One thing, though, is that it's different for an
experienced reefer to start out a tank with an expensive
fish, than it is for a new fish keeper to start out with
an expensive fish. New fish keepers make lots of mistakes.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



Roy wrote on 12/20/2005 6:30 PM:
MOst folks regard a Damsel as a cheap fish which is very abundant at a
very cheap price ( Often for less than $3.00 with mewmber card at
Petco) as a way to test your waters and see if everything is on
par........That way if something is not quite right your not out a hea
of money if they croak....I view it like this.I trust my test kits and
my knoweledge..I would not feel any different placing a damsel in a
new setup that was properly cycled and water parameters in check than
I would a an Angel fish of $30.00 If the water is right and conditions
are what they should be then things should be fine as long as they are
introduced one or two at a time, depending on how large a system it is
and your filtration.

If I was going to have any damsels, I would add them last so they are
the new guys on the block so they may not be so boisterous and already
have established territories setup......

I do not believe in sacrificing any fish to test the
waters......simple if its not right for a high dollar fish then no
fish go in it. The only exceptions would be fish that eat mainly
copepods etc such as dragonets, and in that case the tank would have
to be pretty well establised and aged with a large population of stuff
for the dragonets to eat. I see lots of dragonets getting sold at
various places and when you talk to the ones buying them they say
things like, yea, we just got our 55 gal setup cycled and have had 4
damsels in it for a month, or yea we have one up now for about a
year......so now were going to add those pretty dragonets......which
on rare occasions will eat prepared foods but most times they starve
in most any tank that is not well established. Its a real shame, but
evidently they are pretty abundant just like damsels as around this
part they go for under $15 a fish.......