New damsels hiding in corners of QT

erikras · 02/12/2011, 12:22 AM

I purchased my first 3 blue damsels today from my LFS. I acclimater them to my 20gal QT which had previously been matched to the store's salinity of 1.021 and pH of 7.9 to 8.0. (store was closer to 8.1.) Ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate are all 0 temp is 77deg.

I finished the acclimation around 7:30. Ever since they've been hiding in the corners of the tank. The tank is in the dark basement. I went down there before her to check on them one last time at 12:30 and they're still almost black in color and hiding in the corners. Is this behavior normal? How long before I should expect them to be swimming about?

Thanks! This behavior is a little more extreme than I'm used to seeing when bringing home new freshwater fish.

erikras · 02/12/2011, 12:28 AM

Forgot to mention that there are a few PVC elbows and Y'all in the tank.

duncantse · 02/12/2011, 01:41 AM

Try puting some caves/pvc pipes for hideout.

erikras · 02/12/2011, 10:18 AM

I hate my phone's auto correction. My last post was supposed to be PVC elbows and T's.

Sk8r · 02/12/2011, 10:29 AM

Damsels are territorial. Put several pvc pieces in close to those corners and they may be happier: little damsels are everybody's lunch on the reef, and they're wary. These are often wild-caught and they're spooked at their exposed situation. Also keep a small light on, but remember that overhead lighting is a spooky new thing for fish that have never seen strong light.

erikras · 02/12/2011, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sk8r

Damsels are territorial. Put several pvc pieces in close to those corners and they may be happier: little damsels are everybody's lunch on the reef, and they're wary. These are often wild-caught and they're spooked at their exposed situation. Also keep a small light on, but remember that overhead lighting is a spooky new thing for fish that have never seen strong light.

Thanks. I'll try moving the PVC pieces to the corners. The basement gets some daylight through the windows. The tank light (a single 18" T8) is off.

MrTuskfish · 02/12/2011, 01:28 PM

They may just need a little more time too. Most FW fish have been tank raised for generations , not the case wit most SW fish. Even damsels feel the stress of the trip from the reef to your tank. I know damsels are often suggested as 1st fish; many hobbiests regret the decision. While the damsels are still in QT; I'd do some research, you may well decide that you don't want them.

Sk8r · 02/12/2011, 02:34 PM

Don't be afraid: they're my favorite fishes outside of mandarins: bright, active, and hardy.

MrTuskfish · 02/13/2011, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sk8r

Don't be afraid: they're my favorite fishes outside of mandarins: bright, active, and hardy.

They are all that. I just LFS would give better advice on more civilized species and stop the cruel practice of recommending them as cycle fish. IME, many species, especially when there's more that one, will not tolerate any new fish.

GT3 · 02/13/2011, 06:45 PM

Yep, completely normal they are pretty hardy if something is wrong they would just pass away and let you know. I had my damsel like that when I first got it and asked the same question on here, LOL! Just wait a few more days you should see them swimming around, but they might attack each other... and the worst is if you want to get one of them out it's a nightmare. You can never catch it. I loved my damsel but would not like to have it again if I am keeping other similar size fishes.

Angel*Fish · 02/13/2011, 06:54 PM

A note on lighting - approximating dusk conditions can cause stress in some fish as that's the time where there can be strong competition for hidey holes and also the time of day some predator fish like to hunt. Provide a separate hidey hole (pipe) for each fish and don't make them spend too much time in "dusk light". That doesn't mean you have to have the tank lights blaring on, just make sure it's not too dim for long periods.

Btw, it's not that they are thinking this stuff out - they hardwired responses for certain things

spehhh · 02/13/2011, 11:43 PM

i have a yellow tail that dose that all the time,but he has a million places to hide and he sits everyday in the corner

erikras · 02/14/2011, 07:37 AM

Thanks guys.

Yesterday afternoon I turned on the tank light for the first time. After about an hour one was swimming around quite a bit, the second was not quite as active but out, and the third was still hiding under the filter and amongst the PVC elbows.

