Chrysiptera cyanea, known commonly as the blue damselfish, sapphire devil, or orangetail blue damselfish, is a popular saltwater aquarium fish from the Indo-Pacific. It is estimated to be the most-sold marine aquarium fish in the United States.

Appearance [edit]

This is a small marine fish that reaches 8.5 centimeters in length. The male is typically blue, occasionally with an orange tail. The female lacks the orange tail.

In the Aquarium [edit]

Chrysiptera cyanea is a hardy member of a saltwater aquarium. Because of this and its usually low price it is often recommended as a way for novice marine aquarium keepers to gain experience in the hobby. Thirty gallons is typically quoted as the minimum tank size required to permanently house this fish.

It is a fairly aggressive fish like most damselfish despite its small size and will often harass similarly sized fish or even fish somewhat larger than itself. It is also territorial with members of its own species, and with new additions to a tank. This will often make it difficult to add other small fish to an aquarium. It is however reef-safe and will not harm invertebrates. Despite its hardy nature, it also must not be placed in an aquarium with larger predatory fish such as lionfish and grouper, which will often see it as a food source.

References [edit]

• Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2008). "Chrysiptera cyanea" in FishBase. December 2008 version.

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