aureus versus blue-eyed cardialfish

[csarkar001]

my LFS has some aureus cardinalfish. They look like they have three eyes on each side of their head. They look kind of cool but I have never seen them before.

are they as easy to care for as blue-eyed cardinals? any advantages or disadvantages to one group over the other?

will they school? if after a while they figure out there is no threat, will they stop schooling?

http://reefcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=5566&pictureid=38574

[AquaticFins]

I would say they're much easier to care for than the blue-eye cardinals (Apogon leptacanthus or Zoramia leptacantha, I'm guessing one of those is the fish you're referring to).

That said, Apogon aureus gets quite a bit larger (roughly five inches compared to two and a half) and is a much more solitary cardinalfish as an adult. They may school a bit as juveniles, but usually not as adults (unless you have a very, very large aquarium). Also, their greater size makes them much more of a threat to small fish and shrimp as adults than the blue-eye cardinals will be.

[csarkar001]

Wow. that is valuable info. Thank you Mr. Fins.