Three Stripe Damselfish

Care Summary

The Three Stripe Damselfish is one of the hardiest fish in the marine hobby and was historically used to cycle new tanks; it is reef-safe but becomes increasingly territorial as it matures. House it in 55+ gallons; a single specimen in a small tank will terrorize everything, but in a larger system with plenty of rockwork other fish can establish their own zones and avoid constant conflict. Feed anything: flake, pellet, frozen, live; it eats everything voraciously and will outcompete most other fish at feeding time without any effort on your part. Consider the adult personality before buying; the black and white juvenile looks great in a nano but the adult fish will make life difficult for calmer, more docile tankmates in any system under 75 gallons.