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Blue Damsel
Damsel

Blue Damsel

Chrysiptera cyanea

An electric-blue jewel that is almost indestructibly hardy and correspondingly cheap — but its beauty hides a genuinely aggressive streak. It fiercely defends a rock territory, torments newly added fish, and can be nearly impossible to remove once entrenched in the aquascape, so it should be one of the last fish added and is best kept singly. Reef- and invert-safe, but a poor choice for a timid community despite its beginner-friendly toughness.

Temperament
Aggressive
Max size
2.8"
Min tank
30 gal
Reef-safe
Reef safe
Diet
Omnivore
Zone
Mid-water, Rockwork
Keep just one per tank — two will fight.
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Tankmates

How Blue Damsel gets on with the rest of the reef, checked pair by pair by the same engine as the live pre-flight.

Best kept apart

A real clash — aggression, predation or a same-genus fight.

Yellowtail DamselBlue Damsel and Yellowtail Damsel are the same genus (Chrysiptera) and will fight — keep only one.Yellow Clown GobyBlue Damsel (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Yellow Clown Goby and may harass it.Green Clown GobyBlue Damsel (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Green Clown Goby and may harass it.Azure DamselfishBlue Damsel and Azure Damselfish are the same genus (Chrysiptera) and will fight — keep only one.Talbot's DamselBlue Damsel and Talbot's Damsel are the same genus (Chrysiptera) and will fight — keep only one.Springer's DemoiselleBlue Damsel and Springer's Demoiselle are the same genus (Chrysiptera) and will fight — keep only one.Antennata LionfishAntennata Lionfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Blue Damsel.Picasso TriggerfishPicasso Triggerfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Blue Damsel.Fiji Blue Devil DamselBlue Damsel and Fiji Blue Devil Damsel are the same genus (Chrysiptera) and will fight — keep only one.Domino DamselTwo aggressive territorial damsels of different genera (Dascyllus vs Chrysiptera) will fight persistently over rockwork territory.Marine BettaMarine Betta has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Blue Damsel.Dragon WrasseDragon Wrasse has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Blue Damsel.Volitans LionfishVolitans Lionfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Blue Damsel.Zebra Dwarf LionfishZebra Dwarf Lionfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Blue Damsel.Snowflake MoraySnowflake Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Blue Damsel.Zebra MorayZebra Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Blue Damsel.Chainlink MorayChainlink Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Blue Damsel.Golden Dwarf MorayGolden Dwarf Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Blue Damsel.Rectangle TriggerfishRectangle Triggerfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Blue Damsel.Clown TriggerfishClown Triggerfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Blue Damsel.

Keep an eye on these

Usually fine, but worth watching in a smaller tank.

Maroon ClownfishBlue Damsel and Maroon Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Flame AngelfishBlue Damsel and Flame Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Coral Beauty AngelfishBlue Damsel and Coral Beauty Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Lemonpeel AngelfishBlue Damsel and Lemonpeel Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Bicolor AngelfishBlue Damsel and Bicolor Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Red Saddleback ClownfishBlue Damsel and Red Saddleback Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Yellow TangBlue Damsel and Yellow Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Red Sea ClownfishBlue Damsel and Red Sea Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Sailfin TangBlue Damsel and Sailfin Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Purple TangBlue Damsel and Purple Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Powder Blue TangBlue Damsel and Powder Blue Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Matted FilefishBlue Damsel and Matted Filefish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Convict TangBlue Damsel and Convict Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Clark's ClownfishBlue Damsel and Clark's Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Tomato ClownfishBlue Damsel and Tomato Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Canary BlennyBlue Damsel and Canary Blenny both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Forktail BlennyBlue Damsel and Forktail Blenny both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Achilles TangBlue Damsel and Achilles Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Naso TangBlue Damsel and Naso Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Scopas TangBlue Damsel and Scopas Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.