Cardinal Tetra Care Sheet

Cardinal TetraTropical Fish Guide
Size2 inches or 5 cm
Fish HardinessEasy to care for
Water Temperature71.6 - 82.4°F or 22 - 28°C
Water pH4.5 - 7.0 pH
Water Hardness5 - 15 dGH
Peaceful or AggressivePeaceful shoaling fish
Number of same species in tankFour or more, more is better
Community FishYes
SexesMales are generally slimmer than the larger, rounder females
StrataMiddle to bottom
FoodFlake food, blood worms and brine shrimp
BreedingNot very easy to breed
Breeding temperature82.4°F or 28°C
Other namesCardinal Neon or Cardinal Neon Tetra
Scientific nameParacheirodon axelrodi
Lifespan4 years

Ideal Cardinal Tetra Conditions

Appearance

This is another species of colorful tropical freshwater fish. They have a bright neon blue line running from the head to the tail, similar to the Neon Tetra. The main difference is that the bottom half of the body is completely red from head to tail without the white front part.

Peaceful, Community

They are very peaceful fish and ideal for a community aquarium setup that prefers the middle to lower parts of the aquarium. Take care not to put them with bigger aggressive fish in the same tank. For instance certain cichlids and the clown knife fish will make a quick meal of them.

Because they are so small they only really make an impression in an aquarium when you have a school of them. They love lots of ornaments and especially plants for hiding out and obviously enough free swimming space as well.