dottyback vs damsel

[farrah]

I have a JBJ nano cube (12g) with various corals, a cleaner shrimp, and a yellow-bellied damsel. It's been set up for a few months now. I've been wanting a second fish for a long time, but I have been weary since I know that damsels are pretty aggressive. Yesterday evening, I went Aquatek and asked about it, and the guy I talked to told me that a magenta dottyback would be able to hold his own in the tank. So, I bought him and put him in last night after dark. I woke up this morning before the tank lights were on, but there was already sunlight coming into the room and the fish were already out. The damsel was chasing the poor dottyback around, nipping at him relentlessly, and the dottyback wasn't even trying to defend itself... and his fins are already a little torn. I immediately netted him out and bagged him, because I don't have another tank set up to move him to.

First off, I did the right thing by moving him, right? I wondered if they might have settled things or if the damsel would eventually give up, but I didn't want to kill the dottyback in the process. Is there anything I can do to make them get along?

Second, I'm going to try to take him back to Aquatek (he was $30!!) but I imagine they won't take him with his torn fins. If that is the case, do any of you out there in Austin want to give him a good home and some tender loving care? I imagine he could use some quarentine for a while to releive his stress and nurse him back to health. I really wish I had another tank set up... :(

[Tim Marvin]

I'll trade you something for it.

[Richard]

I'd take the damsel back and keep the dottyback. $30? are you talking about an orchid dottyback?

[farrah]

Thanks guys. They were nice enough to take him back. I'm dissapointed, though, because he was such a cool fish. It wasn't the orchid dottyback... the only distinguishable difference between the two is that the orchid has the dark line that goes from the snout to the back of the eye. I thought $30 was a bit high, but I hadn't really looked around at fish prices before since I've just had the damsel. I thought about returning the damsel and keeping the new one, but I've gotten attached to him (call me crazy!). The little *******... I think I am doomed to have one fish! I need a second aquarium :)

Anyway, thanks again for being prepared to offer him a new home. I was scared they wouldn't take him back, and I wouldn't have a safe place to put him.

Tim, if you still have hammer frags, I might be interested. Are they branching? How big? What price are you selling them for? I could go for a frogspawn too if the hammer is gone or the frogspawn looks better than the hammer.