Cardinal Tetra
| Origin= The upper reaches of the Negro River and some tributaries of the Orinoco. Scientific Name= Paracheirodon axelrodi Max. Size= 1.96" (5CM) pH= 4-6 Temperature= 23-27C (74-82F) Temperment= A peaceful species suitable for the community tank. Minimum Tank Size and/or Tank Type= A 10G (40L), community tank with dark bottom, dim light. Favourite Foods= Live & Artifical foods. Other Info= Most of these fish were caught from Brazil, but in the recent years, catching them in the wild has been greatly restricted. Breeding Info= TANK: A 2G (10L) with a spawning grid. GENDER: The male is slimmer, smaller, the female more robust with markedly convex belly region. BREEDING RATIO: 1 Male : 1 Female BREEDING WATER: 24-28C (76-84F); pH of 5-5.5; dCH 0; dGH < 5; with addition of peat extract. OTHER BREEDING INFO: This fish is rather hard to breed, the breed during the summer months rarely. The set-up pairs generally do not spawn until several days after being placed in the breeding tank, usally before daybreak, usally in the evening hours. Spawning is usally triggered by a fise in atmospheric pressure. The female may lay as many as 500 eggs, the eggs develop in very dim light, the tanks should be well shaded. The eleutherembryos are sensitive to light. The eggs are about 0.8mm, the incubation period 18-20 hours when at 27-28C (82-84F). The free swimming fry remain near the bottom, they are shy and readily escape notice. You should feed the fry nauplii of freshly hatched brine shrimp for about six weeks, after which they should be fed finely chopped tubifex, after this they should grow rapidly. As the young fish grow water from the tank in which adult fish are kept should be gradually added to condition them for the different enviroment to which they will later be transfered. |  Photo Credit: Bombcat's Fishy Page  Photo Credit: Bombcat's Fishy Page  Photo Credit: Bombcat's Fishy Page |
              
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