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Domino damsel in distress... Whamba jammeda along w/ an
Aplysiid in a 29 cube 7/7/13 Domino Damsel acting weird 2/26/11 Dascyllus reticulatus, beh. 11/21/10 Damsels/Compatibility 10/20/10
Damsel and Goby behavior: Damsel Aggression
8/30/3009 Damsel vs. Angel 3 stripe damsel labored breathing and turning colors
01/22/09 Hi my name is Brandie. <"Oh Brandie...
you're a fine girl, what a good wife you would be! But my life, my
love, my lady... is the sea!" Sorry... I love that song.>
I'm new at this, I just started my salt water tank a few weeks ago.
I have read all throughout my book and online but can find no answers.
I have a 30 gallon tank and all I have in it is 2 blue and yellow
damsels and 1 three stripe damsel. <Poor choices for a 30g tank.
They will get big and mean and kill each other or die.> Today when I
got home I noticed my three stripe was belly up at the bottom of the
tank. It now has labored breathing, the white parts of its body are
turning gray and it is completely still but just jerking occasionally.
I am very paranoid and I check my water daily and it is fine so what
could this be? <What do you mean by "fine?" What all did
you check? How long has the tank been set up? What do you have for
filtration? I'm sorry, but I need a lot more information to help
you.> Is it a disease? Please help soon! <I suspect toxic shock
of some sort... but again, I need more info please. Best, Sara M.>
Question About Domino Damsel, beh., comp. - 03/12/08 WWM staff, <<Greetings Rosanna>> I have a 55 gal FOWLR with a Domino Damsel, a Percula Clown and three Four Striped Damsels. <<Wow, an aggressive bunch…I imagine everybody is kept "on their toes" in this tank…and adding any newcomers is probably not a good idea either>> I inherited the tank from a friend that was moving (my first salt water aquarium), and I have had the tank for about four years. I know that my friend had the tank for about a year or two with the same fish before I received it. <<Mmm, interesting indeed…I would have thought the Domino Damsel to have "cleaned house" by now. There's obviously some testament to "growing-up together" and "habituation" here. If you are not aware, Dascyllus trimaculatus are generally VERY aggressive…even downright "mean." So mean in fact, that I have heard Bob comment that if they grew to 12" he would not go in the ocean! [grin]>> I am getting ready to move everything to a fully established 95 gal tank with sump (I am very excited about this). <<You should be…very nice>> My question is regarding the Domino, who is now about four inches in size. <<Yowza…a bruiser (as Dominos go)…these fish only attain about 5" in the wild!>> I have been keeping an eye on him for aggression, but do not seem to have any problems yet. <<Amazing…>> Occasionally, he will chase the four-striped, but I have created a number of places in the tank where the larger Domino cannot get to the smaller fish, <<Excellent>> and he seems to be best friends with the clown. <<Lucky for the clown…>> They even sleep next to each other. Anyway, I know that this Domino is getting near full size. <<Yes…and has likely reached such in this captive environment>> I have been trying to find some information on when the Domino will change to its adult coloring. <<Sometimes they 9many captive fishes) just don't… With this fish being 5-6 years old, if anything was going to "change" I think it would have done so by now>> Is the change based on age, size, or some other parameter? Rosanna <<It is likely a combination of factors…age, diet, and environmental cues such as the presence (or lack of) conspecifics and available space/confines of the tank. The move to the larger tank "may" trigger some change (though I'm doubtful)…only time will tell. Regards, EricR>> BTA Hosting Domino Damsel 3/10/08 Hello, how are you today? <Just fine Jessica> I have a question(s) that I have not been able to find the answer to online, other then a few user posts on a forum that was not real helpful. Yesterday my RBTA split 2 ways and it appears that it is splitting again. I have a Domino Damsel that has started hosting the original BTA, just yesterday after the split. Is this normal for a Damsel to do this? Since this fish does not regularly host anemones will the Rose eat the fish? And since the anemone is probably somewhat stressed out over the split, is the Damsel going to further agitate the BTA? (The Rose is still a very large size and much larger then the Domino)....I want them all to live and thrive, I just wonder if the Domino will ruin that for everyone. any words would be wonderful, and have a great day. <Jessica, it is not at all uncommon for Domino Damsels to do this. Quite common to see this on the reefs.> Thanks a lot. <You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)> Jessica Damsel bent, and holy fatness!! 10/1/07 hi crew, if it isn't one tank it's another! I have 3 black and white stripped damsels (Humbug aruanus). I've had them about 2 weeks. 1 of them, after my water change yesterday bent like a banana and became really fat! <Unusual> Looks like he (or she) swallowed a marble. The only thing I can find with that as a symptom is fish TB, and skinny is a symptom there, not fat. I thought that only affected freshwater fish. Then I thought some sort of internal parasite, but no luck on finding anything on that with these symptoms. There are no other symptoms. Scales appear fine, all intact, no spots or dots or holes. Tail and fins are intact. Color is great. Just all bent in the spine, fat and swimming sideways, like swirling. sometimes does a summersault. <Bad> He'll rest on a plant for a while. I watched the tank for a long time, And the other damsels and the clownfish appear to be worried(?). Seriously. They are hanging close to him and if he hides in a plant someone will swim and hover by him or swim between him and the glass. Almost an encouraging/comforting type thing, <Are social animals, both species> he stays in the open water half of the time, no one is picking on him or anything. I've tried to chase him with the net to move him to the nursery tank, Then he swims almost normal across the tank and hides very quickly, but still bent. His breathing doesn't seem to be erratic, but the poor thing is working awful hard to stay upright. He's only a 4 dollar fish so I won't be devastated if he doesn't make it, but if it's something contagious, I need to know what it might be, if it'll spread to my other critters and how to treat it. All other tankmates appear to be normal. Water parameters, 55 gal. Temp. 78 Salinity 1.024 Nitrate 0 Nitrite 0 PH 8.4 Ammonia 0 Calcium 480 <A bit high... are you boosting? How?> Phosphate 0 Carb. Hardness 8-9 (should this be higher?) I don't try to raise it if it's in the normal range. Alk 180 Thank you once again, I'm so glad you here for all of us. Rochelle <Perhaps a gut blockage... From? All one can do is wait, hope here. Bob Fenner> Attention Bob Fenner; Trapping a Damsel and A Query (NRA V.s 2,3> 8/21/07 Hi Bob <Kerry> Please let me begin by apologizing for sending this through the FAQs. It seems that the link to email you directly doesn't work. <Yes> Thanks again for your assistance with my Lawnmower Blenny/Feather Duster issue. All is well and they are in our display tank now (with no interaction to date; we are keeping an eye on things). A story to share if I may (nothing new to you I'm sure, but interesting to us) and a query after that; Two years ago, my-then-boyfriend-now-hubby and I got into the hobby, setting up a 20 gallon marine tank. Being rookies, we made the typical mistakes and lost corals for making them, but we have been successful (to date) with our fishes and Corallimorphs and we have learned as we've gone along. We chose 2 small Perculas, a Regal Tang (who was so small he could hide behind a quarter if there had been one in the tank) and a small Three Stripe Damsel. Nine months after starting out we moved and "moved up" to a 90 gallon tank (the 20 is now one of our quarantine tanks). For two years the fishes have gotten along wonderfully. The Damsel and Tang have shared sleeping quarters almost from day one. We thought we had the Damsel who was the exception to the rule regarding Damsel attitudes. We should have been so lucky!! <Things... e.g. Damsel beh., changes> Recently, we decided to add some new "critters". Being (somewhat) wiser, this time we did our research. We attempted to choose our new pets wisely, trying to ensure that they would not occupy the same areas as our current fishes and that their "personalities" would be compatible. We quarantined them. We rearranged the rocks. We acclimated them with water from the display tank; the lights were dimmed while we did so. We added them to the display tank with the lights dimmed. We