All fish / Nothobranchiidae

Korthaus's Nothobranch

Nothobranchius korthausae

Also known as korthaus nothobranch, nothobranchius korthausae red, korthausae killifish, mafia island killifish, korthaus killifish, ノソブランキウス・コルトハウサエ, 科氏假鳃鳉

Males are stocky little killifish with blue scales edged in red and a red tail, and wild populations come in red and yellow forms; females are plain brown. It is kept for its strong colour and as an easier, slightly longer lived annual killifish than many of its relatives.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

5 cm

Temperature

20 to 26 °C

pH

6.5 to 7.5

Smallest tank

40 litres

Keep as

One male with two or three females

Diet

Carnivore: live and frozen bloodworm, daphnia, brine shrimp and mosquito larvae

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

1 to 2 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Mafia Island, Tanzania

Breeding

An annual killifish that spawns into a soft peat substrate, after which the peat is stored barely damp for around three months before being wetted to hatch the eggs. Breeding is fairly straightforward for keepers familiar with annual killies, and fry grow quickly on newly hatched brine shrimp.

Good to know

Males squabble with each other, so give space or keep one male per tank, and expect a short natural lifespan. Rarely sold in shops, so stock usually comes through killifish societies with population codes.