Strange Damsel Behavior

joeychitwood · 08/23/2009, 09:03 AM

I noticed the other day that one of my Acro frags was completely covered with sand. I thought it might have been sand blowing around the tank from my Tunze pump, as that occasionally happens. I blew off the sand with a turkey baster, and the frag appeared stressed, but still viable. The following day, I noticed that the frag was again covered with sand.

I sat back and observed the tank for a while and discovered that my Yellow-Tailed Blue Damsel, which has been a good citizen in the tank for five years, was picking up sand particles in its mouth and dropping them onto the frag, which is about eight inches off the sand bed glued to the LR structure.

Does anyone have any idea why the damsel is doing this, especially after not seeing any similar behaviors in five years?

Sisterlimonpot · 08/23/2009, 10:15 AM

Interesting.. Is the damsel getting the sand from any random place or is it getting it from a particular section of the tank. I had a damsel that did that but she was removing the sand from one location and piling it up in another part of the tank. I was told it was a part of a females nesting behavior (even though there wasn't a male in the tank with her)

JennyL · 08/23/2009, 10:16 AM

Hmmm, that's interesting Joey. I kept this same species of Damsel for several years and never observed this behavour with any of them.

I kept a Lyretail Blenny for years that was constantly moving sand around his favorite hangout and he would get a mouthful and swim up and spit it out a little way away from his area. Looked like mini snowflurries.

Have you made any recent changes in the tank or any new additions?

JennyL · 08/23/2009, 10:27 AM

Oops, double post.

quadrantkhan · 08/23/2009, 10:38 AM

I had the same thing happen when I had my yellow tailed damsel as well. It ended up making a burrow under one of my brain corals. It was very similar behavior to what a Jaw Fish does. Same scenario as you as well, it was very out of the blue!

joeychitwood · 08/23/2009, 11:41 AM

Thanks for the replies. I admit that I was fixated on where the damsel was piling the sand, and I really didn't pay a lot of attention to where it was picking up the sand.

I've seen damsels rearrange crushed coral incessantly in the past, but what I think is so strange is that of all places in the tank it could pile the sand, it chooses to drop it on this coral frag, which has been in the tank for about three months.

08/23/2009, 09:03 AM	#1
joeychitwood Schrödinger's Mod Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 3,488	Strange Damsel Behavior I noticed the other day that one of my Acro frags was completely covered with sand. I thought it might have been sand blowing around the tank from my Tunze pump, as that occasionally happens. I blew off the sand with a turkey baster, and the frag appeared stressed, but still viable. The following day, I noticed that the frag was again covered with sand. I sat back and observed the tank for a while and discovered that my Yellow-Tailed Blue Damsel, which has been a good citizen in the tank for five years, was picking up sand particles in its mouth and dropping them onto the frag, which is about eight inches off the sand bed glued to the LR structure. Does anyone have any idea why the damsel is doing this, especially after not seeing any similar behaviors in five years?

08/23/2009, 10:15 AM	#2
Sisterlimonpot R.C. Fraternity President Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Litchfeild Park AZ Posts: 11,490 Blog Entries: 2	Interesting.. Is the damsel getting the sand from any random place or is it getting it from a particular section of the tank. I had a damsel that did that but she was removing the sand from one location and piling it up in another part of the tank. I was told it was a part of a females nesting behavior (even though there wasn't a male in the tank with her) __________________ Jimmy MASVC President Dishes are done man! Current Tank Info: 300 in progress

08/23/2009, 10:16 AM	#3
JennyL Registered Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Texas Posts: 406	Hmmm, that's interesting Joey. I kept this same species of Damsel for several years and never observed this behavour with any of them. I kept a Lyretail Blenny for years that was constantly moving sand around his favorite hangout and he would get a mouthful and swim up and spit it out a little way away from his area. Looked like mini snowflurries. Have you made any recent changes in the tank or any new additions? __________________ Janet Current Tank Info: 125 & 70 g Reefs- 9 Seahorse tanks

08/23/2009, 10:27 AM	#4
JennyL Registered Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Texas Posts: 406	Oops, double post. __________________ Janet Current Tank Info: 125 & 70 g Reefs- 9 Seahorse tanks Last edited by JennyL; 08/23/2009 at 10:41 AM.

08/23/2009, 10:38 AM	#5
quadrantkhan Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Saskatoon, Sask, Canada Posts: 139	I had the same thing happen when I had my yellow tailed damsel as well. It ended up making a burrow under one of my brain corals. It was very similar behavior to what a Jaw Fish does. Same scenario as you as well, it was very out of the blue!

08/23/2009, 11:41 AM	#6
joeychitwood Schrödinger's Mod Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 3,488	Thanks for the replies. I admit that I was fixated on where the damsel was piling the sand, and I really didn't pay a lot of attention to where it was picking up the sand. I've seen damsels rearrange crushed coral incessantly in the past, but what I think is so strange is that of all places in the tank it could pile the sand, it chooses to drop it on this coral frag, which has been in the tank for about three months.