NEWS 110
10
arine and freshwater aquarists are
often very committed to their
particular branch of the aquarium hobby.
Marine aquarists don't usually maintain
any freshwater aquaria, and vice versa. At
the same time very many freshwater
aquarists continue to subscribe to the
argument that marine fishes cannot be
bred in private aquaria, or at least only at
great expense and effort. And for these
people breeding is the crowning
achievement of keeping fishes. Cardinal-
fishes are thus ideally suited as beginner's
fishes, as at least one species,
Pterapogon
kauderni
, is no more difficult to breed than
an easy-to-breed freshwater fish and in
addition it is always easy to find homes for
the young.
Marine fishes
King of the Mullets,
Apogon imberbis
, from the Mediterranean. All photos: Frank Schäfer
M
Cardinalfishes can be termed ideal fishes for the marine aquarium. They are
brightly colored, exhibit interesting behavior, remain manageably small, don't
tend to be susceptible to disease,ignore sessile invertebrates,and are essentially
energy-saving fishes as they require little light.Who couldask for anythingmore?
Cardinalfishes -
fascinating and beautiful!
by Levin Locke
Cardinalfishes - an overview
Cardinalfishes constitute a family -
scientifically known as the Apogonidae -
within the perciform fishes. At present
almost 350 different species are
recognized, divided among 33 genera.The
largest species of cardinalfish grows to
around 20 cm long, but the vast majority
remain below 10 cm in total length. For
this reason alone the majority of species
are well-suited to long-term maintenance
in the aquarium.
Almost all cardinalfishes live in the sea;
only one genus, Glossamia, with 11
species, restricted overall to New Guinea
and Australia, lives exclusively in fresh
water. There are also a small number of
euryhaline species, that is fishes that can
live both in the sea and in fresh water; one
of them, namely
Apogon amboinensis
, is
occasionally, albeit very rarely, imported
as an aquarium fish for freshwater
aquaria. You will find a special Info Box on
these species on page 18.
The cardinalfishes received their popular
name from the only species originally
native to the Mediterranean, the
Cardinalfish or King of the Mullets,
Apogon
imberbis
. Its red attire was apparently
thought very reminiscent of the robes of
the church dignitaries. The second
popular name of this species comes from
the legend that this fish ruled over the
Red Mullet (
Mullus barbatulus
), one of the
most prized food fishes among the
ancient Romans. Even the scientific genus
name reflects this legend, as ”Apogon”
means ”without barbels” - in comparison
to the mullets with their two flexible
barbels on the chin.
The identification of cardinalfishes is often a
tricky
business.
Many
species
look
extraordinarily similar, for example those
shown here:
Ostorhinchus sealei
(above) and
O. chrysopomus
(below).
Pterapogon
kauderni
,
the
Banggai
Cardinalfish, is probably the easiest of all
marine fishes to breed.
