good first fish?

[nick fowler28]

alright ive read up somemore on salt water and im ready to take the plunge i got a 125g from a freind who needed to get rid of it for 100$ havent picked it up yet i know im a long way away from adding any fish to it but i like to plan ahead.  anyways i posted before and got no response so ill try again.  i hear that damsels are very hardy yet putting them in first tends to lead to them being aggresive of their territory to any new fish.  is this true?  if so could anyone suggest a better starter fish?  i plan on upgrading to a reef eventually so im getting equipment for that now so i wont have to buy more later.  i would like to know any other advice u have for the begginer and thanks in advance for any replys.  

peace

nick

 

[eseow]

Yes Damsels are aggessive when they're established in the tank. Clowns can be used also, but are more expensive and they too can be very aggressive. You'll need to cycle the tank with fish. If its Damsels, you may be able to keep other fish, depends on there size ane color. Some Damsels don't bother other fish, it depends on the fish actually. I would recommend a good efficient skimmer and some live rock, no fish. Let the tank run and test for ammonia spikes, this way if of the live rock should have die back, it won't kill the tank. Add some live rock, but not all at once. If theres a large enough ammonia spike that the live rock can't handle, it could affect all the live rock and force complete die back. Sound complicated, but it not. Add some live sand first, than add rock a little at a time. When theres a few pound of rock in, add a Damsel or two. Get a few snails and hermits, then monitor the water. If all is ok, add some more rock ,and maybe another fish. Caution with the rock, too much rock and hiding areas with Damsels will make it hell to try and catch them if you want to tank them back out. As long the tank's water is good, you can slowly introduce more livestock or rock. But do it slowly. *twirlysmiley*