I tried putting just a small pinch of Instant Ocean Omnivore Marine Chips in the tank to see if I could entice them with some food. None of them seemed interested.

GT3 · 02/14/2011, 01:48 PM

Lol, you don't need to feed them for the first few days they won't eat, until they settle and feel comfortable then they will start eating XD

erikras · 02/14/2011, 06:01 PM

So I came home from work today. Two of the damsels were swimming about. The third is standing nearly vertical in the corner behind the filter. He appears normal otherwise. Ammonia is zero. I immediately did a 20% water change. Should I be worried? I Googled this and couldn't find and decisive info.

erikras · 02/14/2011, 06:06 PM

Cruddy cell phone pic

http://www.flickr.com/photos/55194140@N04/5446746116

Angel*Fish · 02/14/2011, 06:29 PM

It's hard to tell. I looked at both pics and without seeing what's going on the tank - just those photos, it looks to me like he's being bullied by the other one. He could be sick, I suppose. I'd make some eggcrate separators and put them in there asap. If eggcrate holes are small enough, that is. If not something else.

erikras · 02/14/2011, 07:58 PM

Okay. I separated the tank and gave the distressed damsel his own third of the tank. However, the more I watch him, the more think he's behaving like a sick fish. I've kept FW fish for years and see no signs of disease.

I've been treating the tank with a low dose (7.5ml daily) of SeaChem Para Guard.

erikras · 02/14/2011, 08:25 PM

Well forget that idea. The third damsel swam right through and rejoined the other two. In the hours I've spent watching them, I've seen no signs of bullying.

duncantse · 02/14/2011, 11:40 PM

Congratz!

02/12/2011, 12:22 AM	#1
erikras Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 130	New damsels hiding in corners of QT I purchased my first 3 blue damsels today from my LFS. I acclimater them to my 20gal QT which had previously been matched to the store's salinity of 1.021 and pH of 7.9 to 8.0. (store was closer to 8.1.) Ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate are all 0 temp is 77deg. I finished the acclimation around 7:30. Ever since they've been hiding in the corners of the tank. The tank is in the dark basement. I went down there before her to check on them one last time at 12:30 and they're still almost black in color and hiding in the corners. Is this behavior normal? How long before I should expect them to be swimming about? Thanks! This behavior is a little more extreme than I'm used to seeing when bringing home new freshwater fish. __________________ Erik R. 25gal Cube Mixed Reef - 10gal sump, Bubble Magus NAC3.5, Vertex Illumina SR260, ReefKeeper Lite w/ 2x PC4, NET, SL2, Vortech MP10 ES, Tunze Osmolator ATO w/ Kalk Reactor

02/12/2011, 12:28 AM	#2
erikras Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 130	Forgot to mention that there are a few PVC elbows and Y'all in the tank. __________________ Erik R. 25gal Cube Mixed Reef - 10gal sump, Bubble Magus NAC3.5, Vertex Illumina SR260, ReefKeeper Lite w/ 2x PC4, NET, SL2, Vortech MP10 ES, Tunze Osmolator ATO w/ Kalk Reactor

02/12/2011, 10:18 AM	#4
erikras Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 130	I hate my phone's auto correction. My last post was supposed to be PVC elbows and T's. __________________ Erik R. 25gal Cube Mixed Reef - 10gal sump, Bubble Magus NAC3.5, Vertex Illumina SR260, ReefKeeper Lite w/ 2x PC4, NET, SL2, Vortech MP10 ES, Tunze Osmolator ATO w/ Kalk Reactor

02/12/2011, 10:29 AM	#5
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Damsels are territorial. Put several pvc pieces in close to those corners and they may be happier: little damsels are everybody's lunch on the reef, and they're wary. These are often wild-caught and they're spooked at their exposed situation. Also keep a small light on, but remember that overhead lighting is a spooky new thing for fish that have never seen strong light. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

02/12/2011, 01:28 PM	#7
MrTuskfish Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: The Wild Blue Yonder Posts: 8,887	They may just need a little more time too. Most FW fish have been tank raised for generations , not the case wit most SW fish. Even damsels feel the stress of the trip from the reef to your tank. I know damsels are often suggested as 1st fish; many hobbiests regret the decision. While the damsels are still in QT; I'd do some research, you may well decide that you don't want them. __________________ If God didn't want us to eat animals, he wouldn't have made them out of meat. Steve Current Tank Info: 180, 2-240 FOWLRs, 240 reef Last edited by MrTuskfish; 02/12/2011 at 02:15 PM.

