Saltwater
Sergeant-major
Abudefduf saxatilis
Pomacentridae, Glyphisodontinae
Facts
Characteristics
- Length
- Up to 22.9 cm
- Body shape
- Deep-bodied
Care
- Group
- Missing
- Smallest aquarium
- 292 liters
- Diet
- Missing
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Behavior
- Temperament
- Semi-aggressive
- Swims
- Missing
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Water values
Smallest tank
292 liters138 × 46 × 46 cm · For one fish
Worked out from its length, as we don’t yet know what size tank it should have. Do you? Sign up and tell us in the app.
Try other measures in the appNative
Lives wild in Angola, Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Benin, and 59 more countries.
More about the species
About the species
Juveniles are common in tide pools while adults are found over shallow reef tops. Adults frequently form large feeding aggregations of up to several hundred individuals. Food items include algae, small crustaceans and fish, and various invertebrate larvae. At Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, this species feeds on spinner dolphins’ feces and vomits. The offal feeding may be regarded as a simple behavioral shift from plankton feeding to drifting offal picking. Also, juveniles may hold cleaning stations together with the doctorfish (Acanthurus chirurgus) and the blue tang (Acanthurus coeruleus) and graze algae as well as pick molted skin and parasites from green turtles (Chelonia mydas ). This behavior is preceded by a characteristic inspection usually followed by feeding nips on the turtles’ skin (head, limbs, and tail), as well as on the carapace. The most inspected and cleaned body parts are the flippers. Adult males adopt a bluish ground color when guarding eggs. Oviparous, distinct pairing during breeding. Eggs are demersal and adhere to the substrate. Attracted to divers who feed fish. Marketed fresh. Has been reared in captivity.
Source: FishBase
Other names
Other scientific names
- Abudefduf ascensionis
- Abudefduf caudobimaculatus
- Abudefduf coelestinus
- Abudefduf marginatus
- Abudefduf saxiatilis
- Abudefduf septemfasciatus
In other languages
- Oversergentfisk
- Ylikersanttikala
- Coral fish, Damsel fish, Damselfish, Five finger, Pilotfish, Sargeant major, Sergeant major, Sergeantmajor
Articles
All articles
How to add new fish4 min read
From the store to the tank: how to get the fish used to your water, why you should add only a few at a time, and what to watch for in the first few days.
Quarantine for new fish3 min read
Why new fish should live in a tank of their own for a few weeks before they move in, what you need, and what to look for.
From freshwater to saltwater3 min read
What is different in a saltwater aquarium: salt, refractometer, live rock and corals. An introduction for anyone thinking of giving it a try.