Zoramia leptacantha

(Bleeker, 1856)

Threadfin Cardinalfish

Range: Indo-West Pacific Ocean: Red Sea and Mozambique to Samoa and Tonga, north to Southern Japan, and south to New Caledonia.

Size: 3 inches (6 cm)

Natural Environment: Inhabits coastal reef caves usually in small aggregations near large over-hangs and usually found at depths between 3 – 50 feet (1 – 15 m) where it feeds on small fishes and crustaceans/zooplankton during evening hours.

General Husbandry: Somewhat common in the trade with this hardy species having a transparent body with iridescent blue often on the belly and around the eyes, and also sometimes on the fins.

Best maintained in fish-only aquariums with subdued lighting, yet can also be maintained in reef aquariums, with both having several rocky caves/hiding areas. If maintained with moderately aggressive tankmates, such as groupers, dottybacks, triggerfishes or aggressive angelfishes, will remain in hiding during daylight hours and may not get its fair share of the food when the aquarium is fed. If maintained with peaceful tankmates, this slow moving fish will spend a good portion of its time in the aquarium open areas.

As to diet, products such as marine fish and crustacean flesh, clams, and other marine meaty foods should be enriched and finely chopped and fed several times daily. Depending upon the environment in which its maintained, the best time of the day to feed are early morning and evening hours.

Taxonomy:

Order: Perciformes

Suborder: Percoidei

Family: Apogonidae

Subfamily: Apogoninae

Genus: Zoramia

FYI: Best maintained in small groups of five or more.

A threat to small tankmates, shrimp, and small worms/feather dusters.

Often shows up in the trade as an Apogon species, such as A. leptacanthus.

Experience Level: Beginner

Temperament: Peaceful

Diet: Carnivore

Coral Safe: Yes

Fish Safe: With caution

Invertebrate Safe: With caution

Acclimation Time: 30 minutes+

Aquarium Environment: Reef or fish-only aquarium

Tankmates: Peaceful

Minimum Tank Size: 30+ gallons

Temperature Range: 72 - 82°F (22 – 28°C)

Specific Gravity: 1.020 - 1.026

pH: 8.0 - 8.5