Where to buy Black Cardinalfish
ReefDock searches the following reef retailers for this fish. Click through to see the live price.
- Search Saltwaterfish
Saltwaterfish
Search this retailer
- Search Amazon
Amazon
Search this retailer
- Search Petco
Petco
Search this retailer
About Black Cardinalfish
The Black Cardinalfish is a small, stocky fish with a deep black to dark brown coloration throughout its body. It has a rounded head, large mouth, and two dorsal fins. The body is somewhat compressed laterally with a relatively large eye adapted for nocturnal feeding, and the pectoral fins are moderately sized and translucent.
Key facts
- Water Parameters
- Temperature: 72-78°F pH: 8.1-8.3 Salinity: 1.023-1.025
- Min tank size
- 30 gallons
- Appearance
- The Black Cardinalfish is a small, stocky fish with a deep black to dark brown coloration throughout its body. It has a rounded head, large mouth, and two dorsal fins. The body is somewhat compressed laterally with a relatively large eye adapted for nocturnal feeding, and the pectoral fins are moderately sized and translucent.
- Care Requirements
- • Minimum 30-gallon tank; prefers deeper, darker environments • Water: 72-78°F, pH 8.1-8.3, SG 1.020-1.025, low light preferred • Nocturnal; provide caves, overhangs, and dim lighting • Feed small meaty foods: frozen mysis shrimp, copepods, bloodworms • Peaceful; avoid large predatory fish; pair with non-aggressive species
- Reef safety
- Reef Safe
- Difficulty Level
- Moderate difficulty. Black Cardinalfish are hardy and peaceful but are nocturnal and may be shy; they require dim lighting, hiding places, and live or quality frozen foods to thrive. They do best in established reef aquaria with minimal aggression from tankmates.
- Diet
- carnivore
- Feeding Schedule
- 1-2 times daily
- Diet Details
- Feed live or frozen meaty foods such as mysis shrimp, copepods, and finely chopped fish. This species is nocturnal and may require time to acclimate to feeding routines; target feeding or feeding at dusk increases feeding success.
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Origin
- Indo-Pacific region, ranging from the Red Sea and East Africa through Southeast Asia to the Great Barrier Reef and northern Australia. Found in shallow reef environments and coastal waters.
- Common Health Issues
- Ich, parasitic infections, starvation if not fed appropriately, stress-related disease
Looking for a hobbyist seller?
ReefDock's marketplace lets reef-keepers sell fish directly to other reef-keepers with Stripe-secured checkout and live-arrival photo confirmation. Browse current fish listings on ReefDock, or list your own.
Verify the source tank before you buy
ReefDock is the sister app to Reef Trak. Sellers who maintain a Reef Trak tank log can publish source-tank parameters on eligible fish listings — so you can see the conditions a fish was raised in before you buy. Log this fish on Reef Trak.