Pajama Cardinalfish - Medium
The Pyjama Cardinalfish has a very distinctive look with orange eyes. It’s body is divided by a black vertical line that runs down it’s body from it’s dorsal fin. The front half of it’s body and head is a greeny yellow colour and the back half of it’s body is light silvery or greyish with dark red through to black spots on it.
These fish are a schooling fish and so it’s generally recommended to keep at least 2 of these together in the same tank. More than 2 can be kept together without an issue and they will form a social hierarchy or pecking order between themselves.
These fish are nocturnal and so during the day they do tend to float in one place in the tank and not move around a great deal. In the wild they’ll often do this in rocky concealed areas or amongst plants like sea grass or sometimes amongst the spines of long spined sea urchins.
Tank Recommendations for Pyjama Cardinalfish
Like most smaller fish these Pyjama Cardinalfish do like having plenty of places they can hide. So lots of live rock with crevices for them to hide in is great. If you have some vegetation like sea grass they will use this to camouflage themselves too.
You can keep a single fish in a 76 litre (20 gallon) tank or a pair in a 151 litre (40 gallon) tank. If adding more of these fish to live together then it’s always best practice to increase the size of the tank when the numbers go up.
These fish can be jumpers especially when first introduced to an aquarium and so having a lid on your tank is recommended.
These fish do usually occupy the middle to top area of the tank so ensure that there is space for them to swim or as these fish often to float suspended in this area.
Suitable Tank Buddies
These fish aren’t aggressive and so can work well in a mixed community tank of peaceful fish. Schools of Pyjama fish will have their own hierarchy structure, but they don’t enforce it by using aggression towards each other.
Usually Compatible
Good fish to keep with these Cardinalfish are other Cardinalfish, Blennies, Clowns, Damsels, Small Angels, Gobies, Hawkfish, Seahorses and Pipefish. There is no problem to keep these fish with crabs.
Sometime Compatible
Be cautious about mixing these Cardinals with Hogfish, large Angelfish, Parrot Fish, Damselfish and Tangs as these may bully your Cardinalfish.
Rarely Compatible
Don't keep these fish with small Crustaceans as the Cardinalfish will see them as a food source. Similarly they shouldn’t be kept with any predatory fish with mouths large enough to eat them such as Sharks, Rays, Eels, Groupers or Scorpion and Lionfish as they will view the Cardinalfish as a potential meal too.
Feeding Your Pyjama Cardinalfish
As we mentioned these fish are nocturnal and so bear this in mind when feeding them as they usually go hunting for their food at night.
They are carnivores so like a meaty diet and will happily take live foods like copepods, mysis and brine shrimp.
They will also take frozen foods like bloodworm as well as shredded fish, flake foods and pellet food.
| Scientific Name | Sphaeramia Nematoptera |
|---|---|
| Care Level | Easy |
| Venomous | No |