All fish / Pomacentridae

Cloudy Damselfish

Dascyllus carneus

Also known as cloudy dascyllus, indian dascyllus, bluespotted dascyllus, cloudy damsel, carneus damsel, ミスジリュウキュウスズメダイ, 云斑宅泥鱼

A small, deep-bodied damselfish with a pale greyish body covered in tiny blue spots, a dark bar behind the head and a black-edged dorsal fin. In the wild it hovers above branching corals and dives into them when threatened. It is kept as a hardy, inexpensive and lively reef fish.

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

120 litres

Keep as

Singly or as a small group in a large tank with plenty of coral cover

Diet

Omnivore: mysis, brine shrimp, marine pellets and flakes, plus some algae-based food

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

6 to 10 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Indian Ocean: East Africa, Red Sea approaches, Maldives, Sri Lanka to Andaman Sea and western Indonesia

Breeding

Males prepare a nest site on a hard surface where the female lays sticky eggs, which the male guards until they hatch after a few days. Spawning happens in aquariums, but raising the tiny pelagic larvae is difficult and rarely achieved.

Good to know

Like other Dascyllus it grows territorial and may harass smaller or newly added tankmates, so add it last. Do not confuse it with the similar Dascyllus reticulatus from the Pacific.