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Domino Damsel
Damsel

Domino Damsel

Dascyllus trimaculatus

A jet-black juvenile marked with three bright white "domino" spots that fade to a sooty grey with age — famously hardy, cheap and forgiving, and famously a bully. Cute as a small fish, but it grows to a stocky 14cm and turns genuinely, fearlessly aggressive, harassing and even killing tankmates many times its size and dominating a community single-handed. Reef- and invert-safe toward corals and shrimp, but keep just one, add it last, and only in a robust, boisterous tank.

Temperament
Aggressive
Max size
5.5"
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 Domino 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.

Percula ClownfishDomino Damsel (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Percula Clownfish and may harass it.Banggai CardinalfishDomino Damsel (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Banggai Cardinalfish and may harass it.Pajama CardinalfishDomino Damsel (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Pajama Cardinalfish and may harass it.Green ChromisDomino Damsel (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Green Chromis and may harass it.Blue DamselTwo aggressive territorial damsels of different genera (Dascyllus vs Chrysiptera) will fight persistently over rockwork territory.Helfrich's FirefishA maturing domino damsel bullies small, shy firefish; the delicate Helfrich's firefish is quickly outcompeted and stressed.Yasha GobySmall timid gobies are named victims of the domino damsel; the tiny Yasha goby is easily bullied off its burrow.Tailspot BlennyDomino Damsel (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Tailspot Blenny and may harass it.McCosker's Flasher WrasseDomino Damsel (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful McCosker's Flasher Wrasse and may harass it.Lubbock's Fairy WrasseDomino Damsel (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Lubbock's Fairy Wrasse and may harass it.Royal GrammaDomino Damsel (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Royal Gramma and may harass it.Chalk BassDomino Damsel (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Chalk Bass and may harass it.Orchid DottybackDomino Damsel (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Orchid Dottyback and may harass it.Mandarin DragonetDomino Damsel (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Mandarin Dragonet and may harass it.Purple FirefishDomino Damsel (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Purple Firefish and may harass it.FirefishCare sheets explicitly warn that domino damsels harass firefish and other timid gobies; the firefish is a textbook victim of this bully.Yellow Clown GobyDomino Damsel (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Yellow Clown Goby and may harass it.Green Clown GobyDomino Damsel (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Green Clown Goby and may harass it.Randall's AnthiasDomino Damsel (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Randall's Anthias and may harass it.Neon GobyDomino Damsel (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Neon Goby and may harass it.

Keep an eye on these

Usually fine, but worth watching in a smaller tank.

Maroon ClownfishDomino Damsel and Maroon Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Yellowtail DamselDomino Damsel and Yellowtail Damsel both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Flame AngelfishDomino Damsel and Flame Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Coral Beauty AngelfishDomino Damsel and Coral Beauty Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Lemonpeel AngelfishDomino Damsel and Lemonpeel Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Bicolor AngelfishDomino Damsel and Bicolor Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Red Saddleback ClownfishDomino Damsel and Red Saddleback Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Yellow TangDomino Damsel and Yellow Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Red Sea ClownfishDomino Damsel and Red Sea Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Sailfin TangDomino Damsel and Sailfin Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Purple TangDomino Damsel and Purple Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Powder Blue TangDomino Damsel and Powder Blue Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Matted FilefishDomino Damsel and Matted Filefish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Convict TangDomino Damsel and Convict Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Clark's ClownfishDomino Damsel and Clark's Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Tomato ClownfishDomino Damsel and Tomato Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Canary BlennyDomino Damsel and Canary Blenny both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Forktail BlennyDomino Damsel and Forktail Blenny both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Achilles TangDomino Damsel and Achilles Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Naso TangDomino Damsel and Naso Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.