Banggai Cardinalfish Care Guide

Glossary:

Care Guide & Requirements
Reef Safe
Prices
Food & Diet
Facts
Tank Mates & Environment
FAQs

For a fish that’s visually interesting and easy to care for, consider the Banggai cardinalfish, or Pterapogon kauderni. This fish is easy to find and very inexpensive, and they’re generally low maintenance, making them a great addition for most saltwater tanks. Here we’ll dive deeper into this species and help you decide whether it’s the right fish for you.

Is the Banggai cardinalfish reef safe?

This fish is very reef-safe and won’t tend to go after your corals or invertebrates. Despite being carnivorous, they can generally get along with most tank inhabitants, including clams, crabs, shrimp, and other shellfish. As long as you keep them separate from others of their kind, they’re perfectly adaptable to most tank environments.

Banggai cardinalfish food and diet

Banggai cardinalfish are carnivorous and thrive on a meat-filled diet. They tend to prefer foods like Mysis shrimp, blackworms, and brine shrimp. They are pretty hardy and, although at first reluctant to, can adapt to prepared foods, including frozen food and pellets or flakes.

Banggai cardinalfish FAQs

Can you keep a single Banggai cardinalfish?

Yes, you can easily keep a single Banggai cardinalfish in your tank. These fish are perfectly capable of thriving alone, and they typically aren’t part of a smaller group past the juvenile stage.

Do Banggai cardinalfish like to hide?

Banggai cardinalfish, like other species of cardinalfish, are nocturnal and tend to hide during the day. This is why you should provide your Banggais with ample hiding space in the form of ledges and caves. However, over time, these fish will become accustomed to feeding during the day and may spend less time hiding.

How big do Banggai cardinalfish get?

This particular species of cardinalfish isn’t among the biggest and will grow to about three inches in length when fully grown. You’ll often find these fish available as juveniles when they’re around one to 1.5 inches in size.

Banggai cardinalfish price

The Banggai cardinalfish is highly affordable and should be easy to find at a low price. At most shops, you’ll find these fish for sale at anywhere from around $20 to $40.

Banggai cardinalfish facts

Here are some facts about the Banggai cardinalfish that might interest you:

You can find this fish in the wild among coral reefs and seagrass beds primarily in Indonesia’s Banggai Archipelago.
The Banggai cardinalfish can live for up to around five years, but the average lifespan is 2.5 to three years.
The threats of the live reef trade and habitat destruction pose a real threat to this species. Since 2016, the Banggai cardinalfish has been listed as “threatened” according to the Endangered Species Act. The use of cyanide and fish bombs has largely destroyed this species’s habitat, with pollution being another critical cause.

What other fish are the best tank mates for the Banggai cardinalfish?

The Banggai cardinalfish is pretty calm and docile, making it suitable for pairing with many other species. However, you should avoid keeping two or more of these cardinalfish if they’re of the same gender. At the same time, it’s often difficult to tell the difference between males and females, especially when young. You can tell the difference when they get a little older and the male develops two distinct nubs near their reproductive parts.

Some compatible tank mates for this fish include:

Lawnmower Blennies
Royal Grammas
Ocellaris Clownfish
Coral Beauty Angelfish

These are simply a few of the many potential tank mates for this species. They generally get along with most fish and won’t get too aggressive or territorial.

Where to buy Banggai cardinalfish

If you want to buy a Banggai cardinalfish to add to your tank, you’ll find them at the following vendors, among others:

Easy to care for and visually engaging, these fish are among the best to keep in your tank. Their reef-safe nature, small size, and docility make them perfect for most environments, including reef tanks.