cardinal tetra

TETRA CARDINAL (L) 3 cm

It was first described by Schults in 1956 and introduced to the hobby by Dr. Herbert Axelrod (hence his name) in the same year. It belongs to the family Characidae and lives freely in the Orinoco River. Through the Rio Vaupes it occurs north-northeast to the Rio Negro, in Brazil, as far as western Colombia.

It lives in large herds in open areas of the jungle, but shaded by vegetation. The prevailing impression until 1984 (that it was a fish living in black waters) was proven wrong by Geisler and Annibal. However, it lives in fairly soft and acidic waters and high concentrations of calcium (Ca2+) and magnesium (Mg2+) ions cause serious damage to the fish's kidneys with dire consequences.

It is active and lives in schools, so it needs large aquariums with as large schools as possible. Until recently, wild caught fish were traded, but in recent years Europeans have been trading captive-bred fish.

They lay about 500 eggs, usually at dusk, which are photophobic like babies and adults themselves. Because of the small size of its larvae, they require infusorians, or similar live foods, for the first few days of their lives.