One damsel down... I think another will die soon

[msmith619]

Thank you for your responses!
I just wanted to start out with damsels because they're a much hardier and least expensive fish.

Don't give up on the damsels. They are cheap, very pretty and tough as nails. You can do a damsel & coral tank, damsels will not attack your corals, but it will be a damsel ONLY tank. The damsels are active and attractive but can be mean. The trick is to add several of them at the same time. If there are enough, no one gets picked on too much and the aggression is spread out. A mixed damsel tank with mushrooms, kenya trees, zoas can be one of the most colorfull and active tanks. Just realize, adding other fish might be fatal after the damsels are in and have their pecking order set up. I happen to think a tank full of yellow-tailed blue devils, 3 spot domino, and 3 stripe damsels is dazzeling when mixed with green star polyps, yellow polyps and a smattering of colorfull zoas and mushrooms and that set up is almost 'bulletproof' for problems.
If I had an 'extra' 29 gallon, I would have one like that for beauty and ease of care.

[Mr Cob]

I had my 120 setup with only damsels for about a year...it was a fun tank to watch and the colors were nice, but that was a 120g and you're talking about a 29gallon. There isn't much room there for more than one or two damsels...they WILL fight especially as they grow.

[Mr Cob]

Inless you have a 29gallon long, then you have a little more room for fish to claim territory...but a 29g cube is limited and best served as a peaceful tank if you wish to have more than one or two fish.

[Third Coast Tropical]

my 2 cents......I will never put any damsels in any of my tanks ever, unless I am feeding an angler or something...I tell my friends the same thing...there is so much more out there than damsels...I cant stand them, feel they are boring, beginner, and incredibly mean/aggressive.....

[Third Coast Tropical]

At some point, you will want to get rid of all damsels. Just wait things out before adding any other fish. You will likely have to get rid of the yellow tail before adding any more fish. But, I'd wait a week or 2 for things to settle down, and your NH to go back to zero.

This is good info.

[teacampuzano]

**Update**
So far everything seems alive. I now dislike damsels, i mean they tell you they're aggressive but I thought, *well maybe not these damsels*... At least the dead one was nice... I will definitely make sure my damsels are treated well when I trade them in for something A LOT calmer. Any suggestions?

My slight trace of ammonia, after 4 days of waiting it out and changing the water, is now completely gone, but nitrate is present. I cleaned my filters out so I don't know what else to do....

I am definitely taking it as slow as possible. I just like to get advise from people who've done this before so I won't make as many mistakes.
Thank you!

[recoiljpr]

**Update**

My slight trace of ammonia, after 4 days of waiting it out and changing the water, is now completely gone, but nitrate is present. I cleaned my filters out so I don't know what else to do....
!

It's a natural part of the Nitrogen cycle. Ammonia to Nitrite to Nitrate. Just be patient and wait it out. Cleaning your filters is a good place to start, just keep doing it every week or so from now on.

[Mr Cob]

I will definitely make sure my damsels are treated well when I trade them in for something A LOT calmer. Any suggestions?

once things stabilize...how about a purple firefish, a cleaner shrimp, sand sifting goby, and a false clown...that's a good fish lineup for that size tank.

[recoiljpr]

once things stabilize...how about a purple firefish, a cleaner shrimp, sand sifting goby, and a false clown...that's a good fish lineup for that size tank.

I have a biocube as well. I have a pair of ORA tank raised clowns. I'm also currently trying to decide what to finalize my fish with. Right now, i've been leaning towards a goby/pistol shrimp pair as I think they are really fascinating. I "really" want a mandarin, but i'll wait untill I get a bigger tank for him.