Sergeant Major (Abudefduf saxatilis)

Sergeant Major Abudefduf saxatilis
Name	Sergeant Major
Name Lat.	Abudefduf saxatilis
Family	Damselfishes
Family lat.	Pomacentridae
Order	Ovalentarias
Order lat.	Ovalentaria inc. sed.
Origin	Atlantic Ocean
Habitat	Shallow reefs
Diet	Omnivore
pH	8.1-8.4
Hardness	8-10 °KH
Behavior	Territorial
Keeping	Pair, group
Reef Compatible	Yes
Care Level	Easy
Life Span	2-5 years
Protection	No
Metric Units
Size	15 cm
Temperature	16-26 °C
Salinity	33-36 ‰
Aquarium	~ 500 l
US Units
Size	6"
Temperature	61-79 °F
Salinity	1.020-1.025 sg
Aquarium	~ 130 gal

Distribution and habitat

The distribution area of Abudefduf saxatilis is the Atlantic Ocean, from Canada to the Caribbean to Uruguay and Cape Verde to West Africa. They live there mostly in the intertidal zones above the reef tops in shallow water.

Maintenance

They require a well-structured aquarium with a reef structure that allows for territoriality and at the same time provides hiding, resting and cover opportunities, with live stones that act as a biological filter and sufficient swimming space. Only lime-rich, heavy metal-free sands, gravels, stones or sea sand of various grain sizes may be used as substrate

Filters, skimmers and heaters are necessary to ensure water quality, as well as pumps to simulate tides, swells and bottom currents. Lighting must correspond to the species-appropriate day-night rhythm of the animals

Salinity: 33-36 ‰	pH value: 8.1-8.4
Carbonate hardness: 8-10 °KH	Nitrate content: 2-8 mg/l
phosphate content: 0.01-0.1 mg/l	nitrite content: 0.0-0.05 mg/l

For salinity, an average value should be aimed for, which may only vary slightly by +/- 0.5 ‰. Ammonia and ammonium must not be measurable. Special attention must be paid to constantly good water quality.

Diet

They feed mainly on zooplankton, but also need plant food. The feed change usually succeeds without problems. The food supply should consist of a combination of small krill, mysis and artemia as well as commercially available, frozen special food mixtures and algae (e.g. spirulina, kelp). High-quality dry food in flake or granule form with a high vegetable content is also well accepted. It is recommended to feed small portions several times a day (3-5 times)

Regular and varied feeding promotes health and prevents deficiency symptoms.

Behaviour and compatibility

It is recommended to keep them in pairs or better in a group of several animals. To avoid territorial fights, they should be placed in the aquarium at the same time. Adults often behave territorially, so keeping several animals is recommended only in a larger and richly structured tank. Towards smaller fish and fish of the same size they usually behave aggressively and consistently defend their territory.

Sex dimorphism

There are no known external distinguishing characteristics.

Reproduction and breeding

They could already be bred several times in the aquarium.

Important

They are very similar to Abudefduf vaigiensis, but unlike Abudefduf saxatlis, they are not found in the tropical Atlantic, but in the Red Sea, Indian Ocean and Western Pacific.

As coral reef dwellers, they should not be maintained in a fish-only aquarium.

If different species are kept together, care should be taken to ensure that the fish match each other in terms of water quality and temperature requirements and social behavior, and that the setup meets the needs of all species kept together. New fish to be introduced must be acclimated slowly to the water in the aquarium.

Further literature can be found in your pet store.

References

Text: Werner Winter; Image: Franz Lowak

Source: KUITER & DEBELIUS (2007): Atlas der Meeresfische: Die Fische an den Küsten der Weltmeere, Kosmos Verlag; BAENSCH & PATZNER (1998): Meerwasser Atlas Bd. 7, Mergus Verlag; ENGELMANN (2005): Zootierhaltung - Tiere in menschlicher Obhut: Fische, Verlag Harri Deutsch

• Gemäß § 21 Abs. 5 Tierschutzgesetz idgF