Fish · Pomacentridae
Azure demoiselle
The azure demoiselle is a small 7 cm damselfish of the Indo-West Pacific, bright blue in front and yellow behind. Hardy and undemanding in the aquarium, it has nonetheless been listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN since 2021.
What it needs
Related species
Amphiprion ocellaris
Range recommended by the sheet
Day to day
Hardy, it tolerates less-than-ideal water parameters, which makes it popular with beginners. As with any marine fish, a 2–4 week quarantine in a separate tank limits the risk of bringing parasites into your display. If you can, choose a captive-bred fish rather than a wild one, given the species' Vulnerable status.
Plan at least about 115 litres (30 US gallons) with plenty of rockwork and hiding places. A small group of juveniles looks great, but adults become territorial; in a large reef tank, plenty of hiding places usually keeps tension down.
Keep it with other semi-aggressive fish rather than very peaceful species. Damselfish are often aggressive towards each other and their tankmates, so avoid mixing several damsel species in a small tank. Recommended parameters: about 22–26 °C (72–78 °F), specific gravity 1.020–1.025, pH 8.1–8.4, alkalinity 8–12 dKH.
In the wild it feeds on plankton caught 30–50 cm above the bottom, staying close to branching corals.
In the aquarium it takes all prepared foods: quality flakes, frozen meaty foods such as brine shrimp or mysis, and now and then dried seaweed on a clip. No feeding frequency is published for this species; for its close relative C. parasema, LiveAquaria recommends several small meals a day.
Tank mates
In detail
The front of the body and the back are bright blue; the rear of the body, the belly, the anal fin and the tail are yellow, and the amount of yellow varies between individuals. The species name hemicyanea ("half blue") refers to the blue head and upper body. In the trade it is confused with Chrysiptera parasema, which has a blue body with only the tail yellow; some even call C. parasema the azure damsel. The sources consulted describe no colour difference between males and females.
It lives in lagoons and nearshore reefs at 1–38 m, in small groups and almost always among branching corals, especially Acropora. It feeds on plankton 30–50 cm above the bottom. Its range is small: Western Australia (Rowley Shoals, Scott Reef, Ashmore Reef), Indonesia and Timor-Leste.
It is oviparous and forms distinct pairs when breeding: the eggs stick to the substrate and are guarded and aerated by the male. Its reproduction in the wild is poorly studied, but it has been bred in captivity: Quality Marine announced aquacultured fish in 2017, and ORA (Florida) lists it among its captive-bred fish.
The IUCN listed it as Vulnerable (criterion A2c) in 2021: its population is decreasing and its habitat is declining in quality. The threats listed are fishing and collecting, notably for the international aquarium trade, and temperature extremes affecting its reefs. Choosing a captive-bred fish when you can avoids adding to that harvest.
Status
WoRMS
AphiaID 276832 · See on WoRMS (opens in a new tab)
Where this comes from
Amphiprion ocellaris
Gramma loreto
Nemateleotris magnifica
Paracanthurus hepatus
Pseudanthias squamipinnis
Pterapogon kauderni
Zebrasoma flavescens
Zebrasoma velifer
