Description

• Scientific Name: Ostorhinchus sealei
• Common Names: Seale’s Cardinalfish, Bargill Cardinalfish, Cheek-bar Cardinalfish
• Maximum Length: 4 inches (10 cm)
• Minimum Aquarium Size: 40 gallons (151 liters) for a small group; larger tanks support their schooling behavior and reduce stress.
• Foods and Feeding Habits: Carnivorous, feeding on zooplankton and small benthic invertebrates in the wild. In aquariums, offer frozen mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, copepods, or high-quality marine flakes. Feed small amounts 1-2 times daily, preferably at dusk to match their nocturnal habits.
• Reef Safety: Reef-safe; they do not harm corals or invertebrates, making them ideal for reef tanks.
• Temperament: Peaceful and schooling; best kept in groups of 3 or more to encourage natural behavior. Avoid aggressive tankmates to prevent stress.
• Description: Seale’s Cardinalfish is a charming nocturnal species, adding subtle elegance to marine tanks. Its cream-colored body features two thin yellow-brown stripes, one along the back and one mid-body that often breaks into spots near the tail, with a dark spot above the mid-stripe at the tail base and a white patch with two yellow bars on the operculum. Juveniles have a pinkish dorsal fin edge. Native to the Indo-Pacific, from Malaysia to the Solomon Islands and southern Japan to northwestern Australia, they inhabit sheltered lagoon reefs at depths of 3-25 meters. Their shy, schooling nature makes them a great fit for peaceful reef setups.

Fun Facts:

• They use their large blue eyes to navigate dim reef crevices at night, spotting tiny prey with precision in low-light conditions.
• In the wild, they hover among branching corals during the day, using the structure to shield themselves from predators.
• Named after ichthyologist Alvin Seale, whose early 20th-century collections in the Philippines helped document this uncommon species.