Charcoal Damsel (Pomacentrus brachialis) Breeding Guide

Pomacentrus brachialis is an oviparous damselfish that lays demersal eggs on the substrate, guarded and aerated by the male. Pelagic larvae make home rearing difficult.

Overview

Pomacentrus brachialis, the charcoal damsel, is a small Western Pacific damselfish ranging from Indonesia to Fiji, north to the Ryukyu Islands and south to New Caledonia, reaching about 10.3 cm standard length. FishBase lists it as oviparous with distinct pairing during breeding, conforming to the family's demersal-spawning pattern. IUCN assessed it as Least Concern in 2023.

Sexing

No reliable external sexing character is documented for P. brachialis in the consulted sources. As in other Pomacentrus, the male is recognised behaviourally as the nest-tending, more aggressive individual during reproduction; the species is otherwise broadly monomorphic.

Conditioning

A species-specific conditioning protocol is not documented. P. brachialis feeds on zooplankton and benthic algae (trophic level about 2.6) and lives in current-prone, clear-water passages and outer slopes; a varied marine diet supports condition. Keep stable reef parameters within the recorded ranges (temperature about 24–26 °C, pH 8.1–8.4).

Breeding Setup

Provide open rock or rubble in clear, moving water resembling the species' natural passages and outer-reef slopes, giving a male a defensible nest patch. Following the family pattern, the male clears an area of algae and invertebrates before spawning. Space and broken sightlines moderate territorial aggression.

Spawning Behavior & Trigger

Specific spawning triggers for P. brachialis are not documented. In Pomacentridae, ritualised courtship precedes spawning; the female lays a string of sticky eggs attached to the substrate and the male fertilises them externally. FishBase confirms the eggs are demersal and adhere to the substrate and that males guard and aerate them.

Egg & Fry Care

The male guards and aerates the clutch through incubation. At family level, eggs hatch over about two to seven days into transparent larvae roughly 2–4 mm long that disperse into a pelagic phase. This planktonic stage is the principal barrier to captive reproduction.