Identity and search names
- Common name
- Gardneri killifish
- Scientific name
- Fundulopanchax gardneri
- Other names
- Blue lyretail
- Category
- Freshwater fish
- Group
- Killifish
- Origin
- Humid forest, savanna and stream habitats in Nigeria and western Cameroon; aquarium lines are often locality coded
- Review outcome
- PASSED
Environment and housing
- Environment
- Freshwater
- Care level
- Intermediate
- Adult size
- Up to about 6.5–7 cm total length
- Expected lifespan
- About 3–5 years
- Minimum housing
- At least 75 L for a pair or trio, with dense refuge and a sealed lid
- Temperature
- 20–26 °C
- pH
- 5.5–7.5
- Hardness or minerals
- Soft to moderately hard
- Salinity
- Freshwater
- Lighting
- Subdued to normal with floating cover
- Social structure
- Keep a compatible pair or one male with two or more females; separate persistent aggressors
- Placement or swimming zone
- Upper and middle water
- Temperament
- Confident but males can be forceful with females and rivals
- Compatibility
- Best with calm similarly sized fish; avoid fin-nippers, tiny fry-sized tankmates and species requiring sustained high temperatures
- Habitat structure
- Tightly covered planted aquarium with roots, leaf litter, shaded surface cover and a removable mop or spawning medium
Feeding and nutrition
- Diet
- Small live and frozen invertebrates plus accepted quality prepared foods
- Feeding frequency
- Offer varied small meals once or twice daily and prevent dominant males from excluding females
Breeding and reproduction
- Breeding or reproduction
- Plant, mop or substrate spawner. Traditionally treated as non-annual, but embryo development can include delayed stages, so incubation must follow the population and method used
- Parental care
- No parental care; adults may eat eggs and fry
System demands
- Filtration
- Use mature biological filtration sized for the full adult group and feeding load, with intake protection where juveniles, long fins or small fish are present. Provide steady turnover without preventing normal swimming or resting.
- Aeration
- Maintain strong surface gas exchange and stable dissolved oxygen. Increase aeration during warm weather, medication, transport recovery, breeding crowding or any ammonia or nitrite event.
- Maintenance
- Test ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, remove waste from feeding and shelter zones, and perform regular temperature- and chemistry-matched water changes before nitrate or dissolved organics accumulate.
Detailed husbandry
- Identity scope
- This profile applies to Fundulopanchax gardneri. Confirm trade identity and preserve breeder, supplier or locality records where relevant.
- Adult size and space
- Up to about 6.5–7 cm total length. At least 75 L for a pair or trio, with dense refuge and a sealed lid. Plan around adult dimensions, activity, group size, aggression and waste production rather than sale size.
- Social structure
- Keep a compatible pair or one male with two or more females; separate persistent aggressors
- Placement or swimming zone
- Primary zone: Upper and middle water. Keep that zone usable for movement, feeding and refuge.
- Feeding ecology
- Small live and frozen invertebrates plus accepted quality prepared foods
- Feeding plan
- Offer varied small meals once or twice daily and prevent dominant males from excluding females
- Water stability
- Maintain 20–26 °C; pH 5.5–7.5; hardness/minerals: Soft to moderately hard. Stable oxygenation and nitrogen-cycle control matter more than chasing one exact number.
- Adult projected load
- Plan capacity for Keep a compatible pair or one male with two or more females; separate persistent aggressors at the documented adult size (Up to about 6.5–7 cm total length) in At least 75 L for a pair or trio, with dense refuge and a sealed lid. Include feeding intensity, territorial behaviour and breeding growth rather than counting sale-size juveniles.
- Filtration
- Use mature biological filtration sized for the full adult group and feeding load, with intake protection where juveniles, long fins or small fish are present. Provide steady turnover without preventing normal swimming or resting.
- Aeration
- Maintain strong surface gas exchange and stable dissolved oxygen. Increase aeration during warm weather, medication, transport recovery, breeding crowding or any ammonia or nitrite event.
- Maintenance
- Test ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, remove waste from feeding and shelter zones, and perform regular temperature- and chemistry-matched water changes before nitrate or dissolved organics accumulate.
- Habitat structure
- Tightly covered planted aquarium with roots, leaf litter, shaded surface cover and a removable mop or spawning medium
- Compatibility plan
- Best with calm similarly sized fish; avoid fin-nippers, tiny fry-sized tankmates and species requiring sustained high temperatures
- Breeding plan
- Plant, mop or substrate spawner. Traditionally treated as non-annual, but embryo development can include delayed stages, so incubation must follow the population and method used. Parental care: No parental care; adults may eat eggs and fry.
- Quarantine
- Quarantine new fish in a separate cycled aquarium with dedicated equipment. Match temperature and mineral chemistry gradually, confirm feeding and normal respiration, and never add transport water to the established aquarium.
- Welfare checks
- Maintain the stated adult space and social structure, verify feeding and intervene early when injury, exclusion, weight loss, abnormal respiration or altered behaviour appears. Do not mix locality codes or market hybrids as pure strains. A sealed lid and a plan for male aggression, egg collection and fry space are mandatory.
- Biosecurity and release
- Never release fish, fry, eggs, aquarium water, sediment, plants or live foods into drains, dams or natural waterways. Confirm current Australian import conditions and South Australian possession, trade and movement rules before acquisition or transfer.
- Main risk
- Do not mix locality codes or market hybrids as pure strains. A sealed lid and a plan for male aggression, egg collection and fry space are mandatory.
- Overridable warnings
- Do not mix locality codes or market hybrids as pure strains. A sealed lid and a plan for male aggression, egg collection and fry space are mandatory. Any override must still preserve adult space, social welfare, stable chemistry, oxygen and filter capacity.
Welfare and risk
- Welfare checks
- Maintain the stated adult space and social structure, verify feeding and intervene early when injury, exclusion, weight loss, abnormal respiration or altered behaviour appears. Do not mix locality codes or market hybrids as pure strains. A sealed lid and a plan for male aggression, egg collection and fry space are mandatory.
- Main warning
- Do not mix locality codes or market hybrids as pure strains. A sealed lid and a plan for male aggression, egg collection and fry space are mandatory.
- Biosecurity
- Never release fish, fry, eggs, aquarium water, sediment, plants or live foods into drains, dams or natural waterways. Confirm current Australian import conditions and South Australian possession, trade and movement rules before acquisition or transfer.
Sources
Source note
Current identity or scope, husbandry, system-demand, welfare and Australian biosecurity evidence checked; active retired-source links removed; all AquaNexus wording is original.
- Eschmeyer’s Catalog of Fishes — Fundulopanchax gardneri — Current accepted-name, synonym, family and habitat check
- Eschmeyer’s Catalog of Fishes — Fundulopanchax gardneri — Accepted-name, synonym and taxonomic-placement cross-check
- PubMed — Developmental strategy of Fundulopanchax gardneri — Evidence challenging a simple non-annual development label
- IUCN Red List search — Fundulopanchax gardneri — Conservation-status and wild-provenance cross-check
- PIRSA — South Australian noxious fish list — Current South Australian possession and trade restriction cross-check
- DAFF — importing live ornamental fish to Australia — Current Australian live-fish import pathway and permitted-species warning