Five-lined cardinalfish - Cheilodipterus quinquelineatus

Species Name: Cheilodipterus quinquelineatus

Synonym: Cheliodipterus quinquelineatus, Cheilodipterus quinquelineatus, Paramia quinquelineata, Cheilodipterus quinquelineata, Apogon novemstriatus, Cheilodipterus popur

Common Names: Five-lined cardinalfish

Family: Apogonidae (Cardinalfishes)

Order: Perciformes (Perch-likes)

Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)

Max. Size: 13.0 cm / 5.2 inches

Environment: Marine reef

Origin: Western and Eastern Indian Ocean, Northwest, Southwest Western Central and Eastern Central Pacific

Temperament: Harmless

Company: Cheilodipterus quinquelineatus (Five-lined cardinalfish) should not be kept with larger predators.

Aquarium Setup: Cheilodipterus quinquelineatus (Five-lined cardinalfish) hide during the day, and must be given a dark place to shelter in the aquarium. They favour lower temperatures, but 72-78 degrees F. is okay. Five-lined cardinalfish can endure a few tens of ppm of nitrate, but they will to better when nitrate levels are closer to zero. It is very sensitive to nitrite and ammonia. Strong filtration is usually required.

Food: Cheilodipterus quinquelineatus (Five-lined cardinalfish) has varied diet in the wild, a diet that inlcudes benth crustaceans, zoobenthos, different kinds of mobile invertebrates and small fishes. In the aquarium, you can feed your Five-lined cardinalfish small fishes, shrimp and other types of fresh and frozen meaty foods. It can be trained to accept frozen processed foods, but don’t keep it on a diet of dry prepared foods, such as pellets and dry flakes, since this will not sustain it.

Breeding: We have no information about the breeding of Cheilodipterus quinquelineatus (Five-lined cardinalfish) in aquariums.