TankBud

Amiet's lyretail

Fundulopanchax amieti

Also known as Amieti killi

FreshwaterFish

Amiet's lyretail (Fundulopanchax amieti)
Violaine2 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
68–77°F
20–25°C
pH
5.5–7.0
Adult size
2.8 in
7 cm
Minimum tank
14 gal
54 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Egg burier · Medium
Rarity
Rare
Family
Nothobranchiidae
Origin
Sanaga basin, Cameroon

Overview

Amiet's lyretail is a mostly peaceful killifish for a dim, planted tank. It is a step up from the easiest fish.

Did you know

Amiet's lyretail honors Jean-Louis Amiet, the French naturalist whose surveys described a large share of Cameroon's killifish. He put many of these species on the map.

Caring for the Amiet's lyretail

A pair of Amiet's lyretails is comfortable in at least 14 gal (54 L), with more room welcome for a harem. Give them a shaded, well-planted tank with gentle filtration, a dark substrate, roots and leaves. Add floating plants to dim the light. Fit a tight lid, since this killifish will jump.

Keep the water soft and slightly acidic, at 68 to 77°F (20 to 25°C) and a pH of 5.5 to 7.0. Dried leaves and alder cones help hold the tannin color and acidity it prefers. Feed small meaty foods such as live or frozen brine shrimp, daphnia, bloodworm and whiteworm, with a little dry food.

Keep a single pair, or one male with two or three females, which spreads his attention so no one female is harried. Amiet's lyretail is mostly peaceful, and it swims in the middle and lower water among plants and cover. Choose small, calm tank mates or give it a species tank of its own, with nothing large or boisterous.

Males are patterned with red spots and vermiculations over blue-green flanks. This is a soil-spawning, semi-annual species, and pairs bury their eggs in peat or fine substrate. Store the damp peat for a few weeks, then rehydrate it to hatch the fry. Breeding is a moderate project rather than a beginner one, since it depends on getting the storage time and water right.

Good to know

Fundulopanchax amieti is a colorful West African killifish in the family Nothobranchiidae.

In the wild

Amiet's lyretail comes from shaded brooks and swampy pools in the Sanaga basin of Cameroon. The water there is soft, acidic and stained brown by leaf litter.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Amiet's lyretail is a mostly peaceful, social species that keeps to the middle. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does an Amiet's lyretail need?

An Amiet's lyretail needs at least 14 gal (54 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does an Amiet's lyretail need?

An Amiet's lyretail is comfortable at 68–77°F (20–25°C) with a pH of 5.5–7.0.

What does an Amiet's lyretail eat?

An Amiet's lyretail eats small meaty foods such as live or frozen brine shrimp, daphnia, bloodworm and whiteworm. It also takes a little dry food.

How big does an Amiet's lyretail get?

An adult Amiet's lyretail reaches about 2.8 in (7 cm).

How can you tell a male Amiet's lyretail from a female?

Males carry red spots and vermiculations over blue-green flanks.

How does an Amiet's lyretail breed?

Amiet's lyretails are semi-annual soil spawners, and pairs bury their eggs in peat or fine substrate. The damp peat is stored for a few weeks, then rehydrated to hatch the fry. Breeding them is a moderate project.

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