Blackbelly limia
Limia melanogaster
Also known as Black-bellied limia, Blue limia
FreshwaterFish
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 72–82°F
- 22–28°C
- pH
- 7.5–8.5
- Adult size
- 2.4 in
- 6 cm
- Minimum tank
- 16 gal
- 60 L
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Social behavior
- Social
- Swim level
- Middle
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Breeding
- Easy
- Rarity
- Rare
- Family
- Poeciliidae
- Origin
- Endemic to Jamaica, in streams, ditches, and ponds with hard, alkaline water.
Overview
Keep six or more in 60 liters or larger at 22 to 28 C, pH 7.5 to 8.5, in hard water. Feed a varied diet of vegetable flake, algae based foods, and frozen daphnia or brine shrimp. Peaceful and undemanding, they make a good hard water community fish with rainbowfish or other livebearers. Keep two females per male to ease the constant courting.
In the wild
A hardy, attractive limia whose females carry a dark belly patch and whose fins show black barring, set against blue tinged flanks in good condition. Keep a group in a hard water tank with plants and open swimming space. They graze algae and take most foods. Stable hard water keeps their colors up.
Good to know
Limia melanogaster is a livebearer in the same family as guppies and mollies, native only to Jamaica. Males reach about 4 cm and females about 5 to 6 cm, with the black belly of gravid females giving the species its name. Broods are moderate and the fry are easy to raise.
Did you know
Gravid females develop the dark belly blotch that gives the blackbelly limia its name, a handy sign that fry are on the way.
Weekly picks
Tank mates
Blackbelly limia is a 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.
New Guinea blue-eye
Pseudomugil novaeguineae
Freshwater1.8 in (4.5 cm) · 15 gal (55 L)79–86°F (26–30°C)
Gold rabbit snail
Tylomelania gemmifera
Freshwater2.8 in (7 cm) · 16 gal (60 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)
Mini zebra loach
Yunnanilus pulcherrimus
Freshwater2 in (5 cm) · 14 gal (54 L)64–75°F (18–24°C)
Celebes ricefish
Oryzias celebensis
Freshwater1.8 in (4.5 cm) · 14 gal (54 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)
Rex halfbeak
Nomorhamphus rex
Freshwater2.2 in (5.5 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)
White spotted rabbit snail
Tylomelania towutica
Freshwater4.3 in (11 cm) · 16 gal (60 L)75–84°F (24–29°C)
Common questions
What size tank does a Blackbelly limia need?
A Blackbelly limia needs at least 16 gal (60 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.
What temperature and pH does a Blackbelly limia need?
A Blackbelly limia is comfortable at 72–82°F (22–28°C) with a pH of 7.5–8.5.
How big does a Blackbelly limia get?
An adult Blackbelly limia reaches about 2.4 in (6 cm).
Related species
2.6 in (6.5 cm)14 gal (54 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)Tiger limia
Limia islai
2.6 in (6.5 cm) · 14 gal (54 L)
2 in (5 cm)14 gal (54 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)Tiburon limia
Limia tridens
2 in (5 cm) · 14 gal (54 L)
2.4 in (6 cm)20 gal (75 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)Humpbacked limia
Limia nigrofasciata
2.4 in (6 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)
3.9 in (10 cm)18 gal (70 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)Cuban limia
Limia vittata
3.9 in (10 cm) · 18 gal (70 L)
2.8 in (7 cm)20 gal (75 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)Perugia's limia
Limia perugiae
2.8 in (7 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)
2.4 in (6 cm)16 gal (60 L)77–86°F (25–30°C)Cauca molly
Poecilia caucana
2.4 in (6 cm) · 16 gal (60 L)