Three stripe damslefish – Dascyllus Aruanus
Species name: Dascyllus Aruanus
Common names: Humbug dascyllus, whitetail or three stripe dascyllus
Family: Pomacentridae (Damselfishes)
Order: Perciformes (perch-likes)
Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 3.9 in.
Minimum tank size: 20 gal.
Hardiness: Easy
Aggressiveness: Territorial; Should be added after any peaceful or shy tank mates. They will protect a favorite territory in the aquarium. This territory can be the entire aquarium, especially if the damsels were the first fish added. Adult specimens will nip at much larger fish to keep them away from “their” territory. It will do well with other moderately aggressive fish in a community tank.
Reef Compatibility: It will not harm invertebrates or disturb the tank setting. Larger specimens may eat small crustaceans just after molting.
Diet: Omnivore; They normally feeds on zooplankton, benthic invertebrates, and algae. Can be feed with meaty items, such as frozen mysid shrimp and vitamin-enriched brine shrimp, as well as herbivore flake and frozen food. Should be feed at least 3 times a day.
Additional information:
In the wild, White tail Dascyllus lives in shallow lagoon and reef flats of the Indo-West Pacific, from the Red Sea and the edge of Africa to the Great Barrier Reef. They can be found at depth of 0 – 60 feet where they form large aggregations among staghorn Acropora thickets or in smaller groups above isolated coral heads.
Quite hardy, readily available and often quite inexpensive, white tail damslefish are a good choice for both beginner and advanced aquarist.
They have bold black bands separated by two white bands with a smaller bar of white to offset the tail. They are easily confused with the Dascyllus melanurus (Four Striped Damselfish). Dascyllus Aruanus has 3 vertical black stripes, Dascyllus melanurushas 4 black stripes running vertically.
The ideal aquarium will have a pH of 8.1 to 8.4, temperature between 75°F and 80°F (24°C – 27°C), specific gravity of 1.020 to 1.025 and a dKH of 8 to 12°. It is also important to provide plenty of hiding place and do not keep them in an aquarium with Lionfish, Snappers, Groupers, Triggers, Eels or any other predatory fish large enough to eat them.
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