The Cardinal Tetra brings delicate beauty to any home freshwater aquarium. It has a bright blue stripe contrasted by a lower red stripe that runs the entire length of its body. This coloration differs from its cousin, the Neon Tetra, which has a red stripe that runs only halfway down the body. Equally as peaceful as Neon Tetras, Paracheirodon axelrodi will school together for a brilliant display of activity and color to dress small to large aquarium systems.
Native to the slow moving waters of the various, well-vegetated tributaries in South America, the Cardinal Tetra needs at least a 10-gallon aquarium that is densely planted with areas of low or subdued lighting. Though relatively hardy, the Cardinal Tetra does best in soft, acidic water with few fluctuations in water parameters. The Cardinal Tetra should be kept in groups of six or more and be housed with equally peaceful tankmates.
Breeding the Cardinal Tetra requires very soft water in the 1-2 dH range, a pH of 5-6, and low lighting levels. The female may lay as many as 130 eggs and the adults should be removed at this time. The eggs will hatch in about 24 hours and will become waterborne in approximately five days. Feed the fry baby brine shrimp and other suitable small foods.
The Cardinal Tetra will accept many small foods such as brine shrimp or daphnia, freeze-dried bloodworms and tubifex, micro pellet food, and high quality flake food.
- Minimum Tank Size: 10 gallons
- Care Level: Moderate
- Temperament: Peaceful
- Water Conditions: 73-81° F, KH 2-6, pH 5.5-7.5
- Max. Size: 2"
- Color Form: Blue, Red
- Diet: Omnivore
- Family: Characidae
Size: Approx. 1"
* All Livestock is for Sale in Singapore only and and Not Available for overseas export. Any order received from overseas will be voided and refunded with a 5% admin fee charged.
Pre-Order on Freshwater Livestock:
Unless otherwise stated of availability in-store/online, pre-ordering lead time for livestock typically takes approximately 3-4 weeks for shipment arrival + 1 week of quarantine period before ready for delivery/collection. Once a pre-order has been received, any cancellation/amendment request will be subjected to a 5% admin fee charge of the order value. A full refund maybe requested without any cancellation charge imposed if the pre-ordered livestock fails to arrive after 30 days upon placing the order.