had approximately 20 minutes of peace and then our exceptionally calm Damsel became possessed and gets worse daily. From the time that the lights come on until they go off, he chases the new fishes (a Firefish and a Canary Wrasse; the Blenny has been left alone as he didn't react the first time he was charged). Neither of them has been driven into hiding but the Tang appears to be stressed by it all. He has been spending the day frantically swimming back and forth behind the rocks. He is a "fraidy fish" with a nervous disposition but this is atypical behavior for him. Hubby had to make a tough decision (the Damsel was one of his choices when we started out), opting to get him out of the tank. We looked for suggestions of how to accomplish it; almost all saying that we would have to take the rock out in order to net him. For a while it seemed we would have to. We ended up using a twist on an acrylic barrier. We had a relatively large piece of "eggcrate" left over from making a shelf to use when cycling live rock. I (half) jokingly suggested making an "eggcrate" barrier to trap him; hubby cut it so that it just fits inside of the tank (front to back) and cut notches for the frame at the top of the tank so that it goes from in the substrate to protrude above the water level by a few inches. He moved most of the rock to one half of the tank (an awful pile, but it stayed submerged) but was unable to get the Damsel to go to the other end of the tank. He was becoming frantic and getting "creative" with ideas of how to trap the Damsel (I could see my life degenerating into an aquatic "Caddyshack"; the ideas scared the beejeebers out of me...if only the Damsel knew!!). Yesterday, I moved two rocks which made up the "roof" of the hidey hole the Damsel and Tang were in (more through good luck than good management) and much to my surprise they bolted to where we wanted them. I put the "eggcrate" barrier into place, got out the net and the Damsel and I went to battle. (The Tang went to hide behind a pump; a wise choice considering that "net work" is not my forte). The Damsel immediately recognized that he wasn't going to be able to get through the middle of the barrier so he swam up and down the edge where it met the front glass. After about 5 minutes, I managed to net him. I spread the rocks out again, gave the Tang about half an hour to come out from behind the pump and peace is reining supreme. For a fish the size of the Damsel, the "eggcrate" worked wonderfully. It was easy to cut to the exact shape, light enough to be able to manage with one hand and the Damsel was too large to fit through the grid (but saw it so he didn't smash into it thereby injuring himself). I had recognized some time ago how bright the Damsel is, but this experienced has certainly confirmed it. His behavior changed with ours and he certainly knew where to look for a potential escape from behind the "eggcrate" barrier. It saddens us that he isn't in that tank any longer but again, we've learned (his nature won out over his nurture and we've moved one more tiny step up that darned steep learning curve!!). Now for the query... We are (finally) adding a sump and small refugium to the display tank. Out came our "invert" bible, Reef Invertebrates, Natural Marine Aquarium Series, and we both read the refugium and "plant" sections. Doing so reminded me to search online for Volume 2, 3, etc. (I bet you're shaking your head by now). I managed to Google my way back to WWM and found a letter/reply posted some time ago about this very thing. Is Volume 2 still "stalled"? If so, please add my voice to those clamoring for it!! <Is still stalled... I am wont to produce the last volumes by myself... JasonC has stated at times that he is working on the layout of the fishes (V.2)... it is timely IMO... for the market... and I've penned the ancillary pieces on Selection, Quarantine... and Antoine and I did about half the articles... some years back...> In all seriousness, thank you so very much for all you do for the hobby. Collectively, "The Crew" provides much insight and has a wealth of knowledge that benefits hobbyists and their pets all over the world. Again, with many thanks and appreciation!! Kerry <Welcome my friend. Re the Dascyllus... I might try adding two more of this species (will spread aggression, attention...) or ultimately give this one fish away... there are other settings where it will co-exist more peacefully. Cheers, Bob Fenner> Strange Damsel, Actually Mean Damsel 2/14/07 I recently wrote about a crypt problem which I am glad to say I have got cleaned all up. <Good> Which brings me back to my Domino Damsel (2in) who keeps rubbing on my Foxface Lo (4in). Its almost like they are playing the Foxface will turn on its side and the Damsel will just run into his fins and rub all over him. <Not playing, aggression.> He started this right back up after I reintroduced him into my main tank. <Reestablishing dominance.> I'm really not sure what to do, and if I should let it continue. <Will negatively effect the Foxface over time most likely.> I really have no where else for him to go. <Back to the shop?> So if you have came across this before I would like to know the response. Thank You. <That is why damsels often prove to be problematic, can be very aggressive even to fish much larger than themselves. Most likely will need to be separated in the near future.> <Chris> General Questions?? 12/22/06 I have a tank that is 5 months old . My domino damsel is approx. 3 inches and appears to be losing his color, there is a invasion of red algae. and there are Condylactis anemones popping up all over the place there are 8 of them so far. <Mmm, don't know if your telling me something or asking for info. Anyway, Domino Damsels do fade with age/growth and can get rather large. The red algae is more than likely Cyanobacteria. Do read here. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/algaeconMar.htm. As for the Condylactis Anemones, I'm quite sure you are seeing the dreaded Aiptasia Anemones which multiply like mice. There are methods for controlling this species. Do search our site for this info. James (Salty Dog)> Strange symptoms - domino damsel 11/19/06 Hello Crew! <Eva> Thank you for this site, I am constantly on it and reading up on everything that I can! <Me too!> I have a problem with my domino damsel, I've had him for about 5-6 weeks and he has always seemed okay health wise except for his characteristic aggressiveness and nipping at a couple of my other fish. He developed something strange around his mouth, it looks as if the skin around his mouth was either stretched out or cut, it is a lighter color than the rest of him. <Mmm, good observation. Can be "nothing" but sign of rapid growth... Or might be indicative of a physical injury... swimming into something> Two nights ago he was exhibiting some weird behavior in his QT tank, swimming really erratically and thrashing himself against the sides of the glass. He was breathing really heavily and his gills were going nuts (for the lack of a better word) and his gills seemed a bit red underneath. This only lasted for about 20 minutes (the breathing), the thrashing was only for about one minute. Since then he hasn't done either of these behaviors. Two nights ago, he also had a inch-long white string-like thing coming out from where he poops. There was a few shorter pieces of this stuff on the bottom of the tank but they were not moving anymore. This also has not happened yet. He is in water treated with Cupramine. <Mmm... I would introduce a bit/dose of Metronidazole/Flagyl into this fishs food/s... perhaps a vermifuge later if this doesn't "do it"> The parameters of the water that he was taken from, my main tank (48 gallon long), is the following: salinity 1.023 ph 8.1 ammonia 0 nitrites 0 nitrate 20 kH 13 (!!) calcium 400 temp 80 My other livestock is: two false percs one yellowtail damsel one blue damsel one peppermint shrimp one snail inverts and a red firefish that succumbed to Ich yesterday. <... if this one fish... your system itself is infested. This might account for the listed behavior as well> anyways, thanks for your time in reading this and hopefully you can help! I wasn't able to get a clear picture of the thing around his mouth or else I would have provided one. Eva <Mmm, please see WWM re the mentioned protozoacide. Bob Fenner> Compatibility 9/27/06 Dominos, Maroon Clown... 9/27/06 Thanks
for the time, <You're welcome> I tried to send you a question
on your website but the connection didn't work - so I'll try
from my own email... I have recently set-up my 36 gallon tank for
tropical freshwater fish. I have a temp of 79 and a salt level of
1.022-1.023. <??? Tropical freshwater fish...salt level of
1.022-1.023.> I bought two Domino Damsels and one Maroon Clownfish.
