Neon Damselfish

Care at a glance

Overview

A 110 litre or larger tank with rock territories suits it at 24 to 27 C. It is reef safe and leaves corals and inverts alone, but it is aggressive toward other fish, so choose tankmates that can hold their own and add it late. Feed flake, pellets and frozen foods. In a large tank with lots of rock, a small group can work, though fighting is common.

In the wild

The neon damselfish is a brilliant electric blue fish, often with a yellow tail, that gathers in loose groups over rubble and reef flats. It is hardy, cheap and intensely colored. Like most Pomacentrus it is scrappy and territorial in a tank. Wild fish hover in the water column picking plankton and algae.

Good to know

Pomacentrus coelestis reaches about 9 cm and forms loose aggregations over open rubble in the wild. It is a different fish from Allen's damsel, which also carries the neon damsel trade name. The blue coloring comes from light-scattering skin cells rather than pigment.

Did you know

Its electric blue is a structural color, produced by the way its skin bends light rather than by any blue pigment.

Related species

• 

  Lemon Damsel

  Pomacentrus moluccensis

  3.5 in (9 cm)29 gal (110 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Allen's Damsel

  Pomacentrus alleni

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

• 

  Three-Stripe Damsel

  Dascyllus aruanus

  3.5 in (9 cm)29 gal (110 L)75–81°F (24–27°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)

• 

  Four-Stripe Damsel

  Dascyllus melanurus

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