Care Level: Moderate

Temperament: Peaceful

Live Plant Safe: Yes

General Description: The Lyretail Killifish, or Killi for short, is a bright little fish that brings undeniable beauty to the freshwater nano aquarium. Sometimes also called the Australe Killi, it’s native to slow-moving streams in Gabon and Congo of Africa. Many if not all of the Lyretail killis available within the aquarium trade are commercially produced given their ease of spawning. These aquacultured specimens are somewhat hardier than their wild counterparts. The Lyretail killi has an elongated and slender body, perfect for the top level of the aquarium in which it is almost exclusively found. Males are bright red-orange with some spots and dashes, in addition to their very elongated dorsal, anal and caudal fins. Females are more round in shape at the belly with subdued coloration and no elaborate fins. The Lyretail killi does best as a male only, male-female pair, or even a male with multiple females. Keeping more than one male per aquarium should be avoided. An adult Lyretail killi can reach a size of approximately 2″ to 2.5″.

Diet Requirements: In the wild Lyretail killifish are micropredators on various tiny invertebrates and zooplankton. A diet made up of various high quality frozen foods such as daphnia, brine shrimp, bloodworms, and rotifers are ideal in addition to micro floating pellet foods. Variety is the spice of life in order to maintain color, immune function and longevity of your fish.

Care Requirements: An extremely established minimum 10 gallon aquarium is ideal for a pair of Lyretail killifish. A tight fitting lid is highly suggested because some individuals are known to jump. Killifish are very intolerable of nitrite or ammonia spikes, and will not endure deteriorating water parameters. These fish should not be introduced into a biologically immature aquarium. Weekly water changes are encouraged to keep water parameters pristine (Nitrates < 15 ppm). Given the environments in which they come from, Lyretail killifish like gentle to almost stagnant water flow. An ideal set-up for a Lyretail killi would be a planted aquarium, with some floating plants to dim the lighting. Given their small size and specialized care requirements, Lyretail killifish may not be suitable for the typical community aquariums that have overly rambunctious or competitive species. Mix Lyretail killis with other peaceful, nano shoaling tetra and rasbora species for example. Bottom dwelling species will be completely ignored. Extra care should be taken acclimating Lyretail killifish. Recommended water conditions, 74-82° F, KH 4-8, pH 5.0-7.0.

Purchase Size: Medium: 3/4” to 1”

Note: Your item may not look identical to the image provided due to variation within species. Purchase sizes are approximate.