The damsels seem to be very comfortable in the tank but the clownfish
is hanging out at the top. he is hiding behind my internal filter (I
also have an external Fluval). He is always facing one direction.
<Can be normal behavior in a new tank.> He ate well today but
then returned to his same position. This has been going on for the
first two days. I don't mean to rush him - but I was wondering if
he is ever going move out and hang about the rocks and other plant life
(plastic). Do you have any suggestions for me to help him lower his
stress? <Yes, I'd return the beastie boys. The Domino Damsels
are/will be very aggressive, much more so than the clownfish, and, your
tank will be too small for them, as they quickly grow to 4 inches in
length with plenty of beef.> Thanks a lot for your time.
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)> - Dwarf lion and domino damsel? 6/25/06 - Dear Crew, Many thanks for the great help you provide to eager novice hobbyists like myself. Over the past year a friend and I have set up a 26 gal. mini-reef, which is now humming along beautifully thanks in large part to the info. on your website. Just a few weeks ago I set up a new 35 gallon aquarium. Aside from water, the only things in the aquarium at the moment are a few rocks, a 2-3" bed of fine-grade aragonite, and a Threespot Dascyllus. Eventually I'd like to keep a dwarf lionfish. My question is, will the damsel have to go when the lionfish comes in? <Probably, but it's also possible the damsel will avoid the lionfish.> I've looked through the FAQs trying to find an answer to this question, but there seem to be several (e.g. yes, the lion will eat it; no, as long as the damsel is too big to fit in the lion's mouth; yes, the damsel will harass the lion). <Doubt the lion would eat it, damsel will likely be too wiley.> I wonder if I could try to pin you down on this one? <Not any more than to give you a 50/50 chance with things slightly in favor of the damsel.> Cheers and thanks again, Kevin <Cheers, J -- > Damsel Aggression - 5/3/2006 Wet Web Media Crew, <<Hey Dustin.>> I bought a 2" regal tang yesterday and brought him home to acclimate to my 240 gallon tank. <<No quarantine?>> I currently have a small domino damsel (1.5"), and a pair of maroon clown fish, both around 2". He seems to be doing well, swimming around but the domino damsel will not leave him alone. The damsel keeps backing up into the regal tang and the tang is doing the same to the damsel. It is like they are trying to put their butts on each other or something. They just follow each other around as if they are each others shadow. Is this normal behavior. Possibly a territorial behavior? <<Most certainly aggression. Bob refers to Domino Damsels as "saltwater piranha!" You may have luck re-arranging rock work, re-introducing at the same time with lights dimmed.>> Thank you so much, Dustin LeCave <<Glad to help. Good luck! Lisa.>> Faded "Fats" Domino/Damsels 4/6/06 Hi all. <Hello Steve.> I have searched your site and don't find this scenario. So here goes. We have a 150 gallon FOWLR. Inhabitants are a Powder Blue Tang, Foxface, Lemonpeel Angel, <One of my favorites.> Domino Damsel, Tomato Clown, Fiji Blue Damsel, 3 Pajama Cardinals, and various crabs & snails. We have had the domino for about a year and a half. In the last month he has faded from a velvety black to a very light gray. Everybody gets along and all are eating well, including the domino. Is there something I should check for or is it common for this fish to fade. Thanks so much for your continuing information and support. <Will lose their powder coated black look with age. Do include vitamins in fish diets though. James (Salty Dog)> Steve Domino damsel/s sick - 03/12/2006 Hello, I was hoping you
could help me. I have never had good luck with domino damsel fish for
some reason and this one is no exception. <Unusual> I bought him
about 3 weeks ago and he was doing fine but now I noticed his color is
fading and he is breathing rapidly with reddening near his gills. This
has happened to my previous dominos last year when I was starting my
reef tank. Now I have a wonderful established reef with near perfect
water, 0 nitrate, 0 ammonia, ph 8.3 checked weekly. Everyone else is
doing fine my rusty angel, blue and zebra damsel, and 2 small Chromis
are thriving. Is there something dominos specifically need or do I just
have bad luck with them? <Not luck> What would you recommend as a
medicine to help his problem? Are there any non-copper medicines I can
use or than won't damage the inverts? Any help would be great. tank
29gal <Oh... this tank is too small..> 30lbs live rock many
inverts and corals Prizm protein skimmer magnum canister filter with
bio-wheel water usually near perfect condition with temp at constant 80
<Something is wrong with your system... Can't really point to it
from what is posted here... Was the Domino the last one placed? Bob
Fenner> Forget the Kitty... it's Hello damsel... or Hellish Damsel... Dasc. comp. 3/4/06 Hi my name is Anthony, I am not new to aquaria, but am about 5 months new to marine aquaria. I had bought a tank and have it set up and running. I bought the cheapest fish at the store and purchased a Domino, yellow tailed, and a three stripe. Well I found out quick that damsels are JERKS. <Heee!> Anyways the Domino killed the other two through harassment. I want to put other fish in for my pleasure, I am also reluctant to give up the domino, because after all he is my fish. I write to you because you seem to understand my predicament and know about damsels well. What would you recommend I place in my aquarium. Other damsels or other fish? <Up to you...> Should they be Larger, aggressive, or... I was thinking keeping it aggressive and adding Marginated Damsel fish (leaning towards marginated), Blue & Gold Damsel fish, Fiji Blue Devil Damsel fish, Blue Velvet Damsel fish, and Jewel Damsel fish. Also after reading some of your pages I saw you said ---"Young to moderate size D. trimaculatus and the Hawaiian sibling species D. albisella are frequently found in the same sort of mutualistic symbiotic relationship as Clown fishes; cavorting in and amongst sea anemone tentacles. Sometimes right along with Amphiprion species!"--- So does this mean I should get a D. albisella? And why are they in a mutualistic relationship? <Mmm, let's skip ahead... the current Dascyllus, unless this tank is very large (more than a hundred gallons...) will likely "harass" any/all new fishes... I would either trade it in... or look to other families of fishes... and still recluse the Domino for a few weeks (perhaps in a floating colander if you don't have another tank) to give the new fishes a chance to become familiar, established... Really, if it were me, and this tank was smaller... I'd trade this fish in and start again> If you would give me some suggestions they don't have to be limited to damsels or even fish thank you!!!!! Anthony <Bob Fenner> Four stripe damsel compatibility help - 2/11/2006 Hi, hope you are having a wonderful day. <So far, yes. Thanks> I am new to salt water aquariums and learning lots every day. I did several months research before I started the aquarium, but seem to have let my eyes and heart make a mistake. My tank size is 120 gallons with 100 lbs of Haitian live rock. I am adding mushroom and xenia corals and they are doing great. Hope to add some Ricordea corals soon. Here's the problem :( My first fish was and is a four stripe damsel - he is so cute. Love the colors - black, white and a neon blue trimmed tail. He's been in the tank for about 2 months. <... the "tyrant"> I have added 4 Green Chromis and they seem to get alone ok. They have been in the tank about 5 weeks. Added a pink spotted Goby and still all well. He's been in the tank about 3 weeks. Earlier this week added 2 skunk cleaner shrimp, still all is well. I really want to add some other fish like a Clownfish pair. First, will this be ok with the four stripe damsel? <Only time can/will tell. Your system is large enough to allow for some aggression> Second, If so, do I need to get a bubble tip anemone? <Possibly... see WWM re Selection... best to go with a captive produced specimen> Any advice on fish that I can keep with my four stripe I would greatly appreciate. <Posted...