New Pajama Cardinal

ChrisMan123 · #1 10/09/2005, 01:42 PM

I just got a Pajama Cardinal for my 10 gallon tank... just looking for input or anything... thanks

ChrisMan123 · #2 10/09/2005, 02:47 PM

LTJGAlex · #3 10/09/2005, 03:31 PM

Perfect nano fish, I have one in my 12g. Very docile and will eat anything. Don't need to be kept in groups, in fact I've never seen them school. Good choice.

ChrisMan123 · #4 10/09/2005, 03:45 PM

thank you... he's doing pretty good too.. came out of his corner and explored most of the tank so far on the first day... Im thinking of getting a Pearly Jawfish next or some sort of small bottom feeder (watchman goby, neon goby, pearly jawfish etc.)

LTJGAlex · #5 10/09/2005, 03:52 PM

A really neat jawfish is the dusky jawfish. WEIRD looking fish. They live in the substrate, and are shaped like mottled gray tadpoles with these reflective, almost devilish eyes and pacman mouths.

Peter Schmiedel · #6 10/10/2005, 02:28 AM

In tanks most of the kardinals form pairs and not groups. Most likely because there is no predator pressent. I would add one more and then you can observe how he (!) carries the eggs in his moth.

ChrisMan123 · #7 10/10/2005, 08:52 AM

they will breed? and do they change sex? how will i know his gender and the new one i buy? (if i decide to, I was going to pair clownfish but the cardinal might be a cool alternative)

Peter Schmiedel · #8 10/11/2005, 02:35 AM

Yours is still very samll I would give it a try and buy another small one. I dont know if kardinals change sex, but I guess no as they live in groups there seem the be no need for that.

Adult males have a longer spine on the dorsal fin.

ChrisMan123 · #9 10/12/2005, 06:11 AM

Does anyone know if PJ Cardinals eat flake food? I have the marine flakes (red carnivorous kind) but he spits them out sometimes i dont know if he does this for no reason or cuz its too big... but i heard they eat other foods and they need more than the flakes? Is this true? or can I continue to feed him flake food?

Susan Lott · #10 10/12/2005, 12:19 PM

I have 3 p.j.'s in my tank. They get along well with each other and with the other fish. I had read that they are nocturnal, shy fish, but mine stay out and about all day. They seem to prefer the frozen food for carnivorous fish. I've read not to feed flake food. One of the P.J.'s spends a lot of time in the zenia.

tryffin · #11 10/12/2005, 12:46 PM

I have a PJ and a Banggai in my tank ... the PJ won't touch flakes, but he'll eat most of the frozen foods.

But his abolute favorite thing to eat is freeze-dried plankton... I'd suggest giving that a try, it comes in little bottles and keeps fresh fairly long.

My PJ spends most of his time out in the open too, unless my chrysopterous clown is in a feisty mood, then he hides inside my big colt coral, which is rather cute

ChrisMan123 · #12 10/12/2005, 02:59 PM

yeah I read that the PJ cardinal is the only one that stays out during the day...

and yeah I'll try the freeze dried plankton maybe... I have the frozen foods but i think its way too much for one fish to give that to him so I'm waiting until i have more fish to give the brine shrimp/frozen food cubes... but i dont want him not to eat so i'll try the freeze dried plankton

CrazyLionfish · #13 10/12/2005, 03:23 PM

I would stay away from the jawfish unless you have a DSB, if you do, then go for it. Also, cool cardinal. I used to think they were really boring, but I'm getting more and more intrested in their floating behavior. Whats your opinion on their personality?

Triggerman1964 · #14 10/12/2005, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ChrisMan123
Does anyone know if PJ Cardinals eat flake food? I have the marine flakes (red carnivorous kind) but he spits them out sometimes i dont know if he does this for no reason or cuz its too big... but i heard they eat other foods and they need more than the flakes? Is this true? or can I continue to feed him flake food?

Mine eats flake which is rare.He's 3" and even eats frozen angel formula.He's a pig,which is rare.
They are carnivores.Occasionally cut up some raw shrimp into very little pieces for him.He will love you for it.
Mike

acsi · #15 10/12/2005, 03:59 PM

Mine eat frozen mysis and freeze dried shrimp. Once in a while I see them nibble at cyclopeeze chunks but never the small pieces.

They are out all the time and not shy at all.

ChrisMan123 · #16 10/12/2005, 04:11 PM

yeah i gave mine a piece of freeze dried plankton to see if he liked it and he just did the same thing he does with the flakes.. eats it then spits it out, eats it then spits it out... and he must eat some of it and just spit out the rest im guessing?

ChrisMan123 · #17 10/12/2005, 04:14 PM

my sandbed is like 2 inches deep... but I think the Pearly Jawfish could manage underneath a piece of live rock or something... the sand at the store was around the same depth as mine and they were all under a rock burrowed...

as for the PJ Cardinals personality, it's cool, mine is pretty shy but curious when he thinks no one is watching.. hes shy to the point where the freeze dried plankton scared him away and it took him about 10 minutes to go and attempt to eat it haha

fishfanv · #18 10/12/2005, 05:02 PM

i have a pj and it's not out ALL the time, but most of the time. it doesn't seem to like flakes (i tried some spirulina enhanced for my lmb) but it definitely likes mysis, f1 & cyclop-eeze. not really a pig but definitely not shy about eating. it doesn't seem to have any 1 favorite place but it just sort of cruises around looking for food. i call it chilli palmer because its personality is just "chill"

ChrisMan123 · #19 10/12/2005, 06:06 PM

yeah my PJ seemed to like the freeze dried plankton as much as the flakes (which probably isnt much) but he must be eating cuz hes pretty active and all so i'll continue with flakes and occasional freeze dried plankton and then when I have some more fish I'll give the frozen brine shrimp.

tryffin · #20 10/13/2005, 01:10 PM

He might warm up to it, though I've noticed that all fish have individual food prefernces. Mine usually take a couple days to really like a new food, sometimes it really freaks them out lol.

Why don't you cut a small piece off of one of the frozen food squares and feed it to him?

ChrisMan123 · #21 10/13/2005, 05:02 PM

good idea, I'll try that if he doesnt eventually accept what Im giving him

ryantm · #22 10/13/2005, 10:43 PM

I've kept them before, neat docile fish.

ChrisMan123 · #23 10/14/2005, 06:16 AM

yeah hes been doing well... his eating is the only thing im worried about... but hes been eating some of his food obviously cuz hes behaving the way hes supposed to and all

tryffin · #24 10/14/2005, 12:04 PM

Chris, I checked out the pics in your gallery, very nice ... I like the way you arranged the rockwork. I've been thinking of setting up a similar 10g at work, maybe with a couple saddleback clowns or something.

Another thing just occured to me, I've read on here before that some people have had cardinals for months that they never see eat, some write-ups on them say they search for food on the sand at night, and I've seen my Banggai do this before... so it's possible he's eating and you're just not seeing it

ChrisMan123 · #25 10/14/2005, 09:49 PM

yeah I'm sure hes eating sometime somehow... I just dont see him do it often haha