Talbot's Damsel, what a fish!

[carlosR]

Recently acquired two Talbot's damselfish. The LFS wasn't quite sure which species they were but between one savvy employee and myself we made a positive i.d. What a delightful fish. They have staked out a territory in the corner of the tank and don't seem to bother any tankmates. They respond well to aggression, preferring to hide then reappear quickly. My tank is stocked with chromis and damselfish. Feeding is not a problem, they accept dry foods and frozen foods. I tried to get Acares midget chromis but they never adapted. These fish are a much better alternative.

 

[MIKE NY]

wait till it matures...I had a breeding pair and they get very aggressive defending their territory..The male even fought off a Niger Trigger 3x it's size...I still have the male for many years now..beautiful little fish..Gl with yours...

 

[birdsnest]

Def. a cool damsel. I have had one for a few yrs and it is a model citizen. I wouldn't doubt that they can get aggressive if they began to mate.

 

[sawdonkey]

I'm thinking about getting 5 or so if these. My 220 has 7 larger fish and I'd like to get some more action in the water column. I'd like to get something like a group of chromis or anthias, but I don't like the survivability of these. I have two tangs, two triggers, two angels, and a clown.

I like these damsels and I like that they are hardy. Has anyone kept a group of these? My tank is pretty aggressive so the aggression of the damsels is not a concern.

 

[4FordFamily]

I'm thinking about getting 5 or so if these. My 220 has 7 larger fish and I'd like to get some more action in the water column. I'd like to get something like a group of chromis or anthias, but I don't like the survivability of these. I have two tangs, two triggers, two angels, and a clown.

I like these damsels and I like that they are hardy. Has anyone kept a group of these? My tank is pretty aggressive so the aggression of the damsels is not a concern.

I always joke that most damsels could live in urine. They're very hardy.

My problem with them is the high bio load for their size and aggression. Wait until one day you decide to buy a 2-500 dollar fish and your ten dollar damsel kills a gorgeous gem. My policy is no damsels, ever.

That said I can see the appeal for some people I just prefer other types of more fragile fish (nearly every fish is more fragile)

 

[CoralsAddiction]

I had a small one a year ago and it was fairly peaceful. As a matter of fact it would get beat up by an Azure damsel.

 

[LostInTheDark]

I have 2 pairs in a 225. Both pair breed regularly and have staked out opposite sides of the tank. They have never shown any aggression to any fish. They are at least 5 or 6 years old so I don,t see them changing there ways any time soon.

 

[eatbreakfast]

Talbots are definitely peaceful for damsels, but spawning pairs can get pretty territorial.

 

[fernalfer]

deciding if i want to put the one i have in my invert QT Tank in my Main Display. Very pretty fish. I currently have 2 occelaris clowns, 2 Pajama cardinal Fish, 1 Fire fish and 1 Starry Blenny. Very peaceful tank right now. Not sure throwing him in will disrupt the peace or not.

 

[Edwardsreef]

Well just keep it in it's own tank by itself! I mean that's what I plan on my first reef being! Is that possible?

 

[scchase]

Talbot's as far as aggression are almost not even damsels, outside of spawning they lose to everything that isn't a firefish when it comes to aggression, great fish and very under appreciated IMO. Their territories are about the size of a softball, and they don't even defend those aggressively.

 

[User1]

They are territorial but no more so than any other fish with similar behavior. Chrysiptera are "typically" regarded has the more calm or well behaved. So Talbot's, Tracy's, Azures, Starcki, etc. Plenty of color, size, and action / speed. Again with most creatures in our glass boxes the onus is on the hobbyist to create an environment to limit the aggression and stock accordingly. Things to consider are rock work, nooks, crannies, caves, and things used for homes or territory. Food is another one by making sure they have a proper diet, enough food, especially if they are foragers. Of course there is also space.

Damsels have a bad reputation and/or image for many reasons such as used to cycle tanks, ignorance of their size, aggression, and habitat requirement. My own take is that this is true for any fish be it a tang or wrasse. Ignorance of size potential or feeding habits can take a otherwise common fish into a holy terror. For the record I've had breeding pairs of Azures and Talbots in a 40 breeder. I'm down to a single azure due to a mass rose bubble tip spawn a few years back but once the upgraded tank completes it cycle I'll be introducing more Azures, Talbots, and Starcki for sure. The color and movement is just amazing.

Note - I'm also probably a bit biased in that I've done some scuba diving over reef crests filled with these guys and gals.

 

[Sassifrass7]

It's funny to hear people say Chromis are peaceful and Damsels are not,.....in my experience the blue/green Chromis I got, I had 3 in a 50 gallon cube, were the most ***** and territorial fish ever! They were tiny too, and yet they would attack my hand if I had to go into the tank. They each staked out a side of the tank and were nasty!

 

[MaiReef]

Mine holds his own and recovered from a single popeye very quickly. I bought 3 in the family at the same time Azure, Talbot and a Bicolor Chromis. The Chromis doubled in size and he has grown just a bit. The Bicolor is the only aggressor of the 3, but my Maroon Gold-Striped Clown and my two Angels keep him in check.