> Read through quite a few other emails on this site over the past week and tried to catch the damsel, so I wouldn't have to ask this question, but after an all day struggle, I don't think he's coming out. He must sense that I really like him and don't want to hurt him with the net. Thanks and I hope you have a great afternoon, Susanne <Keep an open mind, heart, and keep reading... investigating before purchasing... you'll do fine. Bob Fenner> Damsel fish respiration/breathing rate 1/11/06 Hi, <Hello Chris> I have 2 humbug damsel with what I think looks like high respiration. I know lion fish normal respiration is 30 breaths per minute, could you please tell me what the normal respiration for a damsel fish is per minute, thank you <The humbug is rather active and what you are seeing isn't abnormal. I really don't know what the respiration rate is, never checked. Please do not ask what the blood pressure might be:):) <James (Salty Dog)> Chris Killer Damsel? Oh yes Hi; <Greetings> I have had a 55 gallon tank with the following - Domino Damsel - 4 Striped Damsel - False Percula Clownfish - Clown Goby - Mandarin Goby - Firefish Over the past 24 hours I have found the Mandarin, Clown Goby, and Clownfish dead. They were all eating (I have a refugium for copepods for the Mandarin), the water is fine, and I see no signs of disease on the other fish. Is it possible the Domino is killing off the tankmates? Other suggestions? Thanks, John <Very likely the "dark dude with the white spots" "did it"... Yes. Trade that bad boy in. Bob Fenner> Damselfish attacking Yellow Tang, dump the dominos 9/5/05 Hello everyone! LOVE the website, loads of valuable information. <Ah, good> I have a 90 gallon tank with about 40-45lbs of live rock. It has been established for about a year. The inhabitants are 2 domino damsel, <"Saltwater piranha!"> 2 three-striped damsels, a coral beauty angel, a porcupine pufferfish, <Gets too big...> a maroon clownfish and a percula clownfish (it was a "surprise" by one of my roommates, occasionally the maroon will chase after the percula but generally both clownfish stay on opposite ends of tank). Now here's the problem. I recently purchased a small yellow tang; <The "straw" that broke this tank volume and social dynamic's back> it's about 2 inches in diameter. I have had it in a quarantine tank for about 2 weeks. I slightly rearranged the rocks and literally within seconds of putting the tang in the main tank the dominos started attacking him. He ended up running to the other side of the tank but then one of the 3-striped damsels started attacking him. He was chased down by the damsel to other end again and then the dominos started to chase him again. He ended up hiding in a crevice on the side of the tank. I decided to leave him in there and hopefully everyone would just adjust. <Uh, no> But every time the tang would come out he would get attacked. Within a period of about 10 minutes his top fin and tail fin were all tattered. I ended up removing him and now he's living in the QT tank until I figure out what to do with him. He does not seem to be traumatized. He is swimming in the open and is eating. I didn't read that there was a compatibility issue before I bought him and I also assumed that if there was a problem he could deter anyone with his tail. <Too small, in too hostile, crowded a world> I am thinking that the damsels aren't intimidated by him because of his size. I am a little scared to see what happens if I try and put him there again. <Will happen with most anything placed...> I have heard that the aggression would subside after the pecking order was established. Are there any tricks I could do? I was thinking that maybe I could introduce him in the middle of the night or just completely rearranging the rocks. <In this case, set of circumstances, no... really best to remove the Dominos...> I have also accepted that my QT tank may be his new home until be grows a decent size. <"If" the Dominos were removed, a good-sized Zebrasoma (four or more inches in overall length) introduced, and the dominos re-introduced a few weeks later, this might work... but doubtful... Dascyllus trimaculatus almost always become tremendous "bullies" over time> Also I have been watching the tang while I have been writing this and I have been seeing him rub up against the rocks a couple of time. Do you think that this is just from the fighting? <Maybe> I was just wondering if you guys have any suggestions. Thanks in advance for any help that you guys can provide Richard <Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/dascfaqs.htm I'd trade them out. Bob Fenner> 3 stripe damsel... behavior, systems 8/14/05 I have a 29 gallon tank that has one clown fish, two 3-stripe damsels and 6 red leg hermit crabs --- and a young child. I noticed last night that one of the damsels was acting weird: not swimming very much and the white stripes appeared light gray. <Might be just night-time coloration... but this size, shaped system is too small for these three damsels (yes, the clown is one also)> I took him out and put him in a quarantine tank. I also discovered that the heater had been turned up to 83 degrees so I think this is what caused his problem (I have fixed the temp problem and moved the control out of the child's reach). The damsel perked up almost immediately when I put him in the quarantine tank with water at 77 degrees. When looking at him closely, I see that his fins are a little ragged around the edges and there is a tiny bit of red right on the edge of his tail fin. <Good observations... indications of stress, fighting perhaps> He is to be swimming and eating okay. My guess is that is stress related from the temperature, but is it okay to put him back in the tank? Lisa <You will see... but, as stated, this system is too small psychologically... You can read re on WWM... Bob Fenner> Damsel in distress, Dascyllus are social animals 08/08/2005 Hi, <Hello there> I purchased a four stripe damsel five to six months ago and have had continuous problems with it ever since. When I placed it in quarantine and it always preferred hiding behind the heater or other equipment rather than the PVC pipes or the artificial branch coral I placed in there. <... Dascyllus are social species... live in groups> She has also always been a very scared fish, and always hides except at feeding time. About three days after I got the fish in quarantine dark areas started forming on the white stripes just behind the gill plates and the last white stripe on the tail. the fish has been this way ever since. By the way the fish did lose an eye while in quarantine from injury most likely while darting to a hiding place when I entered the room. I kept the fish in quarantine for an extra two weeks and administered a copper treatment because she just was not acting right. <Starting to sound like the U.S. military's confinement of folks...