All fish / Pomacentridae

Three-stripe Damselfish

Dascyllus aruanus

Also known as humbug damselfish, humbug damsel, three stripe damsel, whitetail dascyllus, banded humbug, striped damsel, white-tailed damselfish, 3 stripe damsel, ปลาสลิดหินลายเสือ, ミスジリュウキュウスズメダイ, ikan betok laut, 三间雀

A small, chunky damselfish with bold white and black vertical bands and a white tail. It is very hardy, cheap and widely available, so it is often bought for new marine tanks, and it lives happily among branching corals.

Care at a glance

Care level

Easy

Temperament

Aggressive

Adult size

8 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

110 litres

Keep as

Singly, or a group of 5 or more in a large tank

Diet

Omnivore: frozen mysis and brine shrimp, marine flake and pellets, some algae-based food

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

6 to 10 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Indo-West Pacific, from the Red Sea and East Africa to the Line Islands, Japan and Australia

Breeding

Males clear a nest site on rock or coral and guard the sticky eggs, which hatch in a few days. Spawning happens fairly readily in aquariums, but rearing the tiny pelagic larvae on rotifers is difficult.

Good to know

Becomes very territorial with age and can bully peaceful or newly added fish, so add it last or house it with robust tankmates. Similar to the four-stripe damsel (Dascyllus melanurus), which has a black band on the tail.