All fish / Pomacentridae

Surge Damselfish

Chrysiptera brownriggii

Also known as surge demoiselle, brownrigg's damsel, blueline damsel, green damsel, leucopoma damsel, chrysiptera leucopoma, surge damsel, ヒメスズメダイ, 勃氏刻齿雀鲷, 白带刻齿雀鲷

A small damselfish that lives on shallow, wave-swept reef flats and comes in several colour forms. Juveniles and some adults are bright yellow with a blue line along the back, while others are brown with a pale vertical bar. It is hardy and active, so it suits keepers who want a tough, colourful reef fish.

Care at a glance

Care level

Easy

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

7 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

110 litres

Keep as

Singly, or a pair in a larger tank

Diet

Omnivore: algae, mysis, brine shrimp, small meaty frozen foods and marine flakes or pellets

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 10 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Indo-West Pacific: East Africa to the Line, Marquesas and Tuamotu Islands, north to southern Japan

Breeding

Pairs lay sticky eggs on a cleaned hard surface and the male guards them until they hatch. Spawning can happen in aquariums, but raising the tiny pelagic larvae is difficult and rarely achieved at home.

Good to know

Like most damselfish it becomes territorial with age and may bully smaller or more timid tankmates, so add it last. The colour forms look so different that they were once treated as separate species, for example C. leucopoma.