> The copper treatment seemed to work somewhat the dark spots became more vague, but did not disappear. <... poisoning> However, she was still a very scared fish. After a month in quarantine I moved her into a 46 gallon tank (where she still is) with live rock and numerous hiding places but she still prefers to hide in the equipment at the top of the tank except at night when she goes down to hide in the rocks. The dark areas are still present and seem to grow in darkness when stressed (during water changes and when I clean the glass). There are no outward signs or parasites, but I do sometimes see her scratching on rocks. She is the only fish in the tank. The water quality should be excellent (I use RO/distilled water) and all parameters are good and consistent. She eats and seems to be a very greedy fish and is not shy around feeding time. So my real question is what could cause all these symptoms and this extreme fear of people and movement. The best answer I can come up with is stress, but I can not find the cause. Please give me your opinion. Also would it be safe to add another fish in this tank with her in this condition. Thanks for the great service, Jed <Thank you for writing to well, thoroughly... to reiterate, the one simple fact that you apparently are unaware of is the need for others of their own kind... Take a look at Dascyllus species pix in the wild... they are always in close association with others of their own kind. Bob Fenner> Clown Moved (Run) Out Of Anemone - 06/11/05 Hi guys, <<Howdy>> First, let me say what a great website, I read through it religiously! <<Outstanding!>> Now, to business. I have a 220l tank which currently plays home to a humbug damsel, a Valentini puffer, a percula clown, 2 hermits, 3 snails and 1 anemone. The last addition to the tank was the anemone that I bought over two months ago as a haven for the clown. <<Um, ok.>> The clown had been living with the others peacefully for some time, until all of a sudden the humbug decided to bully the clown, knocking it around and so forth. <<I'm surprised the clown is the only one suffering the Humbug's wrath. IMO, the Humbug is the 2nd nastiest damsel commonly available. The number-one spot I give to the Domino damsel.>> So I bought a quadricolour anemone for the clown, and all was well again. He loved his anemone, followed it everywhere when it moved, rolled around in it and chased away anything that came near :-) When I cam home last night, the clown was out of his anemone for the first time in months. He still hasn't returned and is hiding in the back top corner of the tank where the protein skimmer dumps it's water. Seeing as how the humbug has now decided that its time to badger the clown again, is there anyway I can get the clown to move back to his home? And why would he leave the anemone in the first place anyway? <<Likely the clown has been driven away by the damsel. I think your only option here is to remove the damsel from the tank. Perhaps trade it to your LFS for store credit?>> Cheers, Mat <<Regards, Eric R.>> Going Fishing For Dominoes - 06/03/05 Well I have a 500 hundred gallon acrylic aquarium and I have 2 domino damsel in there from day one. They are huge 5" in dia.. And there laying eggs all over. But my problem is they are nipping my other fish and are very aggressive and disturbing the gravel substrate and making the tank always look cloudy. My question to you is how can I catch them I tried several times but they are to fast for me to catch and the top of my aquarium only has hatches, all I wind up doing is upsetting the rest of the fish. Any help I would appreciate. And of coarse I would find them a good home. <<Had this very same problem myself years ago before I learned better. Domino damsels are the cutest little buggers when they're about the size of your thumbnail...but it doesn't take long for them to grow up mean and nasty! I solved my domino problem by using a small barbless fish hook, some very fine monofilament fishing line, and a bit of raw table shrimp. This tactic is surprisingly effective due the fishes natural aggressiveness. Give it a try! It's actually less stressful/harmful to the fish than chasing it around with a net. And provides a great little ultra-light tackle workout as well <G>.>> That's jimmy... Ps I love you web sight thanks <<Regards, Eric R.>> Domino Damsel in a 40 community? Hi guys, I have a 20 Gallon tank with a domino damsel (2 inches long) which I've had for ~2 years. I looking to get rid of the 20 Gallon tank and transferring the Damsel to my 40 Gallon reef tank which houses 2 tomato clowns, a host anemone, 2 shrimps, soft corals, etc. This damsel has displayed aggressive behaviour towards other fish in the past. Would you recommend this transfer or not? I'm concerned about not being able to catch him in the 40 Gallon tank (given the rockwork) if things go bad... Thanks, Marc >>>Hey Marc, This is one of my absolute favorite fish, unfortunately they grow large, their spots grow dull, and they get vicious! They don't mix well with other fish as they mature. Also, given the potential size of this fish, along with the potential size and aggressive nature of a female tomato clown - my vote is get rid of the damsel. You're just asking for trouble if you add it. Cheers Jim<<< Domino Damsel Hello, I have a black Domino Damsel, Maroon Clownfish, Blue Devil, Goby, Cleaner Shrimp. I recently bought a Yellow Tang and within one day my Domino Damsel hides, turn a pinkish-whitish color...What do you think is going on, I have read several different conflicting stories and I am still lost. <I'm lost also, Troy. Trimacs are definitely not skittish. Could be something else wrong with him. James (Salty Dog)><<Likely "just scared". RMF>> Those Aggressive Damsels (6/6/04) I have 2 3 spot domino
damselfish in my 20 gallon marine tank, and nothing else. If I get a
peppermint shrimp will they attack it. I had a yellow watchman goby and
they never left it alone. Domino Damsels We have a 50 gallon tank with 2 domino damsels, 1 tomato clownfish and blue tang. One of the domino damsels turned gray overnight. What is the problem? <Mmm, likely nothing... this species of Dascyllus does "just turn gray" with age, size, sometimes mood... particularly when engaging in reproductive behavior. Likely you've heard how "mean" this fish can be... watch out re placing other livestock with it/them... in fact they may bite the hand that feeds them (yours!). Bob Fenner> Bonding (1/21/04) Hi all, <Steve Allen here> I bought a Condy for my tank two days ago, and my Domino Damsel has "paired" with it....is this normal???? <for him. Nothing to worry about> I thought the Condy was a "stand-alone" anemone? <Not sure what you mean by that. All anemones are "stand alone" if nothing pairs with them. None actually need a clownfish to survive.> My Clarkii Clown didn't go anywhere near it... <C'est la vie. Could be a fight later over this anemone though.