Size: Five to nine centimeters Lifespan: One to two years Temperament: Peaceful Diet: Carnivore Care Level: Easy
Cardinalfish are popular for home aquariums because they have an unusual, eye-catching shape and stunning color combinations. They are fascinating fish and have an excellent temperament. One potentially challenging aspect of keeping cardinalfish is feeding them. Some refuse flake foods and must be given defrosted mysis shrimp or defrosted/live brine shrimp.
Cardinalfish species variety
Banggai Cardinalfish and Pajama Cardinalfish are the two most popular species to keep in home aquariums. Banggai Cardinalfish have remarkable silver bodies, vertical black stripes, and small white spots. Because they are an endangered species in the wild, Banggai Cardinalfish are commonly bred in captivity. Pajama Cardinalfish are very unique-looking fish. They have solid black bars that run vertically down their bodies with red polka dots on white that look like pajama bottoms.
Fun facts
Female Cardinalfish court the males by swimming next to them and trembling. When the male is ready to mate, he starts opening and closing his mouth. After the female spawns, the male swallows the eggs and keeps them in a special pouch in his mouth until the fish hatch 20 days later. They eventually leave his mouth in another 10 days when they’re around five millimeters long.