Cardinalfishes

Cardinalfishes are a hardy group that include some of the best choices for large reef aquaria where shoaling fish are otherwise hard to find.

Completely safe around corals, they have large mouths for brooding eggs and this enables some of the larger species to swallow tiny fish or shrimp tankmates. The most popular species, the Bangaii cardinal, is a little more territorial than most and is best kept in pairs in all but the largest aquaria.

As they’re often found in association with SPS corals in the wild, cardinals are a great choice for coral tanks and add interest as well as providing nutrients that help their invertebrate hosts thrive.