What are my options with 2 small but agressive damsels?

[Katiedid]

My boyfriend and I have miantained a very small (roughly 10 gallon) FO tank for the past 2 1/2 years. We have two very hardy damsels, the larger of which has been with us the whole time, the smaller about half that time.

Our tank basically kicked the dust last weekend and we have now upgraded to a 20 gallon. Now that we have more room, we would like to add more fish.

What other verieties could we add ? I have no idea what fish will be able to "hold their own" with my current fish, one of wich has recently become slightly agressive towards the other.

i would take the damsels and trade them in at the store where you got them. damsels can be pretty mean, and 1 or 2 bullies can keep you from adding anything to a tank, even a large tank

[H3R0]

get a titan trigger, that would remove the damsels for you.

[MikeS]

or a loinfish..... :badgrin:
MikeJS

[nanoman123]

could you keep a trigger or a lion in a 20 gal?

maybe a small trigger, or a dwarf lion. i thing they still need a 55 or something like that. i'm not a trigger or lion expert. just put a mantis shrimp in there j/k no mantis unless you want it to be your only thing in the tank

[Katiedid]

Are there seriously no fish that will get along with my damsels, without eating them? I can't see myself getting rid of them(or letting them die) as our sole purpose in buying the new tank was to keep those guys alive.

My boyfriend is convinced we could have a yellow tang, because that's what we usually see in the tanks with the damsels at the stores. I have also read that the Clarks Anemone fish tends to be agressive towards damsels, so I thought that might be an option.

actually, if you had a bigger tank i would recommend a purple tang. damsels are just really nasty. here is a few i would try that are reef safe

Royal Gramma
bicolor blenny
Pseudochromis (dont mix with royal Gramma)
a small wrasse like a yellow coris

not much else is suited for a 20 with damsel's, in my opinion the fish i listed would be o.k. in a 20, and your damsels most likely wouldnt bother them

[MikeS]

the lionfish suggestion was a joke.... :D

even dwarf lions get pretty big over time....way too big for a 20 gal. Most triggers will outgrow a 20 gal. as well. Yellow tangs really require a tank of 55 gal. minimum, preferably 75 gal +.

Unfortunately, you are going to be pretty limited to livestock selection with a 20 gal. already occupied by 2 damsels. You could always add another damsel or two...just make sure the new damsel is as large or larger than your existing ones. Also might not be a bad idea to add 2 new ones...this might help keep the 2 existing ones from ganging up on a single new one too badly. If you do add new damsels, they will probably bicker, but once territories have been established, they should quiet down a bit.

Another possibility is a dwarf angel. Although a 20 gal. tank is definately on the small side for a dwarf angel, as long as you keep up the water quality it can be done. A Rusty angel would be a decent choice...they are hardy, attractive, stay small, are reasonably priced, and will definately hold its own against the damsels. Just a suggestion.....

MikeJS

also when adding new fish, turn the lights off and rearrange the rock

[Katiedid]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. :D
I can tell this is going to be addictive. We just got our new tank and now I'm already curious about when we could handle a second one....

i would keep the damsels in a 20, since you like them so much, and get a 55 for other things like gobies, or a dwarf angel

[Katiedid]

Alright, I've been doing a lot of research and I think I have my heart set on:

• a splendid pseudo (although it is pricey)
• a rock beauty

If I tried to find ones on the smaller side, would there be enough room in my tank for both these guys?

[H3R0]

get a jawfish, best fish ever!!!

[Refugiman]

If you put the rock beauty with the damsels they will probably take him down. From what I've seen in customer tanks and the tanks at the store I work for, you can't put damsels with anything(except the lions, triggers, or large puffers). I've watched domino damsels the size of a quarter take down a tank full of fish. I would get rid of the fish you have and get some really cool fish like scooters, a firefish, a lawnmower, or stuff like that. Or just get a couple of perculas and a small anemone, name them nemo, marlin, coral, etc. and have a nemo tank :roll:

[tabby]

I have two damsels which I got first, since then I have added two perculas(nemo and Marlin!) a yellow tang and a star....they all are relatively peaceful, and I only have a 30 gal.

[Paidbychrist0825]

i would upgrade asap, that yellow tang wont last long in a 30. the like big tanks(ie50 min, 75 suggested) and lots of LR to graze on.