Saltwater Beginner

[smokinjoe2122]

Hello, I have had my tank up and running and cycled for about 4 months now... I have 2 yellow tailed, 1 - 3 stripped, and a devil blue damsel. I also have a chocolate chip star and a few small blue legged crabs and 2 snails... I am thinking about taking the 2 yellow tail damsels back to the pet store and getting something possibly a little larger... I have a 35+ ( I think) gallon octagon tank with about 15 lbs of live rock so far. What would be a good fish that could live with 2 Damsels?

Thanks

 

[STD]

Hello, I have had my tank up and running and cycled for about 4 months now... I have 2 yellow tailed, 1 - 3 stripped, and a devil blue damsel. I also have a chocolate chip star and a few small blue legged crabs and 2 snails... I am thinking about taking the 2 yellow tail damsels back to the pet store and getting something possibly a little larger... I have a 35+ ( I think) gallon octagon tank with about 15 lbs of live rock so far. What would be a good fish that could live with 2 Damsels?

Thanks

Damsels can be very aggressive with new addittions - you might be beter off getting rid of them

Maybe a Hawkfish or a Dottyback?

I wouldn't get anything much bigger than a Damsel in a 35gallon tank

If your main filteration is live rock I would double the amout you have

 

[nanocubeking]

You could take out all the damsels and get 1-2 cardinals and a small clownfish maybe even an Angel of some sort. But damsels are very aggressize so you would better off taking them out.

 

[chrissaysyes]

What sort of damsels are they? Some species are more or less aggressive than others so you may do fine with whatever. Ive kept four stripe and yellow tail damsels with clowns and gobies before with much success. I actually had a tomato clown bully my damsels once

 

[smokinjoe2122]

I have 2 smaller yellow tailed (purplish-blue body), 1 3 stripped, and 1 devil blue... I am thinking of taking the 2 yellow tails back, they get picked on a lot and they always have to stay at the top of the tank. My girlfriend has a cinnamon clown she wants to give me, but I'm not sure how it'd do by itself. I do like the devil blue and the 3 stripe. They are cheaper fish, but very entertaining. I'd like to get something a little bigger but I don't have much room in a tank like that, it's more vertical than horizontal. I know I def. need to add more live rock

 

[chrissaysyes]

Three stripes and blue devils are both pretty aggressive...you may actually have trouble finding suitable tank mates for them for a tank that size. If you're willing to take any back then I'd take those two back and keep the yellow tails. From my experience yellowtails are not very aggressive at all unless the other fish is in a weakened state. I had one instance of a yellow tail nipping at a occ clown while he was suffering from cryptocaryon.

 

[smokinjoe2122]

Yah I figured as much. I was hoping to be able to add a gobie and a clown...I guess I'll have to make the decision in the future on what I want to take back. I know I'm pushing the limits in my tank right now so adding another fish, even with adding more live rock might not be a good idea..

 

[Lynden]

It depends on the goby. Several of the more robust species could do well in your tank. The cinnamon clown should do alright, especially if he is larger than the damselfish. Also, I personally have owned several blue devils and none were aggressive.

 

[chrissaysyes]

Also, I personally have owned several blue devils and none were aggressive.

Yup, let it be known that I made that statement about the blue devils out of rumor and hearsay rather than exerpience

 

[smokinjoe2122]

Well for my limited 2 cents, my devil blue is pretty aggressive...He fights a lot with the 3 stripped and nips at the yellow tails constantly....I just don't know how he'd do with any other fish outside of another damsel. I was thinking of a yellow, I believe they are called watchman gobies... And the reason why my g/f wants to give me the clown is because her angel picks on it...

 

[chrissaysyes]

If he takes crap from an angel theres a good chance he'd take crap from one of the damsels if not all.

 

[SkiFletch]

If he takes crap from an angel theres a good chance he'd take crap from one of the damsels if not all.

Good point...

 

[Lynden]

I forgot to say that my blue devils were always among the smallest fish in the tank. The ones with the orange tails are the real a$$es, and will be highly territorial. Perhaps unsurprisingly these are the mature males.