Banggai Cardinalfish

Care at a glance

Overview

Banggai cardinalfish are reef safe and will not touch corals or sessile invertebrates, though a large adult may snap up very small ornamental shrimp. They can be kept singly, as a bonded pair, or in a small group in a larger tank, but be aware that a settled pair will often turn territorial and harass other Banggai that stray too close. Pair them with other calm, slow tankmates so they are not outcompeted at feeding time. They are carnivores that want small meaty foods like mysis and enriched brine.

In the wild

Banggai cardinalfish come from a tiny cluster of islands in Indonesia, where they shelter in seagrass beds, among branching corals, and famously in the spines of long-spined sea urchins as juveniles. They are slow, deliberate swimmers that hang in the water column near cover rather than roaming the tank. Give them a well-established system of at least 110 liters with plenty of live rock and open swimming lanes, and keep the water in the low to mid 20s Celsius.

Good to know

The species has an extremely small natural range, which is why it is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List and was proposed for CITES protection. It is a paternal mouthbrooder with direct development, meaning the male holds the eggs and then the fully formed young in his mouth for around three to four weeks, releasing miniature fish rather than free-swimming larvae. This large egg and direct development is unusual among marine fish and is one reason it breeds readily in captivity.

Did you know

Because the young develop directly in the father's mouth with no drifting larval stage, wild Banggai never spread far from their home islands, which is exactly why a fish so common in the aquarium trade is genuinely endangered in the sea. Buying captive bred stock takes pressure off those wild populations.

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