Cardinal Tetra

Shiny colours in murky water

The cardinal tetra lives in a type of water called blackwater. This water is actually an amber colour rather than black. The remains of plant matter like leaves and bark give the water a brownish-yellow colour. The cardinal tetralives in shoals (groups). Living together is a way to protect themselves against predators. Their brightly glowing blue and red stripes help the fish to recognize each other.  This helps the shoal to keep together better in murky water. The colours also confuse larger predatory fish that swim into shoals to eat the tetras.

Popular aquarium fish

The cardinal tetra was introduced to Sweden in 1956. That is the same year that television came here. It was the aquarium fish of the year at the time. The cardinal tetra is a popular aquarium fish but is a little sensitive. The neon tetra, which looks like the cardinal tetra, can be an alternative to start with if you are a beginner and want an aquarium. Most cardinal tetras in the aquarium trade are caught in the wild.

The name “cardinal tetra” comes from the robes worn by a cardinal. Cardinals are the men who work closest to the Pope in the Catholic Church. Their robes resemble the shimmering red stripes on the belly of the cardinal tetra.