got a 100g tank and wondering what kind to do? Why not a damsel tank?

[Sk8r]

I had one once---it was predominately damsels, though I also had some blennies and a mandarin, gramma, gobies and a couple of clowns (actually they're damsels of a sort).

They're tough, they will school (everybody's always asking that) and except for chromises, who are into murder of their own kind, I never had real aggression---a lot of dart and chase, defending 'their' rock. I had one blue velvet (black fish with an electric blue v), several blue devils (all blue), 4-stripe (black and white) and domino (black with large white spot). They're impossible for small tanks, but they don't bother corals, they're hardy and fairly disease resistent (except the clowns, who even have their own disease), and they get up and move, constantly. They come in more colors than that: there are some in the red/orange hue; and I honestly had minimal trouble with them. The one I had to get rid of was a yellow dottyback, who gave mean a whole new dimension, and finally the clowns, who took to biting ME. But the damsels got fat as pigs and stayed healthy and active.

They're inexpensive, hardy, and eat any sort of fish food. Given any reasonable conditions they'll thrive, and they won't eat your specimens. What's not to love?

[SaltyTX]

That'd be cool I think. Damsels are very colorful and active.

The big fish are cool...but they require more attention as stated.

Go for it. Just think, for the price of a huma you could have.......many, many damsels!

*edit* Sorry if that sounds LIke I know it all...haha. Thats not the case..

[Sk8r]

But that is the point. They're colorful, active, and they do not go belly-up over every mistake a newbie makes. Especially if you want to do corals and 'have a few fish', these guys are pretty, cheap (except for a few of the rarer colors), and hardy. I used to get quite a few ooh-ahs over my damsels. The average joe that walks in doesn't know this fish cost nearly nothing: he'd say the same for a gem tang...'gee, is that saltwater?' But the activity and dive and dart is quite cheerful.

[baldomero]

when i moved here to puerto rico from new york last april i should of set up a damsel tank cause everytime i go snorkeling i see about 6 or 7 different kinds and they are beautiful and cost free i even have a friend who catches fish for a living and he catches a whole bunch of damsels all the time but he slowed down cause what he tells me there is no money in catching damsels (except the jewel damsel) and he just takes them back to the ocean and lets them go but a damsel tank that sounds great

[agreeive?fish]

I had a thread 2 days ago asking about damsels..which ones retain thier colors in adulthood and wich ones would work with large/drawf angels, tangs triggers ect and most of the whole 6 replys were stay away from them..i guess i should bump it up for the sunday evening crowd.. i kinda like the looks of the dansels and my tanks are fairly agressive type fish for the most part

[Sk8r]

Any of the ones I've named would do fine. They need room, which you've got, and the chromises, in the presence of the blue velvet (the most agressive) tend to school as advertised. It's kind of an armed detente sort of tank, but I never had anybody really get hurt, except the known bad habit of the chromises. I used to manage 5 chromis in that 100g. The one bad citizen was the dottyback...well, and those clowns who used to attack my hand. I traded them to a breeder, and they went on to produce little Clarkiis by the hundreds. None of them faded in color. The domino got a little less crisp about the white spot, but then I've seen one of his kind in Seattle that was about the size of a dinnerplate, so he certainly hadn't maxed out in size. I found them a fun and active tank.