Cycling

[catphish]

OK I just got done tearing my rock apart to get the damsels out of my tank, sad to see them go but they had to find a new home. I now have a very nice coral beauty , YAY! But i just wanted to say to any newbies such as myself that maybe the raw shrimp in the tank is a better way to get the cycle started. No fun at all tearing apart your tank to get these very fast lil guys out.

 

[DaveJ]

@Catphish wrote:

They usually put up a good chase I've seen many a store owner (not naming names he knows who he is) huffing and puffing at chasing them around a display tank with no LR.

But yes, ideally the non-living is a good way to go for cycling. They make good starter fish though since they are so hardy, but a time comes when they have to be removed and its always a chore.

 

[ReefGod]

Or you can just keep them after you're done cycling, i've had mine for over 5 years, they are really fun to watch as they dart at each other, i've actually had to do what you did when i was catching my clown goby but that was for a different reason, i think damsels are the most reef safe fish, they never move rocks around, never pick on corals, so it's perfect for me. The tangs and clowns are always rearranging my frags, but i agree on one thing, cycling with shrimp is a much better alternative.