Species Profile | Images | Breeding Report | Similar Species
(Other members of the genus Paracheirodon)
ADULT SIZE: 5 cm
WATER CONDITIONS: Moderately soft and acidic
TEMPERATURE RANGE: 22-28 C
FOOD: Feed Paracheirodon axelrodi live and dried foods
DISTRIBUTION: This species comes from Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela
SEXUAL DIFFERENCES: Sexing cardinal tetras is not all that easy. Females tend to be fuller bodied than the slightly slimmer males
AQUARIUM CARE: A very common fish both in the wild and aquariums. It is probably one of the most attractive of all aquarium species. It is an ideal community species, however does prefer a shaded area of the tank, so provide floating plants. Cardinals (like neon tetras) look their best in a dark, well planted tank, in a large shoal (10-30 fish). Almost all aquarium-available fish are wild caught in Amazonia.
BREEDING: Breeding can be accomplished in soft acidic water at 24 deg C; a typical plant spawner, that requires quite specific conditions. This is a difficult fish to breed, hence their continued capture in the wild.
Have you bred Paracheirodon axelrodi? Why not fill in a breeding questionaire?, or examine existing Paracheirodon axelrodi breeding reports
Other members of the genus Paracheirodon
Other characin species
One of the most well known and widely kept of all aquarium fish, due to its peaceful temperament and beautiful colouration.
This species should be kept in a shoal of 6 or more individuals
The effect of a large group of cardinals can be quite stunning in a moderately dark, well planted tank
BREEDING: Breeding can be accomplished in soft acidic water at 24 deg C; a typical plant spawner, that requires quite specific conditions. This is a difficult fish to breed, hence their continued capture in the wild.
Have you bred Paracheirodon axelrodi? Why not fill in a breeding questionaire?
Sorry no records.
Low light plants Java moss, Java fern, and several of the Anubias species all do fine in low-light conditions. That is not to say that they do not thrive with stronger lighting, but in an aquarium with a lot of floating plants, or one with timid fish that prefer a dimmer tank, these plants are very useful indeed. All are epiphytes; that is to say they need not be planted, and can be attached to stones, bogwood or just left free floating
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