Docile, beautiful, easy to keep. These words describe the Bangaii Cardinalfish perfectly. Also known as the Kaudern’s Cardinalfish and the Longfin Cardinalfish, this peaceful fish makes a great addition to any reef tank. The Bangaii Cardinalfish has a silver body with white spots and three distinct vertical lines. Its long fins are black with a silver outline and white spots. The Bangaii Cardinalfish is a social fish and is often kept in groups of 3 in a home aquarium. Because they are slow and methodical swimmers they should be kept in a tank with other peaceful tankmates.
In the wild, the Bangaii Cardinalfish is only found on the reefs and seagrass beds surrounding the Bangaii Archepelago in Indonesia. However, due to its popularity and ease of breeding there is a thriving aquaculture industry and captive bred specimens are generally quite easy to find. They should be kept in an aquarium with ample rockwork with caves and overhangs that they can hide in if they feel threatened. Once they become comfortable they are most often found swimming openly in the tank, and this is particularly true if they are kept in small groups. Because they are not the strongest swimmers, they prefer a tank with moderate levels of flow rather than high flow.
Bangaii Cardinalfish are carnivorous but will readily accept a wide variety of pellet, fresh and frozen foods. As is the case with most fish, a variety of foods will help it stay healthy long term. They can be fed mysis shrimp, frozen brine shrimp and a quality pellet or flake food a couple of times per day. As they do not prey on any specific pests or consume nuisance algae they are kept for their beauty and docile nature.
For a hobbyist looking for a beautiful, peaceful fish that can easily be kept in groups, the Bangaii Cardinalfish makes a perfect choice.’