02/12/2011, 01:41 AM	#3
duncantse Fish Advisor Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 1,604	Try puting some caves/pvc pipes for hideout.

02/12/2011, 02:34 PM	#8
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Don't be afraid: they're my favorite fishes outside of mandarins: bright, active, and hardy. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

02/13/2011, 06:45 PM	#10
GT3 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 294	Yep, completely normal they are pretty hardy if something is wrong they would just pass away and let you know. I had my damsel like that when I first got it and asked the same question on here, LOL! Just wait a few more days you should see them swimming around, but they might attack each other... and the worst is if you want to get one of them out it's a nightmare. You can never catch it. I loved my damsel but would not like to have it again if I am keeping other similar size fishes. __________________ 20G Reef Tank, DSB, 25lbs of live rocks. Spec: Ph 8.2, >520 cal and 8 kh, Temp 77F, SG 1.026 Equip: Coralife 24x2 T5HO, 2x Koralia 425 powerheads, no skimmer. 2L HOB Sump: Cheato, feather dusters, copepods, bristleworms Livestock: 4 blue-legged hermits, 2 nassarius snails, 1 astra snail, 1 Argent Mono, 1 FireGoby Corals: Mushrooms, yellow polyps, zoanthids

02/13/2011, 06:54 PM	#11
Angel*Fish cats and large squashes Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Houston Posts: 5,951 Blog Entries: 1	A note on lighting - approximating dusk conditions can cause stress in some fish as that's the time where there can be strong competition for hidey holes and also the time of day some predator fish like to hunt. Provide a separate hidey hole (pipe) for each fish and don't make them spend too much time in "dusk light". That doesn't mean you have to have the tank lights blaring on, just make sure it's not too dim for long periods. Btw, it's not that they are thinking this stuff out - they hardwired responses for certain things __________________ Marie So long, & thanks for all the fish! __________________________ Current Tank Info: Pairs: flame angels, cherub angels, Red Sea mimic blennies, yellow fin fairy wrasses, clowns, mandarins, blackcap basslets, shrimp gobies, damsels, dispar anthias, yellow clown gobies, threadfin cardinals --- Tanks: 100g reef, 2 x 30g refugiums

02/13/2011, 11:43 PM	#12
spehhh eddie would go Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: The Bay,California Posts: 118	i have a yellow tail that dose that all the time,but he has a million places to hide and he sits everyday in the corner __________________ " i buy my reef one dime bag at a time" 40g RR with 50 pound of fiji live rock,60 pounds of live sand.SPS LPS zoas.midas blenny,mandrian goby,mated clowns,yellow damsel. 125g RR in the mix!!! Current Tank Info: 57g oceanic rimless, current usa 4 39w t5,2 150 mh,RKE,mp10w x1,phosban 150 x2 gfo carbon,kalk reactor,velocity t5 pump,octopus EXTREEM cone skimmer,30g sump/fuge

02/14/2011, 07:37 AM	#13
erikras Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 130	Thanks guys. Yesterday afternoon I turned on the tank light for the first time. After about an hour one was swimming around quite a bit, the second was not quite as active but out, and the third was still hiding under the filter and amongst the PVC elbows. I tried putting just a small pinch of Instant Ocean Omnivore Marine Chips in the tank to see if I could entice them with some food. None of them seemed interested. __________________ Erik R. 25gal Cube Mixed Reef - 10gal sump, Bubble Magus NAC3.5, Vertex Illumina SR260, ReefKeeper Lite w/ 2x PC4, NET, SL2, Vortech MP10 ES, Tunze Osmolator ATO w/ Kalk Reactor

