# Yellow tail damsel



## mepling (Nov 27, 2012)

I have two yellow tail damsels, I have had them for about two weeks. One is very vibrant and healthy looking, the other recently has becom very pale and now it isnt swimming around at all, it even ignores food. It just stays in one place near the bottom and constantly opening and closing its mouth. Is it dying?


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

It's being whipped!
Possibly your water parameters need to be looked at,but if there are only two fish ,then one is dominant and the other passive.Sometimes only the strong survive,spread out beating with more.
What size tank,how long running?
Damsels are nortoriously mean(not to just each other.)


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## mepling (Nov 27, 2012)

I have a 29 gallon, its been running for about 6 months. I have three micro hermits, a bullet goby, a snail and two yellowtail damsels. I havent noticed any agressivness from the other damsel. Not that that means it isnt happening. What do you think I should do?


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

If you like and enjoy the damsels you need to have a few (3) more.If they were used to cycle and are beginner fish, then catch and trade or return to LFS for what you want.
The healthy one is definately whipping the other,they are tough,aggressive fish.


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

As the Highlander said......"There can be only One"
Your system is to small for 2 of those killers.


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## mepling (Nov 27, 2012)

You just cant trust what the people at the pet store say. I was told they are a great fish to have and most people dont have problems with them. I did not use them to cycle my tank. I did a fishless ctcle and then I had a green spotted puffer in ther. I got rid of the puffer and then added a goby and a cleaner shrimp. Then a couple weeks later I bought the two damsels. My pet sgop is very limited in what they carry so I just got them to add color to the tank. You really need to research what you want then try to get just what you want, dont rely on the pet store people for tips.


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

Very true. They are there basically just to sell you something you don't need. And really, they don't know their butts from a hole in the ground.


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## mepling (Nov 27, 2012)

Oh.. yeah. The one damsels was pounding on the other. I never saw it until tonight. I did catch the weak one and put in quarintine to save its life but it died anyways. I hope this damsel will leave my cleaner shrimp and bullet goby alone!


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## Sully (Oct 31, 2012)

If the goby was already in and established, he should be fine. A YT Damsel was my first fish (in a 20g) and a couple months later I added a blenny. The YT went after the blenny for about 5 minutes and that was all it took. The blenny had enough and then went after the YT to the point where things were fine. I ended up removing the YT though a few days later and returning it to the lfs as I wanted a more peaceful tank.



mepling said:


> Oh.. yeah. The one damsels was pounding on the other. I never saw it until tonight. I did catch the weak one and put in quarintine to save its life but it died anyways. I hope this damsel will leave my cleaner shrimp and bullet goby alone!


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Sorry about your fish and the LFS.Even my LFS tries occasionaly to sell me a inapprropriate fish.
On that note my LFS has a computer hooked up to internet which helps me (and them) with impulse fish buys as, if I see something I'm unfamiliar with I don't have to go home and check,I just pull it up and read about it while at store.I have never seen anyone else use the computer,or had to wait to use it ,but I do search fish or corals everytime I see something I'm not completely familiar with.
I also show off my photo gallery to the staff and owner when the time comes.It's nice not to have to pull up little pics like many on their phones or go really old school and actually carry photos!This site is helpful in so many ways.


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## mepling (Nov 27, 2012)

My local pet shop doesnt even have a facebook page. lol. It would be cool if they had a computer to use.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

I'm lucky to have such a good store.Great employees(some have been ther for 10 years) and the owner who actually is on site any time(he lives above the store!)The computer is just the cats meow, and I jump on it anytime I see something different.
Impulse fish buying is hard to resist,but when you take into consideration how long you want to "keep" your fish it is always worth researching,even if that means going home and searching sites or asking others who are familiar.


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## Sully (Oct 31, 2012)

He shouldn't touch your cleaner. How'd the bullet goby make out?


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## mepling (Nov 27, 2012)

My Goby is doing great. The Yellow tail murder fish is leaving everything else alone. If I see one problen, Im going to get rid of that Damsel, its not an intersting enough fish to make the others suffer. lol


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## Sully (Oct 31, 2012)

Don't be too hard on the Damsel. I made the mistake of that being my introductory fish like so many others as it's a cheap but hardy fish to see if you've got your stuff right. The YT damsel actually has some amazing coloration when put under the proper lighting. The black coloring that runs between all the blue under actinic lighting is gorgeous. I was lucky enough to be able to take mine back from where I bought him for a credit after the fact. I still miss him. He'd mess with my Coral banded shrimp and drive it crazy which I enjoyed because the CBS was the biggest terror in my tank (again, my fault as a 20 gallon just isn't big enough for the personality of a CBS.) Just remember, 9 times out of ten, it's not the fishes fault, it's usually ours.


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)




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## mepling (Nov 27, 2012)

Very true Sully. Fish are only doing what they are supposed to do. I really like having the damsel.


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

Damsels to have:
Bicolor Chromis, Black & White Chromis - Chromis margaritifer
Blackbar Chromis - Chromis retrofasciata
Blue Head Chromis, Limbaugh's Chromis - Chromis limbaughi
Vanderbilt's Chromis - Chromis vanderbilti
Scissortail damsel - Neopomacentrus bankieri


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