Philippine Cardinalfish

About

The Philippine Cardinalfish (Gymnapogon philippinus) is a small, easily missed member of the cardinalfish family, rarely exceeding two inches as an adult. Its common name hints at one of its more recognizable features. A reddish or distinctively marked snout region that helps separate it from the many similarly sized relatives it shares reef habitat with. In the wild, it ranges across a broad sweep of the Pacific, from the Philippines and Taiwan down through the Ryukyu Islands and out to the Marshall Islands, with populations also recorded around Australia and the Chesterfield Islands. It tends to occupy sheltered reef areas and is the kind of fish that gets overlooked by divers simply because of its modest proportions. Interestingly, it has been observed mixing into schools with Rhabdamia gracilis, a related cardinalfish species, which tells you something about its social nature. In an aquarium, keeping it in a group is the right call. These are schooling fish, and a lone individual is unlikely to feel at ease. Its small adult size means it can work in a 20-gallon setup, though it falls into the intermediate care category, so some reef-keeping experience will serve you well before adding it to a system.