All fish / Nothobranchiidae

Gardner's Killifish

Fundulopanchax gardneri

Also known as blue lyretail, steel-blue killifish, gardneri killi, gardner's killi, aphyosemion gardneri, fundulopanchax gardneri nigerianus, gardneri lacustre, gardneri mamfe, ガルドネリ, 加德纳鳉, 蓝琴尾鳉

Males are steel blue to green with many red spots and yellow or orange edged fins that form a lyre shaped tail, while females are plainer brown with fewer spots. It is one of the hardiest and most widely kept killifish, and many named locality populations are maintained by hobbyists.

Care at a glance

Care level

Easy

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

6 cm

Temperature

22 to 26 °C

pH

6 to 7.5

Smallest tank

40 litres

Keep as

One male with two or three females, or several males in a larger tank

Diet

Carnivore: live and frozen bloodworm, brine shrimp, daphnia, mosquito larvae; some take quality flakes

Swims

Top of the tank

Lifespan

2 to 3 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Nigeria and Cameroon (Cross and Benue river basins)

Breeding

It is a non-annual egg scatterer that lays eggs daily in spawning mops or fine plants, and eggs hatch in about two to three weeks in water or after a short spell on damp peat. Breeding is easy and the fry take newly hatched brine shrimp straight away.

Good to know

Males fight each other and may nip small, slow tankmates, and they jump well, so use a tight lid. Keep locality strains separate to avoid mixing populations.