> - Dealing with Damsel Aggression - Hi crew- I have a 40-gallon tank (1.25 years old) with ~50 lbs. live rock, 5-inch deep sand bed, 192 watts of light on for 12 hours a day, and a Red Sea protein skimmer located in a 30-gallon tank (that has ~25 gallons of water) that currently serves only as a water reservoir/buffer, but eventually will turn into a refugium/isolation tank when I find the time. In all, about 65 gallons of water circulate (~350 gallons per hour), but the fish are confined to 40. pH=8.3, temp = 78, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate = 0 Inhabitants: Dominant fish= Dascyllus melanurus (2.5 inches) Rest: Centropyge bispinosus(3 inches, very peaceful) Ecsenius bicolor 2 Amphiprion ocellaris Inverts Lysmata amboinensis 4 Lysmata wurdemanni (3 < 1 inch, 1 full size) Condylactis sp. pink-tip anemone All of the above fish and inverts (except the small peppermints) have been in the tank for at least 8 months and all get along well. The damsel occasionally shows some aggression towards the coral beauty but she handles it well. When I first got the angel fish, I had to divide the tank for about three weeks to stop the fighting, but they've been ok since. I've read The Conscientious Marine Aquarist and the FAQs on territoriality. My problem is that I just purchased a beautiful Macropharyngodon ornatus as the final addition to the tank, and the damsel just won't leave it alone. A typical day for the wrasse has been to wake up around 10 AM and be buried again by 10:15 because it can't tolerate any more aggression. It has proved difficult to "force" them to coexist as I did with the angel because the wrasse buries itself. Here is what I've tried so far: (1) isolating the wrasse in part of the tank to ensure it feeds and develops a normal circadian rhythm, (2) isolating the damsel, so the wrasse can have more of the tank, and can befriend the rest of the inhabitants. Option (1) works well enough, but the damsel just hangs out on the other side of the divider (for as long as a week), and upon reintroduction of the wrasse, the damsel resumes it's aggression. Option (2) worked better I thought, but then the damsel escaped over the divider, so I am currently back at option (1) (a buried wrasse is much easier to isolate than a smart damsel with rock to hide behind). I wonder what your advice would be to successfully acclimate these two fish (the rest of the inhabitants show no aggression towards the wrasse). <Honestly, there is no way to tame the damsel. These fish are notorious for their aggression and it only gets worse in time/age. These fish will attack scuba divers without hesitation, despite the great disparity in size. Damsels really can't be reasoned with.> My options seem to be: (1) continue isolating the wrasse, for as long as it takes for the damsel to lose interest and leave the divider; (2) attempt to better isolate the damsel, still in the main tank, for a longer period of time; (3) put the damsel in the 30-gallon sump for a period of time until he "forgets" about his dominance, and reintroduce him to the tank, hoping he won't decide to pick on the wrasse again; (4) trade the damsel into the LFS. I would rather use option (4) as a last resort, since he was my first fish and has shown that he can eventually get along... I just don't want the wrasse perish in the meantime. <In my opinion, option #4 is your only option. All others will end with the same result.> Would rearranging to rock-work have any significant impact? <No... not for long enough.> It doesn't seem like territoriality, more like plain old aggression. He seems to seek the wrasse out and pick on it, leaving all other fish alone. If option 2 or 3, how long would you expect it to take for the damsel to "forget" his dominance? <Somewhere close to death... these fish are just this way.> If option 1, is there anything I can do to help the damsel lose interest sooner? <Not that I'm aware of... perhaps putting in another damsel of the same type, but at the end of that experiment you'll still only have one damsel.> Sorry for the length, and thank you for the service and great site. And thanks for adding the Amazon Honor System payment option - it gives us all a way to let you know the value we place on your expertise. Tom <Cheers, J -- > Guidance Counselor - Stocking >Hi guys, >>Hello. >I have a question regarding my 54 gallon corner tank. It has been running for about 5 months now (FOWLR), and it currently houses 1 blue damsel, 1 Percula clownfish, and 1 overly aggressive three striped damsel. >>Oh yes, the lovely Dascyllus. I hear they're quite tasty. >The three-striped damsel seems to be very protective of certain spots and his aggression seems to be getting worse. >>I don't think it seems worse, I think it IS worse, and shall continue to do so. >My wife and I are trying to plan our next course of action and I was hoping to add either a yellow tang or a coral beauty. My wish is that by having a larger fish in the tank it will lessen the aggression of the three-striped damsel. >>Don't count on it, this fish now rules the roost! >Could this possibly work? >>Highly doubtful with a Coral Beauty, you're going to be hard pressed to find one big enough and pugnacious enough. Even with a tang, a yellow isn't exactly the toughest customer, and it would have to be SIGNIFICANTLY larger. Try a barbless fishing hook or a trap and get that damn damsel out! >If so, in what order should I add the coral beauty and the yellow tang? If it won't work would you recommend returning my three-striped damsel? Thanks for you help. Your site has been very helpful to me in many occasions. Sincerely, Dan >>Yes, I recommend just that. Then, because the angel and the tang would likely have no compatibility issues, it wouldn't really matter who you add first, just as long as BOTH go through 30 days quarantine. Marina - One More Fish? - I have a 28 gallon hexagon tank that has been cycling now for 5 weeks. Everything seems to be going fine. I have one domino damsel and one Singapore angel fish together and both seem to be getting along. Before adding the angel fish I had a yellow tailed damsel and had to remove it due to the stress the domino was causing it. <I'd remove the Domino too - they are very cute when small, but as you've seen, they can be real jerks, and this only gets worse as they get older. I'd remove this fish before it starts to work on the Singapore Angel too.> I would like to add one more fish in a few weeks, maybe and was wondering if you have any recommendations as to any other type of fish that would suit the two already together? <Whatever you pick, it needs to be small and stay small - I'd suggest a neon goby, really neat fish - if you drop the domino damsel, you could stock a pair of neon gobies. With a tank of this size I'd only stock this limited number of fish - will mean you can enjoy the tank for much longer with fewer problems.> Thanks, Lisa <Cheers, J -- > One question... Dascyllus encyclopedist Mr. Bob Fenner! Hello. I want to tell you then Your article about -Dascyllus- is very interesting. I'm a marine fish passionate. Can I use your "Dascyllus species" text to write my own Dascyllus dictionary...? I'm waiting for Your answer. Dr. Michal Dochier <Sure. Make it known if you need images, other assistance. Bob Fenner> Damsels and anemone question Hello. I just purchased a long tentacle anemone and have an odd question. I have two false Perculas and a few other fish in my aquarium and the behavior I am seeing seems to be reversed. The clowns want to host with the anemone but I have a 3 spot domino damsel that will not let them near the anemone and he is actually swimming through it and staying right by it. Is this normal behavior for a damsel? <Mmm, yes for all the Damsels which are the Clownfishes (they're a subfamily, Amphiprionae, within the Damsel family Pomacentridae) and the Three Spot/Domino, Dascyllus trimaculatus. Please see the pic and coverage here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/dascyllu.htm> I wasn't aware that