Cardinal fish - Tanichthys albonubes

Already since the 30s the cardinal fish, Tanichthys albonubes, enriches the aquaristics and has lost nothing of its charm since then. With its 3.5-5 cm, the quite small and also uncomplicated fish  can be kept without problems at room temperature and even in the pond by aquaristic beginners. Albonubes refers to the Latin albus for white and nubes for cloud and thus declares the former habitat of the White Cloud Mountain.

Originally, this fish, distantly associated with the bearfishes, originated in southern Chinese clear and rather slow-flowing to stagnant mountain streams with weedy banks and even appeared to be extinct in the 1980s. However, in the fall of 2003, a very small population was discovered in northern Guangzhou, as well as on Hainan Island and a river flowing into Halong Bay in Vietnam. Wild groups in Hong Kong and Shenzhen are now believed to be extinct, as the cardinalfish reproduces rather poorly in the wild, and artificial water detour and rainforest clearing pose a massive threat to its conservation.

The cardinalfish is the nominate form, of which there are breeding forms such as the cardinal veiltail. In basic coloration, the body is dark to light green in color, with the underside of the belly appearing much lighter. From the gill covers to the caudal fin there is a fine black longitudinal band, over which a first pale pink band runs. Just in front of the caudal fin root, as in the breeding form, there is a black distinct spot. The dorsal fin, which is set quite far back, starts at the same level as the quite small anal fin, both of which have a transparent yellowish shimmer close to the body and can be white or black fringed. The pelvic fin may show the same coloration. The pectoral fins are transparent to yellowish, the caudal fin is also translucent and only shows a red spot behind the root. In the species aquarium cardinals form more vivid colors and also larger body shapes than those kept in the community aquarium with possible sturgeon fish. This can even be observed in pond keeping, when the animals are brought into the aquarium in autumn for hibernation. Males are territorial and form spawning territories, which they actively defend without harming others.

The males differ visually from the females by distinctly more pronounced colors as well as a slimmer physique. Females, on the other hand, remain correspondingly paler and somewhat plumper with a much fuller girth. Females ready to spawn can become roly-poly and extremely plump, similar to guppies. Although Cardinalfish already do fine in cooler temperatures around 20 °C and rather have problems with warm climes, they can be stimulated to breed with both a short-term temperature increase and intensive live feeding.

The males court the females with erect fins, circle them and mutate into real "posers". Cardinals are free spawners, and spawn throughout the aquarium. However, since they occasionally become spawn predators, spawning in the rearing aqu arium is worthwhile if you value a high number of young. The spawning aquarium does not require any special precautions. A capacity of about 20 liters is sufficient, mosses and fine plants serve as spawning substrate. Juveniles should be "in the food" so to speak and eat permanently. They hatch after approx. 48 hours and are fed with infusoria and Artemia nauplii. Live food prevents too rapid contamination of the water, as can happen with granules or dust food, for example. A very good water hygiene is very important, sometimes the water can be changed several times a day up to 60% with water from the community aquarium. The young are very tiny and should not be returned to their parents until they are large enough that they are not in danger of being eaten.

Cardinalfish are schooling fish, which are generally kept in groups of at least 8, but better 12 or more animals in a school, so that they can live out their appropriate intra-species behavior. The substrate can be light-colored coarse-grained gravel, bog pine roots and stones form privacy screens and territories, dense planting in places offers shy and stressed animals the opportunity to relax and retreat. Water values with pH values between 6-7,5, a water hardness of 4-30° dGH, as well as rather lower temperatures of 17-22°C are well tolerated. Permanent temperatures above 23°C can cause diseases.

The socialization with bearblings and peaceful fishes as well as crayfishes is possible, dwarf shrimps could live dangerously under certain circumstances.
Cardinals are omnivores - live and frozen foods are preferred, however their menu should also be varied with dry and flake foods as well as algae and other plant foods.

Our food recommendation: NatureHolic professional main feed is a professional main feed for all aquarium fish. We supply Hauptfeed in the form of a soft granulate, which thanks to its grain size of half a millimeter can be easily absorbed by small to medium-sized fish. The soft consistency resembles the texture of insect larvae in nature and protects the fish mouth from micro-injuries.

Our plant recommendation: Use for planting NatureHolic InVitros. These are free of snails, planarians and other unwanted co-inhabitants. Also free of algae spores, bacteria and fungi.

Expert Tip: We recommend for fish keeping the NatureHolic 3 Phase Liquid. The care set offers the best all-round protection for your animals. It ensures optimal conditions for successful breeding and keeping.