02/14/2011, 01:48 PM	#14
GT3 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 294	Lol, you don't need to feed them for the first few days they won't eat, until they settle and feel comfortable then they will start eating XD __________________ 20G Reef Tank, DSB, 25lbs of live rocks. Spec: Ph 8.2, >520 cal and 8 kh, Temp 77F, SG 1.026 Equip: Coralife 24x2 T5HO, 2x Koralia 425 powerheads, no skimmer. 2L HOB Sump: Cheato, feather dusters, copepods, bristleworms Livestock: 4 blue-legged hermits, 2 nassarius snails, 1 astra snail, 1 Argent Mono, 1 FireGoby Corals: Mushrooms, yellow polyps, zoanthids

02/14/2011, 06:01 PM	#15
erikras Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 130	So I came home from work today. Two of the damsels were swimming about. The third is standing nearly vertical in the corner behind the filter. He appears normal otherwise. Ammonia is zero. I immediately did a 20% water change. Should I be worried? I Googled this and couldn't find and decisive info. __________________ Erik R. 25gal Cube Mixed Reef - 10gal sump, Bubble Magus NAC3.5, Vertex Illumina SR260, ReefKeeper Lite w/ 2x PC4, NET, SL2, Vortech MP10 ES, Tunze Osmolator ATO w/ Kalk Reactor

02/14/2011, 06:06 PM	#16
erikras Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 130	Cruddy cell phone pic http://www.flickr.com/photos/55194140@N04/5446746116 __________________ Erik R. 25gal Cube Mixed Reef - 10gal sump, Bubble Magus NAC3.5, Vertex Illumina SR260, ReefKeeper Lite w/ 2x PC4, NET, SL2, Vortech MP10 ES, Tunze Osmolator ATO w/ Kalk Reactor

02/14/2011, 06:29 PM	#17
Angel*Fish cats and large squashes Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Houston Posts: 5,951 Blog Entries: 1	It's hard to tell. I looked at both pics and without seeing what's going on the tank - just those photos, it looks to me like he's being bullied by the other one. He could be sick, I suppose. I'd make some eggcrate separators and put them in there asap. If eggcrate holes are small enough, that is. If not something else. __________________ Marie So long, & thanks for all the fish! __________________________ Current Tank Info: Pairs: flame angels, cherub angels, Red Sea mimic blennies, yellow fin fairy wrasses, clowns, mandarins, blackcap basslets, shrimp gobies, damsels, dispar anthias, yellow clown gobies, threadfin cardinals --- Tanks: 100g reef, 2 x 30g refugiums

02/14/2011, 07:58 PM	#18
erikras Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 130	Okay. I separated the tank and gave the distressed damsel his own third of the tank. However, the more I watch him, the more think he's behaving like a sick fish. I've kept FW fish for years and see no signs of disease. I've been treating the tank with a low dose (7.5ml daily) of SeaChem Para Guard. __________________ Erik R. 25gal Cube Mixed Reef - 10gal sump, Bubble Magus NAC3.5, Vertex Illumina SR260, ReefKeeper Lite w/ 2x PC4, NET, SL2, Vortech MP10 ES, Tunze Osmolator ATO w/ Kalk Reactor

02/14/2011, 08:25 PM	#19
erikras Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 130	Well forget that idea. The third damsel swam right through and rejoined the other two. In the hours I've spent watching them, I've seen no signs of bullying. __________________ Erik R. 25gal Cube Mixed Reef - 10gal sump, Bubble Magus NAC3.5, Vertex Illumina SR260, ReefKeeper Lite w/ 2x PC4, NET, SL2, Vortech MP10 ES, Tunze Osmolator ATO w/ Kalk Reactor

02/14/2011, 11:40 PM	#20
duncantse Fish Advisor Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 1,604	Congratz!

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