damselfish discussion

[stella9]

I'm thinking of setting up a saltwater tank in my spare tank and I saw these neon blue damselfish at Petco - they're really cool. I was wondering, are damselfish aggressive with each other? I'm considering getting one or two for my 14 gallon tank.

[zelkor9]

I've had three humbugs in my 50-gallon tank, and they've been fine, no major issues. The largest one does chase the others every now and then, but it's nothing too serious. I also had a tiny baby boxfish, about 1cm cubed, and after the humbugs checked him out, they gave him a few tail swats, but that was it - they co-existed without any problems.

I've been warned they can get aggressive, possibly when they get older, but I think it's just a matter of trial and error.

[fleeton]

Aggression in small tanks gets out of hand. Not a good idea, in my opinion.

[zenoxa]

Those 'neon blue' damselfish, I'm inclined to think they might be Neoglyphidodon species. If that's the case, I'd strongly advise against them - they're quite notorious for their mean streak, especially as they mature. And to make matters worse, they tend to lose that vibrant colour we all love.

For a tank of that size, I'd recommend considering gobies or darters instead. Not only are they just as fascinating, but they also bring a lot of colour to the table without the aggression issues.

[Bronco1]

If you're set on getting damselfish, I'd advise against getting them from Petco. Those tanks often have underlying issues if you take a closer look - disease is always lurking.