Animal-World > Marine Fish > Anemonefish - Damsels > Blue Devil Damsel

Blue Devil Damsel

Devilfish Family: Pomacentridae

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Chrysiptera cyanea Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy Hiroyuki Tanaka

   Many folks like the purity and beauty of the Blue Devil Damsel and this is perhaps one of the most popular of the damselfishes.

Female Photo © Animal-World

   The Blue Devil available in a pet store may often be a juvenile that has not yet come into its adult coloration. As they mature the males develop yellow-orange tail colors as you can see in the picture above. Females will gain a black spot at the base of the hindmost dorsal ray.

   As they mature many damselfish are noted for becoming rather aggressive and are best not kept with smaller or overly passive tank mates. This species is no exception, it is rather territorial and somewhat aggressive. Specimens of this species can be risky if kept together for they may seriously fight causing severe damaged or death.

   Providing a rock/ coral decor that has many nooks and crannies for hiding and retreat will help avert aggression. These can possibly be kept in groups if you are careful to have a good male to female ratio and keep a close eye out for trouble. In the wild, there will be several females to one male.

For more Information on keeping this fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Marine Aquarium

Dream Aquarium Build your own aquarium. The Coolest and Funnest Screensaver in the World.

Status:
   These fish are not listed on the IUCN Red List.

Maintenance difficulty:
   The Blue Devil is among the easiest of all marine fish to keep.

Maintenance:
   This fish will readily eat all kinds of live, frozen, and flake foods and algae. Finely chopped meaty foods (like brine shrimp) can be fed regularly. It is best to feed small amounts several times a day. In a reef situation they don't really need to be fed very often at all.

Foods:
   All kinds. See "maintenance" above.

Social Behaviors:
   Like all damselfish, they can be territorial and aggressive, especially as they get older. These can be kept in groups if you are careful about the sex ratio, one male to several females. Can be kept with other larger fish but watch them closely to be sure their aggression doesn't become destructive.

Sex: Sexual differences:
   Blue Damselfish are sexually dimorphic. The females are entirely blue without any yellow or orange coloration, some females depending on localities have a black ocellus on the lower posterior part of the dorsal fin. Also they have nearly translucent fins (see photo at the top of this page), versus totally blue fins in males. There is more information here: The Devils We Should Love .

Light: Recommended light levels:
   No special requirements.

Breeding/Reproduction:
   Some of the damselfish have been bred in captivity. See general breeding techniques under Clownfish on the marine breeding page.

Temperature:
   No special requirements.

Length/Diameter of fish:
   Blue Devil adults can grow to 6.0 cm ( 2.4 inches).

Minimum Tank Length/Size:
   A minimum 10 gallon aquarium is recommended if this is the only fish to be kept in it.

Water Movement: Weak, Moderate, Strong
   No special requirements.

Buy Blue Devil Damsel From LiveAquaria.com

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom
   Swims at all levels of the aquarium.

Availability:
   This fish is readily available.

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Latest Comments
I just set up a saltwater aquarium and it has been going for about a month. I have two Blue Damesels. I have had them for about three weeks. I bought them to break in the tank [I know small number of fish] They have never been aggressive or shown aggression. They hang around each other all day. I love watching them go in and out of my rocks! They are a great fish and I plan on keeping them healthy and happy! Anonymous 2006-04-23
Pretty colors. More prone to stress but hardy. Not very aggressive. Very shy and will hide a lot so get more than one. Leaves every thing else alone pretty much. Mine are still small, but I can tell they are not very aggressive as showing very passive behavier. Danny 2006-01-18
I added 4 blue devils to me tank to help start cycling, and I decided to keep them as they are very fun to watch. Now they are huge, and very territorial, and aggressive towards SOME tank mates- BEWARE ! T 2005-10-24
blie devil fish are the best i am doing a report about them Tara 2005-10-06
Yes, I have noticed the change colors too. It scared me actually. I just set my tank up 2 days ago and yesterday I put in these guys. This morning when I woke up I rushed to do a head count to make sure they were all okay when I saw one fish in the corner, he was a blackish purple and I thought he was sick. After testing my salinity, he moved from the corner to the middle of the tank and he was back to being blue again. They are very nice looking fish! Rick 2004-03-08
Some of the coolest comments:
I have kept several of these over the years, and am not sure I ever will again. They are fine with invertebrates or larger fish such as tangs that do not prey on damsels; however they will however make it almost impossible to add any more small fish to your aquarium. If you really are set on putting this fish with anything less than twice their size I would add the damsel last. This will make it more likely he will accept the other fish. Also seriously consider getting a yellowtail damsel instead, these are more peaceful fish. Also, do not put them in aquariums with lionfish, or grouper. This is almost certain death for a damselfish. The real problem with damsels is not how mean they are, it is that they are too small to place in an aggressive tank, and too mean to put in a more calm tank. glmory 2008-11-27
I added one of these guys to help start my tank and became so fond of him, that I added a female as well. They are by far the most entertaining fish I have. They zipp around the tank from one cave to another finding even the smallest crevice in my live rock to squeeze into. They are far the most enjoyable damsel you can buy. Ramon 2005-02-19

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Author: David Brough. CFS.