Little Shop of Coral
Yellow Damsel (Stegastes Planifrons)
Yellow Damsel (Stegastes Planifrons)
Couldn't load pickup availability
Yellow Damsel (Stegastes planifrons)
The Yellow Damsel is a hardy and energetic fish that brings plenty of personality and colour to a marine aquarium. Found throughout the Caribbean, this species is easily recognized by its bright yellow body and active nature. Samall in size, the Yellow Damsel is confident, constantly exploring rockwork and establishing a territory of its own.
Because of their hardiness and appearance, Yellow Damsels are often chosen for its movement and colour to aquariums. However, their bold temperament means they should be carefully matched with suitable tank mates.
Suggested parameters
-
Temperature: 24–27°C (75–81°F)
-
Salinity: 1.024–1.026
-
pH: 8.1–8.4
-
Alkalinity: 8–12 dKH
-
Minimum aquarium size: 30 gallons
-
Nitrate: Less than 20 ppm
-
Phosphate: Less than 0.10 ppm
Care and temperament
-
Reef safe
-
Semi-aggressive temperament
-
Hardy and relatively easy to care for
-
Requires plenty of rockwork and hiding places
-
Best kept singly unless housed in a very large aquarium
-
May become territorial as it matures
Diet and compatibility
Yellow Damsels are omnivores and readily accept a varied diet consisting of marine flakes, pellets, frozen mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, and other prepared foods. Offering a balanced diet will help maintain their health and vibrant colouration.
Suitable tank mates include larger gobies, blennies, wrasses, basslets, clownfish, and other species that can tolerate their occasionally territorial behaviour. Housing them with very timid fish is generally not recommended.
What exactly are you buying?
You will receive one healthy Yellow Damsel that has been carefully observed, conditioned, and prepared for its new home.
Health and acclimation notes
As with all marine fish, we recommend a slow acclimation process to reduce stress and allow the fish to adjust comfortably to its new environment. Providing stable water conditions and a varied diet will help ensure long-term success.
Why we love it
The Yellow Damsel is full of character. Its bright colouration, active personality, and hardy nature make it a wonderful addition to many marine aquariums. While it may be small, it certainly has a big personality, and that's exactly why so many hobbyists enjoy keeping them.
Collapsible content
LIGHT
LOW: Place coral at the bottom of the tank. Depending on the type, coral may need to be placed off sand and therefore mounted on a ceramic disc of piece of rock.
MEDIUM: Place coral at mid-range of the tank. Best placed/glued on top of a rock scape at mid-range height.Â
HIGH: Place coral from mid range to just below water level. SPS coral are shallow growing so they require and are able to tolerate intense light.
FLOW
LOW: Most soft coral do well with a small, gentle pulse. There are certain corals that can even be placed in areas of indirect flow, meaning places aside a rock structure or set into a entrance to a cave style space.
MEDIUM: Many LPS types of coral prefer medium pulse current. Most Euphyllia or corals that have more tissue structure connected to their skeleton, don’t like to be in a high flow area like the direct flow of the wave pump.
HIGH: Similar to high light, SPS enjoy being in some heavy current. Most LPS and SPS that branch encrust or plate prefer high flow that simulates the top water waves.
SKILL
ENTRY: While some may say beginner level, "Entry" is a good term to be used when starting out in the world of corals and marine life. Prior to adding livestock, you want to ensure that your reef has the proper parameters including zero levels of ammonia and nitrite. Seeing traces of nitrate in your waters is a good sign - just keep them at a lower level of 2ppm to 10ppm. Maintaining correct temperature and salinity are a huge factor to stable parameters. Starting to monitor your PH, alkalinity, calcium and magnesium is a great habit to get into to keep a successful reef.
While some soft coral don’t require too much light, having a proper reef light that puts out the proper pars is very important. You'll also want to have a good amount of flow and protected rock areas, as placing corals in their happy spot is ideal for success.
ADVANCED: