White Damsel

Dischistodus perspicillatus

Also known as White Damselfish

SaltwaterFish

White Damsel (Dischistodus perspicillatus) — Rickard Zerpe · CC BY 2.0

Care at a glance

Temperature: 75–82°F (24–28°C)
pH: 8.1–8.4
Adult size: 7.1 in (18 cm)
Minimum tank: 75 gal (285 L)
Temperament: Aggressive
Social behavior: Solitary
Tankmates: Tankmates with caution
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Easy
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Rare
Reef safe: Reef safe with caution
Origin: Indo-West Pacific sand flats
Family: Pomacentridae

Overview

Placid as a small juvenile, then one of the most territorial damselfish in the hobby as it grows into a thickset 18 cm adult. House it with robust tankmates that will not be pushed around, and skip docile grazers, since it defends its feeding patch hard. It eats nearly anything, with algae-based foods balancing the usual frozen fare; corals are generally ignored, but its size, digging, and attitude make it a cautious choice for reef tanks.

In the wild

Lives on sheltered sand and silt flats near reefs across the Indo-West Pacific, often in water only a meter or two deep. Adults hold garden-like territories on open sand where they tend and defend patches of algae. Give it a deep sand zone bordered by rockwork and expect it to rearrange the bottom to its liking.

Good to know

Dischistodus perspicillatus is a damselfish in the family Pomacentridae, described by Cuvier in 1830, and at up to 18 cm it is large for the family. The pale body carries two or three dark saddles across the back that fade as the fish matures. Like other damsels it lays demersal eggs that the male guards.

Did you know

It is a true farmer fish, weeding its algae plot of species it does not eat and chasing off grazers many times its size, which leaves wild sand flats dotted with tended lawns.