Cardinals

Cardinals

One of the most popular pick among marine fishes owing to their interesting body patterns and colors, Cardinals belong to the Family Apogonidae. Fresh Marine offers several beautiful Cardinals to grace your aquarium. However, prior to delving into specific models, let us understand the following standards common to Cardinals.

Compatibility. Cardinals are peaceful towards the other tank mates, while they may be slightly aggressive towards the members of their own species. Cardinals can be safely kept in Reef tanks.

Habit & Habitat. Cardinals are Tropical Marine Fish, existing across the globe, in Indo-Pacific region and inhabit Coral Reefs & Crevices in groups. Though Cardinals are Nocturnal in habit, yet they can be trained to be Diurnal. The Juveniles take refuge under Anemones and Sea Urchins.

Morphology. Cardinals have a pair of distinctly long Dorsal Fins and large sized Ctenoid or Cycloid Scales on the body. The Caudal Fin is deeply forked. These fish have large Head and Eyes with a protruding mouth. Cardinals are hardy creatures, usually 2.5 to 5” long.

Ideal Marine Aquarium Environment. Cardinals are slow moving fish and therefore, require slow water movement and dim light. Cardinals are susceptible to infections and diseases, and therefore, the water quality should be quite high. Cardinals grow well in an established aquarium with a temperature range of 75-82°F; Specific Gravity of 1.020-1.026; dKH 8-12; and pH level of water within 8.1-8.4. Ensure that your tank has ample hiding places (Rocks & Caves) for Cardinals and is at least 30 Gallons capacity to allow these active fish to swim freely.

Aquarium Feeding. Cardinals are Omnivorous and feed upon Zooplankton. They require high quality protein based foods, such as, Mysis Shrimp, Brine Shrimp, and Krill to name some. Feeding them at least 3-5 times in a day significantly benefits them. Ideally, Cardinals should be fed thrice a day.

Aquarium Breeding. Cardinals exhibit Mouth Brooding. The males of the species carry the eggs in their mouth till they are ready to hatch. Aquarium Breeding of Cardinals is easy to achieve.

Care. Anybody from a fresher to an expert can easily maintain Cardinals. Introduce together, all the Cardinals you plan to keep so that they grow together and develop compatibility with each other, instead of usual aggression and territorial disposition. You can keep Cardinals in a group of five in an aquarium.

Now let us cruise through the top sellers available at Fresh Marine. The discussion has been categorized according to Genus.

Banggai Cardinal Fish (Pterapogon kauderni). Also known as Cardinalfish and Kaudern's Cardinalfish, these Cardinals have a Silver colored body with vertical Black stripes, while White dots mark up Dorsal, Pelvic, Anal, and Caudal Fins. These Cardinals grow up to 3” in length.

Flame Cardinal Fish (Apogon pseudomaculatus). Also known as Flame Fish and Cardinalfish, these Cardinals are Pinkish-Red in color with small Black spots found below Dorsal and Anal Fins. These Cardinals grow up to 4.1”. Do not keep these Cardinals with timid tank mates as it may attack them.

Spotted Cardinal Fish (Sphaeramia nematoptera). Also known as Pajama Cardinalfish and Polka-dot Cardinalfish, these Cardinals have Silver colored body with a Black vertical line running along the middle of the body. The Brown Polka Dots mark the posterior portion of the Cardinals. The Eyes of these Cardinals are bright Red in color. These Cardinals grow up to 3” in length.

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