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The Cardinal Tetra is one of the aquarium hobbies most popular schooling fish. This is due to their striking blue and red color that stands out great in any aquarium. They look closely to a Neon Tetra yet the differences are evident. The Cardinal tetra is a bit larger than the Neon Tetra to start. Cardinals come from warmer water than Neon Tetras. In coloration, the Cardinal Tetra’s red line runs the whole length of the body. The red in the Neon Tetra only goes from the tail to about the middle of the body then the color changes to silver. Finally, Cardinal Tetras enjoying warmer water makes them a great choice for aquariums that house Discus (Symphysodon aequifasciatus) or one of the many color strains of Rams (Mikrogeophagus ramirezi). They are a stunning addition to aquariums because of their high contrast against planted tanks and dark substrates. We recommend them to anyone that wants an easy to care for and beautiful fish. They prefer to be kept in schools of 5 or more to make them feel the most comfortable.
The Cardinal Tetra originally came from the warmer streams of South America. To replicate their natural habitat, the use of rock work, plants, and driftwood should be included in the aquarium. They also enjoy tannins in their water, so the use of Indian Almond or Guava leaves is highly recommended. We would not recommend keeping this fish with shrimp colonies due to the likeliness of the cardinal tetra eating baby shrimp and potentially picking at adult shrimp.
The scientific name for the cardinal tetra is: Paracheirodon axelrodi
We feed our Cardinals a mix of frozen foods including daphnia, baby brine, cyclops, and Bloodworms.
Our Tank Parameters
Tank Recommendations
