| Pajama Cardinalfish | |
|---|---|
| Sphaeramia nematopterus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Suborder: | Percoidei |
| Superfamily: | Percoidea |
| Family: | Apogonidae |
| Genus: | Sphaeramia Fowler & Bean, 1930 |
| Species: | S. nemanoptera |
| Binomial name | |
| Sphaeramia nemanoptera (Bleeker, 1856) |
|
The Pajama (Pyjama) cardinalfish (Sphaeramia nematoptera) is a species of fish belonging to the Apogonidae family. It is a popular aquarium fish. It grows to a total length of about 2.5 inches (8.5 centimeters) and features distinctive red eyes and a broad dark vertical 'waistband' with scattered red spots toward the tail. It is considered to be of low vulnerability, and is distributed throughout much of the West Pacific, from Java to Fiji, and from the Ryukyu Islands south to the Great Barrier Reef.[1] In Pajama cardinalfish, males incubate the eggs in their mouth until they hatch.[1]
A hardy and peaceful fish that can live many years in a marine aquarium. It will typically not bother other fish, or invertebrates and is therefore considered reef safe. The one possible exception to that rule is they may eat small shrimp.
As they are a social fish, it is common to keep them in groups of five or more. They have been known to breed in captivity, unlike most marine fish, but captive bred specimens are only rarely available. If they are kept with a long spined sea urchin they will hide among the spines when they feel threatened.