damsels had any interest in anemone's or for that matter even hosted with them. Is there anything I can do to deter this behavior or will he keep attacking the two Percs? <Likely so, too likely, to continue harassing them. I would remove one or the other. Bob Fenner> Thanks you, Angel Dascyllus trimaculatus and Premnas biaculeatus Hi, is it possible to keep a pair of Dascyllus trimaculatus and a pair of Premnas biaculeatus with Entacmaea quadricolor in a 50 gallon tank? Is the tank to small? Or are they to aggressive for one tank? <It may work for a while but one pair will probably eventually overthrow the other. Also make sure you have very good lighting for that anemone. Cody> thanks, Thomas Domino Damsel turning grey Hello WWM, A 2 year old Domino Damsel has turned to a light grey color over the last 2 weeks. (The tank was dismantled and moved to a new home in December, we are the new keepers since then) He eats and acts like nothing is wrong. What could have caused this? <Mmm, likely "just aging"... they do this> Is he damaged for life? We are doing 15 gallon water changes on the 90 gallon tank every weekend and the param.s are okay. When we switched to weekly water changes about 3 weeks ago all the other fish, anemones, and coral seemed to love it except this one fish. All the other fish are not exhibiting this oddity. Is there something I'm missing? Did we freak the little dude out? <Please see here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/dascyllu.htm> How many hours a day should the halides be on? We currently have them set at 9 hours with a 30 minute sun up and sun down. Is this too much light? <Not too much> Thanks...I saw another question similar to mine that referred to an illumination FAQ but I couldn't find the appropriate FAQ. <You can use the Google search tool on the home page: www.WetWebMedia.com or on the indices. Bob Fenner> Maureen Dascyllus How many Dascyllus would you put in a 30 gallon?
<Depending on species none to one to possibly two... but this would
likely be all you could place there fish-wise. Please see here re the
genus: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/dascyllu.htm
Is it okay to quarantine that n in a 10 gallon tank? <Just one. Bob
Fenner> Thanks guys Pablo Dying Dominos Hi guys, hope this email find all of you well! Here is my question today: I've had 3 Dominos for a year. They are turning white and 2 of them have suddenly died. What happened? Thanks for your time. <the paling color is not symptomatic of a given condition or pathogen... just stress. Were there any other symptoms? Rapid gilling, erratic swimming, scratching or glancing, etc? Do look through WWM disease archives and FAQ's for illumination, please> Pamela Mary <kindly, Anthony> Sick Domino Damsel I have a 29 gallon marine tank with a Domino Damsel (approx 3 inches long) and a Blue Damsel (approx 1.5 in long). The tank has been established for about 7 years which is how long I've had the fish. <outstanding!> About a month ago the Domino developed what looked like an eye infection (cloudy and protruding eye) which I treated with penicillin. The eye cleared up and the fish returned to apparent normal health. However, over the last week the Domino has been off his (her?) food and seems to be disoriented. I use flake marine fish food and the flakes will float right past him and he makes no attempt to eat. He doesn't appear to be gasping but he does spend more time languishing near the bottom of the tank, whereas before he was actively swimming all over the tank (and was very aggressive toward the Blue). The Blue Damsel seems to be taking advantage of the situation by swimming close to the Domino and flicking his tail against him in an aggressive manner. The Domino appears unaffected by this. I have looked closely at the Domino and cannot see any obvious signs of illness. What could be wrong and how should I address it? Thanks in advance, Graham Welling, <alas, my friend... even without knowledge of the age of the fish at the time of capture, the additional 7 years makes this fish a candidate for old age. Without specific symptoms, please do not medicate. If anything, a quiet hospital tank might be nice to evaluate and let the fish heal or die peacefully. Best regards, Anthony> Shy Emperor Angel and Fishing Hooks Hey Bob, Quick question about an Emperor that I just bought. <Anthony Calfo in your service while Bob sits staring at his hand... "all natural" acid flashback, I think> First of all it was at the store for about 2 months and ate out of my hand there. The transition to my home was so smooth because he just went into a bucket <grumble, grumble... buckets are very hard on fish eyes/membranes... a bad way to ship. Soft plastic bags flex. LFS boo-boo> and into my tank without a net. <excellent and considerate!> 5min after being in the tank he was approaching the top when I came to the tank. He is PERFECT and curious and eager. The only problem I'm having is that my 2 tangs are such voracious eaters that even thought the Emperor is going after food, he's not getting as much as he should. <three words for the yellow tangs... barbless trout hooks, er...never mind> The result is my overfeeding which is obviously no good. <agreed...unacceptable> Any ideas? <remove the tangs to quarantine until the angel establishes dominance and familiarity with tank and other mates, then re-introduce the tangs into the Angels territory... but no guarantee. Tangs can be assertive> Will he just learn to get more aggressive when it comes to feeding time? <hard to say... will suffer in the meantime> He's the biggest guy in the tank so he's not being chased or anything. <its all about attitude... just look at domino damsels; you'd swear they eat wolf cookies and drink gorilla milk every day for breakfast> Thanks Bob....keep up the great work. Rick <doing the best I can, Anthony> Domino Damsel Hi Bob, I have a question for you. I have a 120 gallon tank with excellent filtration. I have 5 damsels in there. They been in there for 6 weeks. They have all been quite active and look healthy and eat well. The color of the dominos are reddish black it is more red around gill and face area. They are not jet black. <This species does have "races" (geographical varieties) that look quite different than what folks consider/see as "typical". Please see: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/dascyllu.htm for some pix of variations in Dascyllus trimaculatus> They been like this for as long as I known and they act very normal. They were doing great up to November 6, 2001. Then on November 7 I only noticed four damsels swimming around. I got nervous so I moved some of the decorations around to see if I could find him, and I did. But when he came out his skin was whitish black and he was swimming around very strange which I'm positive was not normal. Then he just laid on the bottom lifeless, so I decided to remove him because I knew he was not going to live. What's wrong with this fish? Is sick? <Maybe just changed color from stress... perhaps just from getting stuck in the rock work. Maybe "changing" color with age/size...