Cardinal Tetra 2.5cm

Cardinal Tetra

Often regarded as an upgrade to common neon tetra, the cardinal tetra is a fantastic tetra species for those who are looking for the perfect and elegant schooling fish for their planted and community tanks.

Though they can be slightly more difficult to keep when compared to neon's due to their sensitivity to water parameters, the cardinal tetra pulls through with its full body colors. Featuring a much more metallic blue and full-body red stripe the cardinal tetra offers the complete contrast. It also does get considerably larger than its neon tetra cousin reaching around 5cm max they make for great fish in a wide range of aquarium settings.

Cardinal tetras are also highly popular for their warmer water tolerance of 28-30 degrees making them a perfect tank mate for the highly coveted discus fish. Discus and cardinal tetras are often regarded as a match made in heaven however the cardinal tetra as a standalone species will take the spotlight in a heavily planted aquascape or as the primary schooling fish in a community aquarium setting. Because of their community aquarium tolerance, they are also evidently extremely peaceful fish but feel best when kept in schools of 6 as a minimum but ideally, 10 or more would be perfect. breeding these fish in captivity is an extremely difficult process due to the cardinal tetra not having any distinguishable features between males and females. The wild origin of cardinal tetras is South America.
 

Tank Recommendations for your cardinal tetra

Being a very small and relatively easy to care for fish the cardinal tetra can be kept in nano aquariums with the minimum being a 37-liter aquarium (10 gallons). However, because of their sensitive nature to water parameters, it would be better to provide them with a large water volume as it will be easier to keep parameters stable.  A sand or gravel substrate would be fine for these fish as well as a lot of plant growth which not only makes them contrast really well but also makes them more comfortable in the aquarium to swim out in the open. Cardinal tetras are soft water fish meaning they require a low PH. They can be kept in PH as low as 6 and will even look stunning in a blackwater aquarium setting.

Suitable Tank Buddies

The cardinal tetra is an extremely peaceful fish that displays no aggression at all. They may actually be quite shy which is why it is recommended to keep them in relatively large schools. Due to this, the LiveFish team does stock a ready-to-go school of 10 cardinal tetras which are perfect to set up as an initial school. But for those who are looking to have a breathtaking school for a larger aquarium, we stock the cardinal tetra spectacular which is a pack of 50x cardinal tetras. Both packs can be found here:

10 x Cardinal Tetras - https://livefish.com.au/10x-cardinal-tetra
50 x Cardinal Tetras - https://livefish.com.au/cardinal-tetra-spectacular

Usually Compatible

Discus, Angelfish, glowlight tetras, neon tetras, Apistogramma, rams, and a range of dwarf/nano peaceful fish.  

Sometimes Compatible

Cardinal tetras can be a relatively slow fish so any fin nipping species of fish that may outcompete them for food such as guppies, tiger barbs, or Roseline sharks

Rarely Compatible

Large and aggressive species such as rainbow sharks, Raphael catfish, larger mouthed community fish may prey on the tetras and large cichlids.

Feeding your cardinal tetra

Cardinal tetras are very easy to fish to feed. They will take a wide range of pellets, flakes, and frozen foods. Just like any fish though they should be fed a varied diet with a mix of different foods. The ideal diet would be a good quality micro slow sinking pellet or crushed flake, supplemented with frozen bloodworms or black worms or even live foods like baby brine shrimp or micro worms.