My blue damsel has now eaten everything in my tank except for the snails. It has got to go! The only decision now is which direction do I take. I have been considering either lion fish, with which I can watch the damsel get his eye for and eye punishment, or sea horses, in which I will trade the murdering fiend in at the LFS. Moral delima time. Justice or peaceful change of habitat?
Damsel's gotta go!
- Thread starter johno1973
- Start date
little_fish
Moderator
I think a better question to ask is your tank set up for sea horses, they are very particular about their environment and you wont be able to add other fish or types of corals with the sea horses. If your tank isnt good for seahorses i would go with the lionfish.
wontonflip
I failed Kobayashi Maru
LOL...didn't someone on here mention a damsel bullying a lionfish? :D
coolhandgoose
Reef enthusiast
Unfortunately this is what happens when people put these types of damsels in their tank, and probably why they only cost like 5 bucks at the LFS. I'd take it back for a trade in or credit at least. As far as lion fish 29 gallons seems kinda small to me to have one, and if you do get one that's probably the only fish you'll have.
bjohanson1234
.........
You would have to get a dwarf lion fish. Most likely he wouldnt even touch the damnsel since they are fairly small.
Ok. So far my tank is in the beginning stages. I have no corals and can take the setup in several directions, so the seahorse direction is not such a huge problem.
I was lookinng at dwarf lion fish and wasn't planning to put anything else in the tank with it, except food that is.
In all seriousness I am going to take the damsel back to the LFS when I decide what to replacehim with. There isn't much left for him to eat now.
Something just hit me. I may be blaming the damsel unnecessarily. I know he killed the other fish I had with him but he
I was lookinng at dwarf lion fish and wasn't planning to put anything else in the tank with it, except food that is.
In all seriousness I am going to take the damsel back to the LFS when I decide what to replacehim with. There isn't much left for him to eat now.
Something just hit me. I may be blaming the damsel unnecessarily. I know he killed the other fish I had with him but he
oops:) I was saying, he may not have eaten the shrimp as all I found was an exoskeleton floating on the surface of the water. I haven't been able to find the shrimp yet but he may have just molted. If I am right in this, sorry mr. damsel. You are still going to be rehomed though.
OhNoNemo
i love triggers
I'm sure thats what happen,they tend to hide out after they molt...
I think that is what it started out being. I just found the remains of the body being eaten by a snail. May not be damsel's fault, or may be, but my plans are still to take the tank in another diirection. I did a fool noob thing and bought the damsels without knowing enough about them. As goose said earlier, they were cheap and pretty fish. Unfortunately, they really aren't good fish to have, especially with what I am thinking of doing now.
little_fish
Moderator
If you are even thinking about getting seahorse do the research now. They require a tank at least 20 in tall or else the prone to getting gas bubble disease. The also cant be put in with most corals because the coral can sting their tails as they hitch onto things. They also cant handle bright lights, also limiting the coral that can live with them. They also do very poorly with hermit crabs and other common crabs because they can easily kill them. Also dont buy seahorses from your LFS, most of those are wild caught and usually die. The wild caught ones dont usually eat frozen and often have parasites. Luckily, there are lots of captive breed seahorses that are very hardy and come eating frozen!
Remember, research and then buy!
Remember, research and then buy!
coolhandgoose
Reef enthusiast
+1 Little_fish Definately do the research if you are planning on horsies. Also ask Picasso she has kept horses successfully for a long time.
Thank you little fish. I am definitely taking my time stocking. I am looking at a time frame of sometime next spring for purchasing ponies, after the cold weather clears and I have finished the rest of my setup for them. I have been reading everything that is posted here, linked through here, and everywhere else I can find about them. My LFS sucks so I will not be buying from them, they only carry damsels- thus my current inhabitant. My tank is a 29 tall which makes it 24"wide x 24" tall x 12" deep. The only surviving members of my cuc are snails since the peppermint shrimp just bought it. I won't get hermits or crabs because of the bad reviews on here, I might possibly get a serpent star sometime in the near future though. As far as captive breed goes, that is all I will buy, not only fish but corals, and inverts. I am trying to take my time and be consciensous in my stocking.
So,
So,
Melosu58
Reef enthusiast
One thing to consider is that they need cooler temps. Somewhere between 70 and 74 degrees. Also IMO they need to be in a species only tank. They wont be able to compete for the food. I would also suggest 15 gallons per SH. JME
little_fish
Moderator
I would suggest starting with erectus, they are the hardiest and also have great personality. They really should be in a species only tank like melosu58 said. Have you looked into Peter G. seahorse lessons. Personally i think they are the best possible research you can do. He covers everything and will personally answer any questions you might have.
little_fish
Moderator
im glad to hear it!
