[Gieke]

I was thinking of putting a couple of yellowtail damsels in my tank once the cycling has completed as the first fish, mainly because of their hardyness, I know they are teritorial but how aggressive will they be to other fish I put in later if they are the first fish in the tank?

[e_baer]

I had one in my 55 and he dominated the tank. He was even chasing the yellow tang around. If you are looking to add a hardy fish for your first fish look into getting a chromis.

[Gieke]

Thanks alot, Ive heard they get pretty aggresive. I will research the chromis.

[czarkasm]

I have a 100 gallon fish only tank, and I kind of wish I would of never bought my three yellow tails because they are a tad on the aggressive side. As the above poster mentioned, I believe the green chomis are the smarter choice. I just bought five and they stay schooled and don't bother a thing.

[lynnvangsnes]

Forget the damsels. Yes, they are hardy. Most of all they redefine the term territorial. A buddy of mine has a 3 stripe damsel with 3 lionfish...the lionfish leave the damsel alone.

[glampka]

The only good damsel is a dead damsel!! They shouldn't be sold in the hobby!

[pogodzib]

Damsels work good for smaller FO tanks where people want to pack a bunch of hardy fish in it for low cost. As long as the tank only has damsels or clowns in it, they work good. As soon as you want to add other types of fish, the damsels are best left out.

[MonopolyBag]

I prefer cromis vs damsels. Cromis are less aggressive when older.

[R-e-D]

i have to say , i have to domino demsels and they are great .. they dont bother my clowns or fire fish .. maybe just a fluke .

[Gohn]

I agree and a Chromis or two is a nice start. I do have a few damsels and a tomato clown to go along with a few other tuff guys BUT there is only 1 fish that makes the tank (and me) uneasy - the Royal Dottyback (Pseudochromis paccagnellae) is the jerk of the tank and cowers the yellowtail and nags everything else. Without him/her the tank would be territorial and still be damsel level aggressive but not bad for my taste. Since I mostly enjoy the tank for the inverts.etc. - soft corals, sea star, 2 different shrimp, live rock surprises etc.. I am OK with the damsels which are pretty interesting guys, cheap and colorful and they don't bother the reef party but I don't suggest adding any if you will be adding any nice guys. The dottyback is another story.

[Taras1]

Damsels look pretty, are hardy and a pain in the butt because they're aggressive.

Chromis are ok but I've found them to hog food.

Personally, I think a couple of juvenile clowns are the ideal starter fish. If you get a couple of juvie's they will sort themselves out as they grow up, one becoming the female with her "harem" of males. Then you can add an anemone and hopefully they'll host. Just do your homework on the anemone and clownfish hosting.