Cheilodipterus macrodon (Large toothed cardinalfish)

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Facts

Latin name	Cheilodipterus macrodon - (Lacepède, 1802)
Local name	Large toothed cardinalfish
Family	Apogonidae - Cheilodipterus
Origin	East Indian Ocean, West Indian Ocean, Australia, Japan, The Red Sea, Indonesia, Central/West Pacific
Max length	25 cm (9.8")

As aquarium fish

Minimum volume	250 l (66 gal)
Hardiness	Hardy
Suitable for aquarium	Suitable for most aquarium
Reef safe	Reef safe with caution
Aggressiveness	Docile but might be aggressive towards similar species

Feed

Recommended	Fish Larger crustaceans (Shrimp, crabs...) Small crustaceans (Krill, mysis, artemia...)

Can be a threat to small fish

This spicies might be a threat to smaller fishes.

Threat towards crustaceans

This species poses a threat towards shrimps and crabs etc., which are relatively small.

Requires a varied diet

This species must be fed with an appropriately varied diet.

Live food

There is a greater chance of success with this species if one can supply a living feed to allow it to adapt to the tank.

Acclimitises best as a juvenile

This species will better acclimatize to the aquarium`s condition if introduced, when young.

Very small individuals can be very delicate.

Needs dimmed light at first

Out in wild this species is used to faint light, so to acclimitize it, it is advantageous to dim the light at first and gradually increase it to normal.

Best as a pair

This species thrives best in a pair. (Male and female)

Hiding places

This species needs good hiding places, for example, between live rocks.

Nocturnal

This species is nocturnal and therefore the most active when the light is dimmed or turned off.

Docile

This species is very shy and docile, so one should be careful when keeping it with more aggressive fish.

Family description (Apogonidae)

Cardinalfish come in many different shapes and colours, generally they are well suited for aquaria.

Cardinalfish have a large mouth and a big appetite, take this into account with feeding the other fish. These fish typically live off of Artemia, Mysis and krill. In the aquarium they will eat anything they can.

They will sometimes eat small shrimps and fish, so do be aware of this, but it is not normally a problem.

It is possible to keep several species together, if space allows. Some species will form small shoals. They are normally peaceful towards other fish, but will sometimes fight among themselves if there isn't sufficient space or food.

Many species are nocturnal and will therefore often seek a hiding place during the day. This can be between stones, SPS corals and, in some cases, in an anemone and between spines of Sea urchins.

Cardinalfish are a good choice if ones wishes to attempt to start a breeding tank.

FishBase

Distribution	Indo-Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa (Ref. 8525) to Pitcairn, north to the Ryukyu Islands, south to Lord Howe Island and Rapa.
English common names	Tiger cardinalfish Large toothed cardinalfish Largetooth cardinalfish Large-toothed cardinalfish Eight-lined cardinalfish Pacific tiger cardinalfish
German common names	Großzahn-Kardinalbarsch
Danish common names	Ottestribet kardinalfisk
French common names	Apogon à grandes dents

References and further reading

About references

Henry C. Schultz. 2004. Cardinals Not Named Pujols, Womack, or Edmonds: The Genus Cheilodipterus - Reefkeeping Magazine - (English)

Scott W. Michael. 2001. Basslets, Dottybacks & Hawkfishes: v. 2 (Reef Fishes) - TFH Publications / Microcosm Ltd. - (English)
Bob Fenner. Cardinalfishes, Family Apogonidae, Pt. 1, Pt. 2 - Wet Web Media - (English)