Dascyllus melanurus
Dascyllus melanurus is naturally found in the Eastern, Central and Western Pacific Ocean: from Sumatra to Vanuatu, east to the Caroline Islands, the southern coast of Japan and southern New Caledonia. These fish are widely represented in the trade. Fish are not demanding and cope with their content can even beginners aquarists with some experience in the care of marine aquariums.
Dascyllus melanurus inhabits shallow lagoons and inshore reefs, at a depth of 1 to 10 meters. The fish mainly feed on planktonic crustaceans, algae, shrimp larvae, fish eggs and filamentous algae.
Dascyllus melanurus has a white body colouration with four black transverse stripes: the first through the eyes, the next two in the middle part of the body and the fourth on the tail. The colouration of young fish is similar to that of adults. The body is flattened and the muzzle is pointed. Sexual differences are not expressed. Fish - hermaphrodites, when a group of fish missing a male, one of the females changes its sex. The maximum size of the fish is 8 cm.
Dascyllus melanurus fish are fine fish while they are young, but when they mature they become very aggressive. Therefore, think carefully before deciding to get these fish in your aquarium.
Keep fish is recommended a small harem of 1 male and 5-6 females in an aquarium of 200 liters. It is desirable to inhabit the fish at a young age, so avoid intraspecific aggression in the group. Can be kept in a common aquarium with large angel fish and surgeons. Young fish can be kept in a small group, but as they mature, they will show more aggression towards each other. Place more different shelters in the aquarium. Dascilla zebra territorial fish, choosing their own territory in the aquarium, it fearlessly defends it from almost all approaching fish, even much larger in size.
Water parameters: temperature 23-28° C, pH 8,0-8,5, salinity 1.020-1.026. fish are demanding to water quality, so the need to use a high-performance water filter and to replace 1/5 of the aquarium water every three days.
The diet of the fish consists mainly of food of animal origin: shrimp meat, minced squid meat, fish, molluscs. A vegetable food supplement such as spirulina flakes is also required. Feed small portions to the fish several times a day.
Reproduction
The Dascyllus melanurus does not breed under aquarium conditions. All fish that appear in the local trade are supplied from their natural habitat.
In nature, the male builds the nest himself and then attracts the female to it. He also takes care of the clutch, protecting the nest from uninvited guests.