Longspine Cardinal

About

The Longspine Cardinal (Zoramia leptacantha) is a small, slender cardinalfish found across a wide sweep of the Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea and the coast of Mozambique all the way out to Samoa and Tonga, and north through Micronesia to the Ryukyu Islands. In the wild it's most at home in sheltered, often murky bays and lagoons, where it forms dense aggregations, sometimes mixed with closely related species, hovering above mounds of branching Porites coral. That schooling behavior is one of its most appealing traits in an aquarium setting; a group kept together will cluster and drift in a way that really captures the feel of a natural reef scene. Like most cardinalfishes, it is nocturnal, becoming more active and confident once the lights dim. Pairs are monogamous and tend to range together without staking out a rigid territory, which generally makes them peaceable tankmates. At under two and a half inches fully grown, it fits comfortably into smaller reef systems, though its care is rated intermediate. Mostly because it benefits from stable water quality and a setup that reflects its preference for calmer, sheltered conditions. A good fit for a peaceful community reef with similarly sized, non-aggressive fish.