domino damsel ?

[jwtrojan44]

I'm considering adding two domino damsels to my 55 gal. FO. The other inhabitants are a snowflake eel, 2 cleaner shrimp and 3 large hermits. Do the dominos retain their vivid black/white coloration as they mature or do they fade/become drab. Also, would a pair of juveniles added at the same time get along as they mature, or are battles inevitable? Thanks for any input.

[ChrisN87]

I have 2 large domino's that I got for 6$ each. They usually aren't wanted because they can get very mean. You could probably find the smaller ones a few bucks more then the bigger ones.

I added 2 at the same time and they are still doing great..

HTH

Chris :eek3:

[jwtrojan44]

thanks, chris. our lfs sells the little ones for about 6-7 bucks. one store just got some in the other day. i know they can be nasty, but i'm loking for a couple colorful active fish to compliment the eel. i don't plan on adding any other sort of community fish. i know many damsels lose their colors as they mature so i'm looking for something that will still look o.k in a year or two. Any other suggestions?

[ChrisN87]

How about a trigger? Like a niger or a humu?

[Biomanjcs72]

They are mean, and they will eventually get to be the size of the palm of your hand. If you EVER want to add any more fish to your tank, I'd do it before you add the dominoes, they don't fade as they get older, they just get mean. FWIW, they associate with certain anemones, and are actually considered a clownfish (they do fine without anemones, though.) I like my little dominoe, lots of personality.

[jwtrojan44]

thanks biomanjcs. as mentioned they would be the only two fish besides the eel. chris, i just returned a humu trigger that i had purchased for the tank. great fish but what a number he did on the sand bed, not to mention how he went after the eel during feeding time. (see my post "what an impulse buy!) I also considered a niger but hear they are diggers too, and i think that a 55 is really too small for a trigger. i might give the dominos a try, and appreciate the input. thanks all.

[slapshot]

We HAD a domino damsel, he wasn't all that mean. But, he found that the lionfish was a little higher on the food chain than him. I got tired of chasing him around the tank trying to remove him so he did not get sacrifced, but he eluded me, so he was eaten within a day......;)

[Bughead]

Besides being mean (meanest fish I ever had, they'd been piranhas in their last life). they did become drab with age. Huge and drab.

[organicreefer]

i agree with bughead the dominoes do fade with age

[jwtrojan44]

thanks for the info. i think i'll skip the dominos. i'm busy plotting capture techniques for my three green chromis. "This aint' gonna be pretty." If I can snag them over the next day or so, I'll put them into the 55 with the eel. Actually, I had them in there when I was cycling the tank (Yeah, I know, WE shouldn't use live fish for this, but they lived and are doing great) Probably add three more as they are pretty in a small shoal. Thanks again. JWT.

[sharky]

There are 2 types sold in stores as domino damsels. Both are very aggressive. The Hawaiin 3 spot is the one that retains it's color as it grows. These things do get very large.