I want 2 Cardinal fish....will they fight??

[elizreininger]

I want to put 2 cardinal fish in my 29 gallon tank, right now I only have a 3 striped damsel fish in there. I have been told by a friend that cardinal fish are arrgessive with each other and that I should only get one, is this true? Does anyone have 2 or has anyone had 2? The reason I ask is b/c I always see them grouped together in tanks, I have seen them before at the baltimore aquarium with like 20 in one tank...what are your opinions??

 

[brian'sreef]

If you want cardinals try bangaii cards. they are beautiful and hardy .. finding a mated pair of these is quite easy and if you buy two juveniles they will eventually pair up .. one of the coolest things about these fish is that they reproduce quite readily in an aquarium setting ..we produce many of them at the store where i work.. <a href="http://www.inlandaquatics.com," target="_blank">www.inlandaquatics.com,</a> it is however not advised to try to pair up to adults in a tank it very rarely works out..hope this helps.
Brian

 

[dirtybilge]

Cardinal fish are schooling fish they love each other buy more than 1, they like each others company

 

[souljah]

Pajama Cardinals are just like saltwater Catfish.
They thrive in shoals of 3 or more. They love each others company. The more the better. Pajama Cardinals are not aggressive at all towards each other I dont know who told you that. My LFS ONLY sells them in groups of 3 or more.
They are really cool to watch as they float at a stand still in the tank in there groups. They look like a little gang. They are so neat!
I really like this cardinal right here
http://www.***********.com/images/products/large/pw77906spotted_cardinal.jpg

 

[fmarini]

Hi:
jw hit is right on the head. Banggai cards are not schooling fish, they only school as young juvenile fish loking for protection. Sexually mature male banggai cards fight w/ other males, and just adding two banggais leaves you w/ a 25% change of getting a pair. (JW does a fantastic job of decribing the consequences).
A 29gal is awefully small for 3 damsels which will start bickering w/ each other and then start bickering w/ the other fish. Damsels are territorial and this tank doesn't leave a lot of room to play.
if you interested in cardinals you might want to consider pyjamas or orbics, they tend not school and don't fight as bad a banggais. But your tank IMO is too small to school anything.
my opinion
frank
PS to read more on raising/breeding banggai go here
<a href="http://www.eparc.com/banggai/banggai.shtml" target="_blank">http://www.eparc.com/banggai/banggai.shtml</a>

 

[bigeyedfish]

I heard one way to tell the --- is to look for the white flag type skin hanging off the first fin on their head, those are the males. females dont have that. any truth to this? i was going to buy three sometime soon with this in mind.

 

[karlas]

the only way ive found to tell them apart is buy the mouth. its really hard to tell but the male has a wider lower jaw more of a box shape becaus the need the extra room for carrying eggs. the female has a slimmer lower jaw.
here is this to read
"Sexing Banggais
This is the most asked question I receive, and the one question I cannot answer fully. Even though I have seen over 300 banggaiÔs I am only 50/50 on juvenile animals (animals under 1-1.5inches SVL). When the animals reach sexual maturity (12-14 months), then the jawline takes on a characteristic structure, particularly the male which gets squared off. The second dorsal fin is an excellent characteristic, as the males second dorsal extends past the caudal peduncle, however this flowing fin is often nipped off by other fish. The most accurate sexing method: My best method of sexing banggaiÕs is using my establish male [the original male banggai from the article]. I introduce another banggai into his tank and within 10 mins he either is trying to kill him (male) or trying to mate with it (female)...HE IS 100% ACCURATE!!! I have sexed many friends banggai this way. Alternatively you can buy 4 or 5 banggais allow then to reach sexual maturity and they will pair off, and please, please, return the unpaired banggais. "

 

[elizreininger]

I dont have THREE damsel fish, i have ONE 3 striped damsel fish...that is only in there for the time being...Is it okay to have a male and a female of the bangai cardinal fish?

 

[brian'sreef]

yes it's ok to have a male and a female bangai..if you're lucky they may breed in you tank.

 

[moga]

elizreininger, you in virginia area?
i want to sell my cardinal..for $27..
if you interested let me know..

 

[elizreininger]

No thanks, I am not ready to put them in my tank yet...And no offense I can get them cheeper at Roozen's Nursery. Thanks for asking though!

 

[dick525]

I too have a 29gal and I purchased three Banghaii Cardinals. Within two days two of them began to harrass the other at feeding time and eventually attacked it every chance they had. It look like it had been through "Operation Anaconda", it's fins were torn and it was hiding behind rocks and equipment all day.
Needless to say I returned it to the place I bought it from ( which by the way refused to credit me anything, but that's another story). The two remaining are healthy and vigorous and eat like it's buy one get one free!
I wish you luck for they are truly great fish
SEE YA!
****