Strange Behaviour

[simong6]

my humbug damsel has decided to dig all of the coral gravel out from under neath my heater is this normal behaviour???

 

[simong6]

ok i've been watching it for about 30 mins now, and it periodically goes back, right down to the floor of the aquarium, shakes its tail end really quickly and swims away v. quickly, and when ever any other fish goes to that area, it darts directy to them and chases them right around the tank

 

[Ranger]

Im not an expert on ur fish but it seem to me that its just making a home/ nest thingy... It's just being territorial imo. Its not abnormal for fish to move your substrate/rocks around.

 

[boshank23]

damsels are very teritorial and will defend their teritory at all costs. if there are no rock formations they can claim as their own they will dig out a home under anything they can, in your case the heater.

not the best tank mate to have, they will have a go at anything that wanders into their bit of reef regardless of their size. keep an eye on your other stock, if you see their fins getting niped please take the damsel back, it will more than likely kill something

 

[simong6]

damsels are very teritorial and will defend their teritory at all costs. if there are no rock formations they can claim as their own they will dig out a home under anything they can, in your case the heater.

not the best tank mate to have, they will have a go at anything that wanders into their bit of reef regardless of their size. keep an eye on your other stock, if you see their fins getting niped please take the damsel back, it will more than likely kill something

i've noticed that the larger of my domino damsel has a few nip marks in the tail


both the dominoes have taken up residence in my rocks with the shrimp.The humbug has never ever gone near the rocks come to think about it, and it is the largest fish in the tank

ok so in writing this post i've just watched it take a piece out of the smaller one!!!!

 

[boshank23]

dominos are probably 1 of the most agressive damsels you can buy, seems odd that the humbug would be allowed to stay in the tank, not the other way round. hmmmm

to be fair i would deffo get rid of 1 or the other, it will only end with the loss of fish. its a real shame as damsels are fab fish, i keep 4 myself in a tank all their own. i see very little agression in my 4, only when its spawning time. the thing is if a damsel decides to be destructive it will do your other fish alot of damage.

i have heard some real horror stories of damsels terrorising a tank with fish 3-4 times its size. a good friend of mine lost a french angel to a blue devil, personally i would advise anyone never to buy a damsel in the first place, unless you are willing to only keep a couple of fish in your tank.

quick link to another damselfish thread.

hope it helps