Cardinalfish
One of the few groups of shoaling fish commonly available to marine aquarists, Cardinalfish are nocturnal and tend to be quite shy. They require meaty foods and will often not take prepared foods such as flakes and tablets. For the best chance of success, keep a wide variety of frozen foods on hand. In the event of a hunger strike, they will almost always take adult brine shrimp. As far as other care requirements they are similar to damsels: not picky. So long as they are properly acclimated, they tolerate a wide range of parameters. A marine aqaurist should watch the ammonia/nitrite levels of the environment, as cardinalfish are particularly sensitive to these chemicals.
| Common name | Image | Taxonomy | Reef safe | Care Level | Description | Max size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fragile cardinalfish | Apogon fragilis | Yes | Moderate | 70005000000000000005 cm (2.0 in) | ||
| Banggai cardinal | Pterapogon kauderni | Yes | Moderate | Black and silver striped with very tall fins and many white spots. Wild populations have been decimated, consider captive bred specimens. | 70008000000000000008 cm (3.1 in) | |
| Blackstripe cardinalfish | Apogon nigrofasciatus | Yes | Moderate | Body completely covered in horizontal yellow and black stripes, with red fins. | 700110000000000000010 cm (3.9 in) | |
| Bluebarred cardinalfish | Apogon flores | Yes | Moderate | 70005000000000000005 cm (2.0 in) | ||
| Bluestreak cardinalfish | Apogon leptacanthus | Yes | Moderate | 70006500000000000006.5 cm (2.6 in) | ||
| Flamefish | Apogon maculatus | Yes | Moderate | Bright red with black spots at the base of the caudal fin, under the second dorsal fin, and on the operculum. | 700111000000000000011 cm (4.3 in) | |
| Frostfin cardinalfish | Apogon hoeveni | Yes | Moderate | 70005000000000000005 cm (2.0 in) | ||
| Gilbert's cardinalfish | Apogon gilberti | Yes | Moderate | 70005000000000000005 cm (2.0 in) | ||
| Girdled cardinalfish | Archamia zosterophora | Yes | Moderate | 70008000000000000008 cm (3.1 in) | ||
| Orange-striped cardinalfish | Apogon cyanosoma | Yes | Moderate | Light yellow with iridescent yellow horizontal stripes. | 70008000000000000008 cm (3.1 in) | |
| Pajama cardinalfish | Sphaeramia nematoptera | Yes, caution with small shrimp | Easy | This fish displays three distinct color bands: the first, stretching from the nose to base of the first dorsal fin, is a tannish peach. The second, a thin band which runs down the center of the fish, is chocolate brown, and the posterior of the fish is white with brown spots. | 70008500000000000008.5 cm (3.3 in) | |
| Ochre-striped cardinalfish | Apogon compressus | Yes | Moderate | Almost identical to A. nigrofasticus, but with blue eyes. | 700112000000000000012 cm (4.7 in) | |
| Ringtailed cardinalfish | Apogon aureus | Yes | Moderate | Yellow body with a black stripe (ring) at the base of the caudal fin and iridescent blue streaks across the eye. | 700114500000000000014.5 cm (5.7 in) |
Read more about this topic: List Of Marine Aquarium Fish Species