Cardinal Tetra

Cardinal Tetra

Paracheirodon Axelrodi

Cardinal Tetras are one of the more peaceful and beautiful species of Tetra, attaining a beautiful red and blue colouration when mature, while also being a tight schooler, these two factors coupled with the fact that they are a hardy fish, mean that Cardinal Tetras are a great option for any hobbyist to fill their tank.

Locale: Found in Brazil and Venezuela, through much of the Rio Negro - occurs most often in shallow tributaries and streams, especially in shaded areas, whether by vegetation or river banks.

Fun fact: Cardinal Tetras, are part of the same family as the commonly kept Neon Tetra, but attain a bigger size and a much more colourful appearance.

Care:

Care difficulty - Beginner, hardy schooling fish.

Temperament - peaceful, schools tightly when in large group sizes (e.g. 20+), however 6+ is recommended as minimum school size.

Adult size - 3-4cm

Diet - Omnivorous; will eat both ends of the spectrum, from filament algae to small invertebrates and microcrustaceans, so in the Aquaria it is best to feed a staple diet of smaller pellets or flakes, and can have frozen or even live food dietary supplements, such as live or frozen brine shrimp, live black worms, frozen bloodworms, frozen mysis with spirulina, these should only be fed once or twice per fortnight.

Habitat - In the aquaria Tetras are very unfussy fish when it comes to environment, however recreating the natural environment of any fish is always beneficial, such an environment for the Cardinal Tetra would include a light soft sandy substrate, dark driftwood, with smooth rocks and medium coarse gravel for detail, floating plants and submerged vegetation are a great addition also.

Optimal Water Parameters:

Temperature: 24-30°c

pH: 5.5-7.0

GH: 2-7

KH: 1-3

Fish size, sex, exact colour and patterning may vary from photo.