Ostorhinchus apogonoides (Short-tooth cardinal)

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Facts

Latin name	Ostorhinchus apogonoides - (Bleeker, 1856)
Local name	Short-tooth cardinal
Family	Apogonidae - Ostorhinchus
Origin	East Indian Ocean, West Indian Ocean, Australia, Japan, The Red Sea, Indonesia, Central/West Pacific
Max length	10 cm (3.9")

As aquarium fish

Minimum volume	100 l (26 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	Small crustaceans (Krill, mysis, artemia...)
Mostly	Larger crustaceans (Shrimp, crabs...)

Can be a threat to smaller fish and shrimps

This species may eat small fish and especially small shrimps, there are, however, some aquarists who manage to get them to coexist just fine.

Thrive best on their own

These fish flourish better without other members of the same species in the aquarium.

Hiding places

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

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

Aquarium trade	No
Distribution	Indo-West Pacific: East Africa to the Philippines (Ref. 559), north to Miyakejima, Japan (Ref. 559) and Taiwan (Ref. 9147), south to northern Australia (Ref. 2334) and Society Islands (Ref. 76833).
English common names	Short-toothed cardinalfish Goldbelly cardinalfish
French common names	Apogon à ventre doré Cardinal masqué Poisson cardinal

References and further reading

About references

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)