All fish / Pomacentridae

Azure Damselfish

Chrysiptera hemicyanea

Also known as azure damsel, half blue damsel, half-blue demoiselle, yellow belly damsel, yellowbelly blue damsel, heming's damsel, ルリスズメダイの仲間, betok biru kuning, 半蓝金翅雀鲷, 黄腹蓝魔

A small damselfish with a bright electric blue head and upper body that changes sharply to vivid yellow on the belly, rear and tail. It is hardy, colourful and reef safe with corals and invertebrates, so it is popular with beginners setting up their first marine tank.

Care at a glance

Care level

Easy

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

6 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

110 litres

Keep as

Singly or one per tank unless the tank is large

Diet

Omnivore: marine flake and pellets, frozen mysis and brine shrimp, copepods and algae-based foods

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 10 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Eastern Indian Ocean and western Pacific: Indonesia, Philippines, northwestern Australia

Breeding

Pairs lay sticky eggs on a cleaned hard surface which the male guards until they hatch after a few days. Captive spawning happens, but rearing the tiny pelagic larvae on rotifers is difficult and rarely done at home.

Good to know

Like most damsels it becomes territorial with age and may harass newly added or similar-looking fish, so add it last. Can be confused with the yellowtail damsel (Chrysiptera parasema), which has yellow only on the tail.