Cardinal Tetra

COMMON NAME: Cardinal Tetra

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Paracheirodon axelrodi

SYNONYMS: Cheirodon axelrodi;Hyphessobrycon cardinalis

DESIGNATION: Tropical

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION: Upper Rio Negro (Brazil)

SIZE: Around 5 cm (2 in), but usually smaller.

WATER PREFERENCES: Soft acid water around 25°C (77°F).

DIET: Will accept a wide variety of small food, particularly aquatic live foods

BREEDING: As for Neons (Paracheirodoninnesi).

DESCRIPTION: Cardinals are superficially similar to Neons. However, Cardinals have brighter colours than Neons and their red coloration extends virtually the whole length of the body, while in Neons it is restricted to the posterior half. Cardinals also show a greater tendency to swim at all levels, while Neons tend to stick more to the middle and lower reaches of a tank.

Being shoalers, Cardinals are never at their best kept either as single specimens or in pairs. If a single specimen is introduced into a tank housing Neons, the lone Cardinal will quickly join up with the shoal.

Cardinal Tetra Information

• Due to its beautiful coloration the fish is quite popular among fish pet owners. But one should be well aware of the requirements of the fish in order to keep it healthy and alive. Thousands of fish of this specie die every year because of the ignorance of the fish owners. So, if you want to be a good fish owner you are recommended to learn all the necessities of the fish like the right chemistry of water, the volume of water, the size of the tank and such.
• The fish is quite difficult to breed when in captivity. In case you want to try out your hand in breeding fish for the fort time you are recommended not to select the fish of this variety.
• In the initial stages of fish pet care make sure that the parameters of the water of the tank should be almost similar to the water of the Amazon basin from where the fish originally hails from.
• The fish is used in staying in large groups and you are advised to buy at least five fish of shoal. For a shoal size of 5 you should arrange for a tank which can hold almost 40 liters of water. The temperature of the water should be around 25 degree Celsius of ph level around 6.
• The aquarium should be well planted and shady with enough scope to hide. This would make the fish feel comfortable which would save the fish from going into anxiety and stress. Mental stress is often the cause of the death of the fish in most cases. As time will pass on the fish would gradually grow in confidence and would be able to withstand greater changes in the water chemistry.
• The fish is peaceful and is ideal for a community fish tank harboring other non aggressive species of fish. The fish mainly roams around the top and middle part of the tank. It would take in food of any type.