days. Freshwater
dipping is also helpful, but do know that it's clear you have either Cryptocaryon
or Amyloodinium already within the system. You will not be rid of
this unless you remove all vertebrates and allow the tank to lie fallow for 6-8
weeks. During this period you can keep the nitrification cycle going
(and your bacterial culture up and running) by throwing in a bit of peeled
shrimp (just one should suffice), or a small bit of fish food.
>I really like the hardiness of the damsels and want to know what I can
possible add with them that they won't attack immediately. (the damsels are
Chrysiptera?
- 2 yellow tails and 2 electric blue)
>>Right, A.K.A. blue devils FOR A REASON. ;) You'll more than
likely have to remove them to add most other denizens, as they're a
"mob" or "gang" by now to any new additions (that have been
properly quarantined first, of course). After that, I would consider
something like Coris gaimard or other wrasses, you can also consider one of the
various gobies or blennies that remain on the rockwork or tank floor. Also,
pseudochromids are good choices in that they remain small and are pugnacious
enough to hold their own, do not mix the species in this size tank. Hawkfish,
though do know that many are known jumpers. The more assertive clowns
can hold their own, but only if they're place in the tank first when you have a
group of damsels like this. Just remember to not add fish that will
become overly large quickly, like tangs, in a system like this and you should be
ok. Best of luck to you! Marina
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
Re: Blue Damsels salt levels
I currently have a 29 gal. Brackish tank, I have been told that blue damsels
can live with a salt level of 1.017 my tank is currently 1.018 with 2 archers an
Orange Chromed and some bumble bee gobies. I wanted to add a few damsels but am
kind of afraid to add fish that I thought needed 1.020 at least. Can they
tolerate brackish water? Thanks
<They can tolerate the lower salinity but are much better off being kept at
true marine levels. There are a few species of Damsels that are from fresh or
brackish areas, you might want to check into these. Take a look at http://home.rochester.rr.com/akom/FAQ7.htm
for a list of the freshwater ones and do some research for the brackish
varieties. Ronni>
Welcome to my Part of the Tank 2/28/03
Hi again so sorry new question.<No problem!! Phil with ya
today!> OK I broke apart the rock and did really well separated the 2 carpet
anemones (I think that is what they are) brown little
nodules with green tips on one and lavender tips on the other one any way
everyone is fine and placed everything in nice spots here is my question my
yellow tailed damsels keep backing into the larger carpet with its tail 3 or
4 times consecutively and then swims away what in good lords name is it
doing?<That's a good question! He may just be wondering what the
heck it is and why is it in "his" part of the tank. He may
also think it's a type of food. My advice is to sit back and
watch... It must be quite funny to see him/her do this over and
over. As long as the damsel doesn't hurt himself it should be ok.>
Thanks again Misty<Hope this helps Misty!! Phil>
- Undermining Damsels... -
Hello... <Hello, JasonC here...> I have a new tank, 75 gal. just in its
6th week, I have nine kinds of Damsel fish in it to start the cycling process,
all fish are great, eat well twice a day and very active. But in just the last
week or so (I have 2 Yellowtails) I have been finding large areas of substrate
dug out behind the barnacles I have. <Yeah, they do that.> And tonight
while watching I noticed that the 2 of them are at it again, picking up and
moving the crushed coral, also noticed one of them flicking or shimmering are
these 2 up to mating? <No, they're just establishing the pecking order.>
My tank has not yet cycled and the nitrites are still very high, is it possible
for them to lay eggs? <Not in these circumstances.> I can't get much info
on them as far as mating and breeding could you please tell me more about their
breeding and could it happen in a new tank? <Not in a brief email. I suggest
you turn to a search engine for this, but do keep in mind... it's still cheaper
to buy them than to rear them.> Thanks... Also about the nitrites, still been
high and have not started to drop, any ideas... <Be patient... these things
take time, and you've chosen the long road. I'd expect things to get to normal
in about eight to nine weeks.> thanks again Tony.. can't wait to hear from
you as no one in the local store could add any more information on my Damsel
situation...
thanks Tony in Natick, Mass....
<Cheers, J -- >
Re: damselfish question etc.
hello again, this is Tony and I emailed you about 2 yellowtail damselfish
possibly mating in my new tank, 75 gal, 6th week of cycling and was just
wondering since I am new to this and your great pages, will you email me back or
should I look for a response to my question on the faq pages, thanks again and
can't stop reading your pages, great and lots of info...Tony in Natick
Mass
<Thanks and we respond first to the querier, and post all to the daily FAQs
then on to individual FAQs files. Bob Fenner>
Stocking Damsels, lionfish
Respected sir bob
<Craig here today Monty>
Well sir I want to know that when you are coming to Singapore please tell me the
month I will come to meet you in Singapore. Well sir I, think you should come to
India as its the beautiful country especially the people here in India.
<Thank you Monty, I know many on the crew would love to see Singapore and
India.>
On my previous mail I told you my list they are:- percula clown, yellowtail
Damsel, humbug damsel, blue damsel and dwarf lion fish. Sir, I have not added a
single fish yet. I just want to know that is the
list is ok. Your advice will be appreciated, Monty
<Monty, please read http://www.wetwebmedia.com/damsels.htm,
this will help you with your selection. Make sure you have enough room to keep
this number of Damsels/clowns without aggression. The lionfish must be small as
it will eat your Damsels if it can get it's mouth around them. Best
wishes, Craig>
Clownfish/Damsel question
WWM crew,
This may be completely ridiculous but I have a question on damsels. I
know they are territorial and I'm not really planning on getting any but I heard
they resist disease and parasites, is this true? Second question is
if they do, do clownfish have this same trait since they are members of the
damselfish family?
<Mmm, well, there are some 325 described species... and some are overtly
territorial... but there are rather peaceable (on the reef life scale)
species... And there is a "typical" range of ease of susceptibility of
infectious and parasitic disease amongst these fishes... some species and
shipments are "rock solid", others all dead and dying. The subfamily
Amphiprionae (the Clowns)... are on "average" terrible collected
straight from the wild... and much, much better in these terms when captive
produced. Bob Fenner>
Thanks, Mike
