Benggai cardinal (high fin)

[basiab]

I bought six of these over the past six months and all starved. The would spit out the food. I guess they wanted only what they were used to. I tried pellets, flakes, decapsulated brine shrimp eggs (which most fish go crazy for), my own home made minced fish. They were all really nice and in good shape but they lasted 2 weeks and that was it. And they were from different stores. You would think they would take anything if really hungry.
Anyway, I decided to try once more and after a week of watching them spit out everything I went back to the LFS and asked them what they think will work. And they suggested Hikari frozen brine shrimp. Well, it really worked. It does contain supplements so I am hoping they can survive on it. And maybe they will eventiually eat other foods.

 

[andylee]

Mine (captive bred) eat pretty much anything frozen (Rod's, spirulina brine shrimp, mysis, cyclops, Formula 1, but never touch pellets.

 

[Reef Reaper]

that is the problem with wild caught!

 

[E.intheC]

that is the problem with wild caught!

Captive bred cardinals are really the only way to go at this point, especially because the numbers are reportedly very low in the wild.

 

[basiab]

Both these cardinals and the spotted cardinals come into the LFS in large bunches. I assumed they are captive bred because of that and they are fed a specific type of food and therefore refuse anything else. The only other fish that come in such large groups are clowns.

 

[basiab]

Update. The cardinals are now also eating mysis.

 

[greg 45]

Most wild cardinals will eat what they get in the wild
The ones I had ate mysis , brine shrimp ate like pigs
Ground up shrimp, scallops

 

[basiab]

Well, it looks like they just had to get started eating and the frozen brine shrimp did it. Now they eat everything and pretty much dominate the eating frenzy when I feed them.