Flame cardinalfish

Care at a glance

Overview

Peaceful with unrelated tankmates and safe around corals and clams, though it will eat ornamental shrimp small enough to fit in its mouth. It is territorial toward its own kind and other cardinalfish, so keep a single fish or an established mated pair rather than an unrelated group. Feed a mix of mysis, vitamin-enriched brine shrimp and finely chopped seafood; its red color holds up best with pigment-rich foods and tends to fade on a poor diet.

In the wild

Native to the western Atlantic, from Bermuda and the Gulf of Mexico through the Caribbean to Brazil, where it hides in caves and under ledges by day. Keep it in at least 114 liters (30 gallons) with several caves or overhangs among the live rock; a mated pair does better in 208 liters (55 gallons) or more. It is nocturnal and most active once the lights dim, so it is worth viewing under red or blue night lighting.

Good to know

Flame cardinalfish are paternal mouthbrooders: after spawning, the male gathers the fertilized eggs into his mouth and holds them there through incubation, eating little or nothing until they hatch. This strategy produces far fewer, larger offspring than fish that scatter their eggs into open water, and it is part of why cardinalfish are a popular family for hobbyists attempting their first marine breeding project.

Common questions

Related species

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