If you are looking for a beautiful fish to put in your salt water aquarium you shouldn’t have to look much farther than the jewel damsel. However, as this fish’s name might suggest, it does display a little bit of spoiled behavior (jewel=princess, get it?). This fish is extremely territorial and can be aggressive, but because of it’s small size, this generally isn’t an issue. So, pretty much this fish has a loud bark, but absolutely no bite. However, it is recommended that you keep only 1 damsel per tank, as they can harass each other unmercifully.
The jewel damsel is easily distinguishable by it’s dark blue background and bright, bright blue dots all over the body. Other features are typical of a damsel and include: a perch like profile, continuous dorsal fin, and forked tail. The fish usually grow to be about 3 inches in length in a captive environment.
Besides being great to look at, jewel damsels are also a lot of fun. These fish are extremely energetic and it is hilarious to watch them badger a larger fish into leaving “their” area. Damsels are also extremely easy to care for. They are omnivores that must be fed daily. All that they really require are a few rocks to hide behind and plenty of space to swim. See, a jewel damsel isn’t nearly as demanding as a real princess. A minimum tank size of 10-30 gallons suits them just fine.
Do you own a jewel damsel? If so, I have a feeling that you probably have a funny story or two to tell in relation to this particular fish. Let me know by posting a comment today!