All fish / Nothobranchiidae

Elegant Lyretail Killifish

Aphyosemion elegans

Also known as elegant killifish, elegans killi, aphyosemion elegans, elegant aphyosemion, アフィオセミオン・エレガンス, 优雅旗鳉

A small, slender killifish from forest streams in the Congo basin. Males have a bluish green body covered in red spots and lines, with patterned, slightly lyre-shaped fins, while females are plainer and brown. Hobbyists keep it for its colour and its calm nature in small, planted, softwater tanks.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

5 cm

Temperature

21 to 25 °C

pH

5.5 to 7

Smallest tank

40 litres

Keep as

One male with two or three females

Diet

Carnivore: live and frozen foods such as bloodworm, daphnia, brine shrimp and small insects

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

2 to 3 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Central Congo River basin, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Breeding

It lays eggs one at a time on fine-leaved plants or spawning mops near the bottom. The eggs need roughly two to three weeks to hatch, and many keepers move them to a separate container first. Breeding is fairly straightforward if the water is soft and slightly acidic and the fish get plenty of live food.

Good to know

Keep the tank tightly covered because killifish jump well, and keep it cool and dim. Wild populations from different collection sites are often kept apart with location codes, so do not mix them.