The Bangaii, or Kaudern’s cardinal, is a very popular fish and it’s easy to see why. Its long fins are decorated with countless stark white speckles over inky black. Its shiny silvery body is also banded with pure black stripes. It always holds its fins erect giving it a striking silhouette.

The Bangaii Cardinal is a peaceful, reef safe fish. Unlike other cardinals they prefer to live singly or in a mated pair and do not school well with their own kind or other cardinals. They are typically safe with invertebrates; however, it has a large mouth and may attack small shrimp or tiny fish. They are easy to feed on a variety of frozen foods, but will need time to adapt to dry food.

It prefers an aquarium with some overhangs and caves which it may spend time in during the day. Cardinals are hardy and do not require much swimming space compared to other fish. The bangaii cardinal grows up to 3 Inches; we recommend an aquarium of at least 20 gallons for a single fish and 30 gallons or larger for a pair.

Wild populations of this fish are found only within the Banggai Archipelago in Indonesia and are endangered, so as such we only offer this species when available tank bred. It has been known to spawn even in community aquariums. Pairs will swim and rest together most of the time and may be extremely aggressive towards others of the same species. After breeding, the male will hold the eggs in his mouth to protect them. It may take several weeks for the eggs to hatch, during which time the male does not feed. Once released the baby fish find shelter within the spines of the Long Spine urchin, their stripes providing excellent camouflage. If an urchin is not available then a substitute shelter will be used, usually a coral or mangrove.

Males and females are very similar; there are a few very subtle differences on adult fish. Males may have a more square shaped jaw and a slightly longer second dorsal fin. On well fed adults it may also be noted that females appear to have one vent while males have two.

FREE SHIPPING OVER $119!*

- does not apply to livestock -

$11.99 FLAT RATE FOR LESS THAN $119.00 - CANADA WIDE!

*EXCEPTIONS:

• Any heavy or bulky items will incur a 100% charge of the actual shipping cost (valid for both Canada and the US). Heavy bulky items include (but are not limited to): salt, dry rock, sand, chillers, sumps, aquariums, stands, and some filter media.
• Frozen or perishable food can only be shipped via UPS Express. We have discounted the express shipping of these items to help the hobbyist out.
• Livestock is covered by a different shipping policy. To view the policy and further information regarding shipping livestock, click here.

GENERAL NOTES:

• We always make our best effort to ship your order via the carrier chosen during the check-out process; however, for some multi-piece shipments and/or remote destinations, we must reserve the right to use another carrier at our discretion (and without prior notice). If you require notice of any changes made to the carrier, please mention it in the special instructions during check-out.
• Upon request, we will ship your dry goods as per your specifications (courier, airlines, on your account, etc.).
• Quoted rates are the carriers live discounted shipping rates after adjusting for any/all shipping promotions.

Return Policy — Aquarium Equipment & Supplies

• All returns and/or exchanges must be made within 30 days of receipt of product.
• Before returning or exchanging any goods, you must contact J&L Aquatics to obtain a Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA). Items returned without prior authorization will be declined.
• Returned items must be unused, in original packaging, in as-new condition, and in perfect sellable condition. All returns are subject to inspection upon receipt.
• A 15% restocking fee applies to all online returns. This fee includes the cost of outbound shipping.
• Customer is responsible for return shipping costs on standard returns.
• Order cancellations made before shipping are not subject to a restocking fee.

Non-Returnable Items

• Special order items
• Clearance / final sale items
• Open box items

Regular sale items (non-clearance) are returnable within the 30-day return window, subject to our standard return conditions.

Defective, Warranty & DOA Items

• If you receive an item that is defective, not working, or dead on arrival (DOA), please contact us as soon as possible.
• Confirmed defective and warranty returns have no restocking fee and no Affirm fee. Customer does not pay return shipping — J&L Aquatics will provide a prepaid return label.
• All defective claims are subject to inspection. Items showing signs of customer damage, improper installation, or misuse are not covered under warranty.

Carrier Damage & Lost in Transit

• If your order arrives damaged by the carrier or is lost in transit, please contact us right away with:Photos of the damaged product (if applicable)Photos of the damaged box/packaging (if applicable)A description of the issue
• Important — Do not throw out any packaging! Please keep all original packaging, boxes, and packing materials. These are required to process your claim. Discarding packaging may affect our ability to resolve your claim.

High-Value Items ($100+)

• For items valued at $100 or more, customers must provide a return tracking number before a replacement will be shipped.

Affirm & Financing Orders

• Affirm or similar financing orders that are cancelled or returned in-store are subject to a 5% service charge. This covers the processing fee charged to us by the financing provider.
• The Affirm service charge does not apply to confirmed defective or warranty returns.