Not furry, but we like them anyway.
Talbot's Damselfish
Chrysiptera talboti
Also called Talbot's demoiselle
From Western Pacific, from the Andaman Sea east to Fiji, north to Palau and south to the Great Barrier Reef; also recorded in Tonga1
At a glance the quick version
Looks how to spot one
Small, deep-bodied damselfish
A compact little damselfish with a sunny yellow head and yellow belly fins set against a soft bluish body, plus a bold dark spot near the back of the dorsal fin.23
Personality what they are like
Lively and confident. Like many damselfish it grows a little more territorial as it matures, so it does best when it can claim its own nook in the rockwork.3
Daily activity how busy a day looks
Active by day, darting around coral and rubble and picking food from the water just above the bottom.13
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Provide plenty of rock caves and hiding spots so it can settle into a territory, and feed a varied diet a couple of times a day.3
Home where they are happiest
Minimum about 30 US gallons (114 L) with live rock and hiding places. Saltwater at about 22 to 26 °C (72 to 78 °F), pH 8.1 to 8.4, dKH 8 to 12, specific gravity 1.020 to 1.025.3
Food basics what goes in the bowl
Omnivore. In the wild it picks zooplankton near the bottom; in the aquarium offer a mix of meaty foods, herbivore preparations and quality flakes.13
Company who they like around
Usually seen on its own in the wild and kept singly in the aquarium; works well with peaceful to semi-aggressive tankmates when enough shelter is available.13
The story where it all began
Gerald Allen described the species in 1975. Its name honours Frank Talbot, the Australian Museum director and fisheries scientist who collected the type specimen.2
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
It lives on coral-rich reef slopes and deep lagoons at roughly 3 to 35 metres down.1
- 2
Its species name honours Frank Talbot, a former director of the Australian Museum in Sydney.2
- 3
Males take on guard duty, watching over and fanning the eggs, which stick to the reef surface.1
- 4
Adults stay small, reaching only about 6 cm in length.1
Recognised by the official bits
- IUCN Red List
- Least Concern (assessed 2021)1
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Talbot's Damselfish. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- FeedingSmall amounts once or twice a dayevery day
- Temperature checkevery day
- Salinity checkevery week
- Top-upTop up evaporation with fresh RO water, not salt waterevery day
- Water testevery week
- Water changeAbout 10 to 20% of the waterevery 2 weeks
- Glass cleanevery week
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- FishBase: Chrysiptera talboti summary fishbase.seused for origin, size, habitat, diet, reproduction, IUCN
- Wikipedia: Chrysiptera talboti en.wikipedia.orgused for history, naming, colour
- LiveAquaria: Talbot's Damselfish liveaquaria.comused for care, water parameters, tank size, temperament, colour
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.