> When I bought the fish they were quarantined for 2 weeks before being put in the tank. <Ah, good> I didn't notice any unusual marks on him., I only noticed a spec on his eye but that look rather okay. My ph is very stable and doesn't change at all. I also have a 16 watt UV as part of my filtration. Please respond soon. Thank you. <Likely no need to worry, "do" anything here. Bob Fenner> Domino Damsel The damsel died yesterday. It continued to lay on the gravel lifeless so what's the matter with my fish? What disease killed it? <Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mardisease.htm and beyond. Bob Fenner> Fish??? (Info. on Dascyllus) Hi there, I was just wondering if you may have a few answers for me, I wanted to know if the domino damsels keep their colors from juv state to adult? <The veritable "saltwater Piranha species, Dascyllus trimaculatus (only semi-joking)?... Does change color with age/growth/mood/health... and does vary considerably over its wide range... some have no Trimacs... no dots of white... some are more yellow in background color than black... all turning to greyish white with age... and much the same while reproducing... Please see the coverage on our site with pix: http://wetwebmedia.com/dascyllu.htm and contact me again if you'd like to see more image work.> And how long that process is for them to grow and how large they actually get. Live for a few to several years in captivity... grow to near half a foot in length in the wild, though four inch ones in captivity are large> how bout the 3 striped damsel? (same questions). <Not as variable in color... see the WWM site here. Bob Fenner> any help is greatly appreciated, I just can't find any information on the net. ~~~***~~~JEANNIE J~~~***~~~ Dang Domino Hi Bob, Missed you. Joyce in Ohio here. Finally, since I started this tank in January I am ready to begin seriously adding fish to my 92 gallon corner tank. I will wait until you have settled more to ask about my wish list. <Thanks for this respite. Missed the "work" (I definitely don't call this that), though Zo did the fab job I knew he would> I did add two false percula clowns. I blue freshwater dipped them and quarantined them for 2 weeks. (That was hard I wanted them in my main tank so bad!) <I understand... aquarium keeping is a good impetus to self-discipline at times> Last night I added them after feeding the main tank. My current residents are 2 blue tail damsels, one scooter blenny and the dang domino <Ah, Dascyllus dangyoui, am familiar with this pesky species> that rules the roost. Last night he/she was darting at the clowns and trying to scare the living daylights out of them (and me!). They were so cool. They just ignored him/her and kept checking the place out. This morning after feeding time he/she was being really obnoxious to them. Do I have any choice but to take my live rock out (about 80 pounds) and catch him to return him/her to the LFS? I kept 2 nets in the tank for a week after getting the clowns thinking that she would probably bully them, but NOOOOOOO, much smarter and quicker than me!!! <Me too... you might have some fortune leaving a net in the tank for a few to several days, feeding Mr. Bad Boy over this area... lifting him out once it becomes oblivious to the net...> Welcome back. Hope you had a great trip. Zo was great, just not often enough!! Thanks as always, Newbie, Joyce P.S. I won't make you nervous saying I'm your groupie anymore, but I still am! <Ahh, Poor Zo... hopefully he is recovered/ing... and willing to pick up the gauntlet/keyboard sometime hence... This forum is a joy, but at times overwhelming load wise. Be chatting. Bob Fenner> Rapid mortality of a Domino Damsel Mr. Fenner-- I have learned a great deal from your site and those you reference. Hopefully you will be able to lead me in the right direction regarding the death of two damsels in my system. This is a tiny setup (actually only 5gal) and it is in the nascent stages of cycling. It contains about four pounds of very healthy live rock (polyps and sponges evident, growing, and happy for three weeks now), a pound of live sand, and some crushed coral. I started it at day one with some crushed coral and water from a known healthy system. Water circulates 15x per hour through activated charcoal and over a bio-wheel. pH is constant at 8.3 and salinity is maintained constant to give a specific gravity of 1.025. Ammonia levels have never risen above 0.25 ppm. <Sounds like a nice, though small as you know, system... but the transient ammonia...> I have not monitored either the nitrate or the nitrite levels because I do not own kits for those ions. The system is thirty days old; I have lost two damsels in a row. The first was a yellow-fin that developed an infection (2-3mm long crescent-shaped white velvety body located anterior to the right pectoral fin) and was dead within 48hrs. The second was a domino damsel that showed no symptoms other than hiding itself in the live rock approx. 24hrs before its death. It did NOT present rapid ventilation or any visible infection like the yellow-tail. I last saw the fish six hours before its death; when I found it, the fish was considerably emaciated (whereas it had before looked healthy), faded (its black had reverted to a muted grey), <Good observation skills> and lost its right eye entirely. There is a healthy population of some small white creature in the aquarium since the addition of live sand (presumably copepods-- not more than 0.25mm or maybe even less-- I know what copepods look like, but have not yet examined these under a scope.) I found three of these creatures on the carcass, though that alone is certainly not proof of crime. This damsel was the only fish in the aquarium. I would love to hear what you may think is my problem if you have time to ponder this. Thank you for your time. Sincerely, Darren Freree <Thank you for writing... do consider that these losses and difficulties may well be "simply" the result of your system being so new... as well as artifactually unstable due to newness and size. If it were me, I'd wait another month or so before trying other livestock, and would not try Damselfishes, especially the larger species like Dascyllus (the Domino, D. trimaculatus grows to more than six inches in the wild)... Perhaps some smaller species of gobies, blennies... Bob Fenner> BOB thank you for your response sorry about all the caps. I will try the net thing and let you know how it went thanks again oh and those damsels ate my baby stalk of silver tip xenia's now I'm really determined to catch these guys >> >> One incident re these saltwater "piranhas"... A Domino/Three Spot (Dascyllus trimaculatus)... in a four by four by four foot system... that bit the Dickens out of everyone, including yours truly... that necessitated dumping the tank to get rid of... Good luck and good fishing! Bob Fenner The "bad boy" is now the "dead boy" The domino damsel did finally succumb to death. I didn't find him until tonight when I got home from work and when I did he was covered with a white mucous like film. It looks similar to the mucous substance I see on a few parts of a piece of live rock (it definitely looks like something is decaying). I know that these two things are probably not related, but I just wanted to make sure. The other two damsels seem to be doing fine... for now. Oh, and by the way, BOY did that dead fish stink!!! WHEW!!! I'm sure that's normal, but man, I could hardly stand taking him out! Anyways, just looking for insight as always. Thanks! -Matt Lindstrom >> Do agree with your statement about the "white" stuff on the rock and fish being unrelated... Whatever really was the root cause(s) of the fish going, the whitish material was merely decomposition after the fact... hence the stinkiness as well. I would just keep moving forward myself... wait a few weeks to see how the other damsels will fare... Bob Fenner
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