Scientific Name: Chrysiptera parasema

Alt Scientific Name:

Common Name: Yellow Tail Damsel Fish

Alt Common Name: Goldtail Damsel, Gold Tail Damsel, Yellowtail Blue Damsel, Abudefduf parasema

Group: Damselfish (Damsels/Clownfish)

Family: Pomacentridae

Distribution: Western Pacific

Adult Size: 3 inches (7.6cm)

Minimum Tank Size: 12 gallons

Temperament: Territorial and aggressive: Only durable species should be mixed with Damselfishes.

Care Difficulty: 3/10

Reef Safety Score : 3/3

Temperature Range: 75°F - 82°F

pH Range: 8.1 - 8.4

Salinity Range (specific gravity): 1.02 - 1.027

Diet Information: Omnivorous - usually accepts flake or pellet foods but also should recieve meaty foods such as mysis and enriched brine.

Additional Information : The Yellow Tail Damsel is a very hardy fish and quite territorial. Many people will use this fish to cycle a new tank, although Reeftime.com does not endorse this practice. Not only does this place undue stress on the fish, but it also sets up a precarious situation for any new inhabitants of the tank. Damsels are so aggressive that once they have their territory staked out, they will likely kill any new additions to the tank.

Tank Mate Compatibility : Damselfish can be housed with a variety of tank mates but because damsels become more aggressive as they mature, smaller or very weak fish are not recommended. Fish types that could be at risk include small juveniles of butterflyfish and Centropyge angelfish, cardinalfish, etc. A group of several individuals of this species can be kept together but only if there are many hiding places, otherwise they may very well fight to death. Some good tank mates include other non-aggressive damselfish, (but not of this genera), larger butterflyfish, and wrasses. Very territorial dottybacks, and such fish as sea basses that will eat anything, are not recommended if the tank is not large enough.

Breeding Information: After establishing a territory, a male damselfish cleans a rocky ledge or coral surface to prepare it for spawning. Using color changes, excited swimming movements, and, in certain species, clicking sounds, the male fish encourages a mature female to approach the spawning site and lay her eggs, which he quickly fertilizes. Courtship and mating take about 10 to 20 minutes. Some males may mate with several females.
Each female fish lays up to 20,000 tiny oval eggs, which the male tirelessly guards and tends. He fans water across the eggs with his fins, sometimes picking out dead eggs that could threaten the whole batch. Male damselfish defend their eggs against fish much larger than themselves with little regard for their own safety. The eggs hatch after three to seven days, and the larvae spend weeks drifting and feeding on animal and plant plankton. Some species of damselfish mature at two or three years of age while others take much longer. During courtship rituals vibrant colors distinguish the sexes more clearly.

Determining Sex: Difficult to determine sex by visual inspection.

Primary Area in Tank: All over.