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Yellowtail Damsel
Damsel

Yellowtail Damsel

Chrysiptera parasema

A hardy little damsel with a deep-blue body and a bright lemon tail — widely considered the best-tempered of the common damsels and a good first saltwater fish. It largely ignores other species and is completely reef-safe, though it will squabble with its own kind, so it is safest kept singly or as an odd-numbered small group in a larger tank. Colourful, cheap, and forgiving, with only mild damsel territoriality to manage.

Temperament
Semi-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 Yellowtail 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.

Blue DamselYellowtail Damsel and Blue Damsel are the same genus (Chrysiptera) and will fight — keep only one.Azure DamselfishYellowtail Damsel and Azure Damselfish are the same genus (Chrysiptera) and will fight — keep only one.Talbot's DamselYellowtail Damsel and Talbot's Damsel are the same genus (Chrysiptera) and will fight — keep only one.Springer's DemoiselleYellowtail 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 Yellowtail Damsel.Picasso TriggerfishPicasso Triggerfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Yellowtail Damsel.Fiji Blue Devil DamselYellowtail Damsel and Fiji Blue Devil Damsel are the same genus (Chrysiptera) and will fight — keep only one.Marine BettaMarine Betta has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Yellowtail Damsel.Dragon WrasseDragon Wrasse has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Yellowtail Damsel.Volitans LionfishVolitans Lionfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Yellowtail Damsel.Zebra Dwarf LionfishZebra Dwarf Lionfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Yellowtail Damsel.Snowflake MoraySnowflake Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Yellowtail Damsel.Zebra MorayZebra Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Yellowtail Damsel.Chainlink MorayChainlink Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Yellowtail Damsel.Golden Dwarf MorayGolden Dwarf Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Yellowtail Damsel.Rectangle TriggerfishRectangle Triggerfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Yellowtail Damsel.Clown TriggerfishClown Triggerfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Yellowtail Damsel.Miniata GrouperMiniata Grouper has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Yellowtail Damsel.Panther GrouperPanther Grouper has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Yellowtail Damsel.Six-Line SoapfishSix-Line Soapfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Yellowtail Damsel.

Keep an eye on these

Usually fine, but worth watching in a smaller tank.

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