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im starting to think about getting cardinal tetras. but have some questions

1.are most tank-raised
2.how long do they live
3.in forums they dont sound hardy. is it the people or the fish.
4 what are they sensitive to

They are not that many tetra's that are hardy, probably better than the neon tetra, I think they can live up to six years if kept properly, what size tank are you thinking of putting them in, and what other fish will they be kept with.

they would be going into a 20g long with 2 bolivian rams

They're very hard to breed, and are virtually all wild-caught. In my opinion this actually works in their favor because they usually don't carry the dreaded Neon Tetra Disease (which is now epidemic among Neons because they're farm-raised).

They are moderately -- but, in my opinion, not greatly -- delicate; I'd put them about in the middle of the scale where tetra delicacy is concerned. That is, if you keep your water reasonably clean (and slightly on the acid side), you should have little trouble with them, although you will lose one occasionally for no apparent reason.

However, I did find out the hard way once that they are even more sensitive to even the tiniest accidental trace of soap or detergent in a tank than most Tropicals are. I once got two drops of mild hand soap -- stuck to a thermometer -- into a 50-gallon tank, and the next day I'd lost virtually all my Cardinals ($20 worth!) but very few other fish.

i think ill go with black neons as cardinals are to expensive to have a school

we must be luckier down under - all the aquariums i buy from get cardinals bred in germany, and they are always pretty healthy and dont cost that much...though maybe i'm in discus-price mode, so maybe tetras seem cheap! we pay around $4.50 aus for them... i think they are a great fish, and yeah, as long as your water is good, i think they are a good purchase.

Just curious...which Tetra are the most hardy?