Freshwater Fish
Cardinal Tetra.
The brighter, fuller cousin of the neon — a neon-blue and full-red stripe running the whole body. Stunning in a large school against dark substrate and plants. Peaceful and community-safe; it shows best in soft, slightly acidic water in a 20-gallon-plus tank.
We keep this species at our Erie store. Come and see it in the tanks, or call (814) 456-9445 and ask what we have in right now.
Sea Cave keeps this species. You will find these in the tanks at 660 East 14th Street in Erie. We never ship live animals.
- Condition
- new
- Fulfillment
- Local pickup — Erie, PA
We never ship fish, coral, or invertebrates — every animal here is one you meet in person. Each one is acclimated and health-checked in-house before it goes out into the display tanks. This is a species we keep, and what is swimming on any given day changes with the deliveries, so please call (814) 456-9445 before you drive in.
Care at a glance
What to know before you take one home.
- Care level
- Intermediate
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Community
- Community safe
- Adult size
- 2"
- Min tank size
- 20 gallons
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Scientific name
- Paracheirodon axelrodi
Good tank mates
Cardinals are peaceful and community-safe, so they fit right into a calm community tank. Good matches are other small, peaceful fish: tetras, rasboras, corydoras, peaceful gouramis, and small livebearers like guppies and platies. A few real examples that work well are neon tetras, harlequin rasboras, and bronze cories. Keep them away from fin-nippers like tiger barbs and from larger or aggressive fish, and avoid anything big enough to fit a one-inch cardinal in its mouth, like an oscar or a larger cichlid.
Good to know
The cardinal tetra's red stripe runs the full length of the body, unlike the closely related neon tetra, whose red covers only the back half.
What is in the tanks and each animal's temperament vary — call (814) 456-9445 for pairing advice.
Good tankmates
Plays well with.
Species we’d keep in the same tank, with why each pairing works. What is in the tanks and each animal’s temperament vary — call (814) 456-9445 for advice on pairing.
New to stocking a tank? Read our guide on which fish live together.
Bronze Cory
Peaceful armored bottom-dwellers that share the same soft, acidic water requirements and occupy a different water column level, posing no threat to small tetras. Species like C. sterbai and C. adolfoi come from the same Amazonian soft-water biotope and are among the most widely recommended Cardinal Tetra companions.
Harlequin Rasbora
Calm, similarly-sized schooling fish with matching peaceful temperament. Parameters align well: pH 5.0–7.5 and temperature 70–82°F give substantial overlap with Cardinal Tetra requirements (pH 4.5–7.0, 73–82°F). A widely kept and well-documented South American and Southeast Asian soft-water community combination.
- H
Hatchetfish
Peaceful surface-dwellers with well-matched parameters (pH 5.5–7.0, 75–82°F) that mirror Cardinal Tetra requirements. They occupy the upper water column and pose zero predatory or competitive threat to mid-water Cardinals.
- G
German Blue Ram
Small, non-predatory cichlid with excellent water chemistry compatibility — both species demand soft, acidic water. Temperature requires deliberate management: a tank held at 80–82°F sits at the tolerable upper end for Cardinals and the comfortable lower end for Rams, making the pairing workable but not parameter-identical. No aggression or predation risk.
- O
Otocinclus
Tiny, wholly peaceful algae-eating catfish that share the same soft, acidic water preferences. At 1–2 inches they cannot threaten Cardinals, and Cardinals pose no threat to them. One of the safest bottom-layer additions to a Cardinal Tetra community tank.
Visit the store
660 East 14th Street,
Erie, PA.
Mon–Fri 12–6 · Sat 11–4 · Sun closed. Call ahead on livestock — what's on the floor rotates.