Yellow-striped Cardinalfish

The Yellow-striped Cardinalfish is a strikingly beautiful species that features a translucent to silvery body adorned with vivid yellow-orange horizontal stripes and contrasting blue highlights around the eyes and gill covers. This combination of warm and cool tones makes it one of the most visually appealing cardinalfish species available to aquarists. Found throughout the Indo-Pacific, it is a common inhabitant of coral-rich lagoons and sheltered reef slopes where it forms dense schools among branching corals.

In the wild, Yellow-striped Cardinalfish aggregate in impressive numbers, sometimes forming schools of hundreds of individuals that hover among the branches of Acropora and Pocillopora corals. This schooling instinct makes them particularly rewarding to keep in groups in the home aquarium, where even a small group of five or six creates a captivating display. They are nocturnal feeders that become more active as ambient light decreases, dispersing from their daytime shelters to hunt tiny crustaceans and zooplankton.

This species is an outstanding choice for reef aquariums of all sizes. It is completely reef-safe, hardy, and adapts quickly to captive conditions. The Yellow-striped Cardinalfish is one of the most peaceful marine fish available, making it compatible with virtually any non-aggressive tankmate. Its willingness to accept prepared foods, combined with its vibrant coloration and interesting social behavior, makes it an excellent species for both beginning and experienced marine aquarists.