🐠 Ochre Striped Cardinalfish (Ostorhinchus compressus)
A White-to-Pinkish Body With Red-Brown Stripes and Iridescent Blue Eyes • Juveniles That Mimic a Larger, Toothier Cardinalfish • A True "Swarm Fish"
 
📋 The Ochre Striped Cardinalfish, also known as the Blue-Eyed Cardinalfish or Split-Banded Cardinalfish, has an elegant white-to-pinkish body marked with around six red-brown stripes, three to four dark spots at the base of the tail, and striking iridescent blue eyes.
It comes from a wide range across the Indo-West Pacific, from Malaysia to Palau and the Solomon Islands, and from the Ryukyu Islands south to the Great Barrier Reef, inhabiting sheltered coral reefs, lagoons, and coastal reef environments. Every Ochre Striped Cardinalfish we ship is feeding well.
A fascinating documented detail: small juveniles display a yellow tail base with a black spot in the centre, mimicking the appearance of the larger-toothed Cheilodipterus cardinalfish species for a real degree of protection. This species is a true "swarm fish," staying close to its companions for safety, and does best kept in a small group. It's a slow, methodical, nocturnal swimmer that rests during the day, and we settle every specimen carefully before shipping, since this species can be transport-sensitive early on, though it becomes hardy once well established with good feeding. It's fully reef safe and, when kept in a group, establishes a strict hierarchy without real aggression. It reaches up to 12cm, so a 210L tank suits it well.
 
💡 Highlights
🎨 White-Pink Body With Red-Brown Stripes: An elegant, distinctive cardinalfish
🎭 Juvenile Mimicry: Young fish mimic a larger, toothier cardinalfish species
🐠🐠 A True Schooling Species: A real "swarm fish" that stays close to companions
🌿 Fully Reef Safe: Won't harm corals or invertebrates
💎 Uncommon in the Trade: Not often seen, a distinctive find