TankBud

Black cardinalfish

Apogonichthyoides melas

Also known as Apogon melas, Black Cardinal

SaltwaterFish

Black cardinalfish (Apogonichthyoides melas)
Rickard Zerpe · CC BY 2.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–79°F
22–26°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
4.3 in
11 cm
Minimum tank
29 gal
110 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
Mouthbrooder · Medium
Rarity
Rare
Reef safe
Reef safe
Family
Apogonidae
Origin
Western Pacific (Indonesia to New Caledonia)

Overview

The black cardinalfish is a peaceful, reef-safe cardinalfish that hovers in the middle of the tank. It is easy to keep and a good fit for a quiet saltwater community.

Did you know

Young black cardinalfish look so unlike their parents that they are easy to mistake for another species. They have a pale rear half with false eyespots at the base of the dorsal and anal fins. These decoy eyespots fade with age until the adult is a plain, evenly charcoal fish.

Caring for the black cardinalfish

Keep a black cardinalfish in at least 29 gal (110 L), with a cave or overhang to retreat to. Give it gentle flow and some open water nearby. It spends the bright hours close to shelter and drifts out as the light fades.

Hold the water at 72 to 79°F (22 to 26°C) and a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. It takes frozen meaty foods and small pellets readily, and it feeds most confidently in dim light.

The black cardinalfish is a slow, deliberate swimmer that suits a calm community. Keep it singly or in a small group, where a quiet pecking order forms without real fighting. Shrimp small enough to fit in its mouth may be eaten.

The male broods the eggs in his mouth, and the tiny larvae swim free as soon as they hatch. Breeding them is moderately hard.

Good to know

The black cardinalfish, Apogonichthyoides melas, is a cardinalfish in the family Apogonidae. It also appears in the trade as the black cardinal, and under the name Apogon melas.

In the wild

Black cardinalfish come from sheltered lagoons and calm inshore reefs of the Western Pacific, from Indonesia to New Caledonia. They hover near seagrass, rocky ledges and the spines of long-spined urchins.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The black cardinalfish is a peaceful, social species that keeps to the middle. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a black cardinalfish need?

A black cardinalfish needs at least 29 gal (110 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a black cardinalfish need?

A black cardinalfish is comfortable at 72–79°F (22–26°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.

What does a black cardinalfish eat?

A black cardinalfish eats frozen meaty foods and small pellets, and it feeds best in dim light. It may also eat shrimp small enough to fit in its mouth.

How big does a black cardinalfish get?

An adult black cardinalfish reaches about 4.3 in (11 cm).

How does a black cardinalfish breed?

Black cardinalfish are mouthbrooders, with the male holding the eggs in his mouth. The tiny larvae swim free as soon as they hatch, and breeding them is moderately hard.

Related species