Azure Damsel

Care at a glance

Overview

One of the better-behaved damsels, defending only a small area around its favorite rocks. It is still territorial toward its own kind, so most keepers add a single specimen, though a small harem can sometimes work if introduced together into a 4-foot-plus tank with complex rock and an acceptance of possible losses. Eats flakes, small pellets and frozen meaty foods, and picks at dried seaweed.

In the wild

Comes from the western Pacific and eastern Indian Ocean, particularly around Indonesia and northwestern Australia, over sheltered coral-rich lagoons and reef slopes. It hovers near branching corals and rock, never straying far from cover. A tank with dense rockwork and multiple hiding spots keeps it settled and lets it establish a modest territory.

Good to know

A Chrysiptera damsel in the family Pomacentridae, with a blue upper body and yellow lower body and tail. Like its relatives it is a demersal egg layer with paternal nest care. It is regularly captive-bred, which produces hardier, better-adjusted specimens than wild imports.

Did you know

Its clean split of electric blue over bright yellow makes it look like a smaller, calmer version of the blue devil, and captive-bred azures are a popular choice for hobbyists who want damsel color without the notorious damsel attitude.

Related species

• 

  Springer's Damsel

  Chrysiptera springeri

  2.8 in (7 cm)25 gal (95 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Yellowtail Damsel

  Chrysiptera parasema

  2.8 in (7 cm)29 gal (110 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Talbot's Damsel

  Chrysiptera talboti

  2.4 in (6 cm)29 gal (110 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Starck's Damsel

  Chrysiptera starcki

  3.5 in (9 cm)29 gal (110 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)

• 

  Blue Damsel

  Chrysiptera cyanea

  3.1 in (8 cm)29 gal (110 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Fiji Blue Devil Damsel

  Chrysiptera taupou

  3.1 in (8 cm)29 gal (110 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)