TankBud

Eggers' notho

Nothobranchius eggersi

Also known as Egger's Killi

FreshwaterFish

Eggers' notho (Nothobranchius eggersi)
Violaine2, France · CC BY-SA 3.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
68–79°F
20–26°C
pH
6.0–7.5
Adult size
2 in
5 cm
Minimum tank
11 gal
40 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Egg burier · Hard
Rarity
Common
Family
Nothobranchiidae
Origin
Temporary pools and swamps of the lower Rufiji River and delta, eastern Tanzania

Overview

Eggers' notho is a mostly peaceful killifish for a dim, planted species tank. It is a fish for a keeper with some experience.

Did you know

Eggers' notho eggs sit in the substrate through a dry diapause. That pause is an adaptation to pools that dry out each year.

Caring for the Eggers' notho

Keep Eggers' notho in a heavily planted species tank of at least 11 gal (40 L), with dim light. Add dense cover like java moss, where rival males and harassed females can retreat. Use peat filtration and some dried leaves or tannins in the water.

Hold the water cooler, at 68 to 79°F (20 to 26°C), since warmer temperatures shorten their already short life. A pH of 6.0 to 7.5 suits them, and they tolerate harder water but show better in soft, acidic conditions. They are micropredators, so feed small live or frozen foods such as daphnia, brine shrimp and chopped bloodworm. Many refuse dry food.

Keep one male with two or more females, or a small colony. Males spar and chase, so this fish is mostly peaceful rather than a true community fish. House them alone or with very gentle, similar-sized tank mates, not in a busy community.

Females stay a touch smaller and plainer than males. The fish spawn into a peat or sand mound, and the eggs need a dry rest before they will hatch. Collect the peat, dry it to a damp pipe-tobacco texture and store it warm for two to four months. Rehydrating it then triggers hatching.

The fry are prone to velvet, so some keepers add a little marine salt as a preventative. Breeding them is hard.

Good to know

Eggers' notho is a small annual killifish in the family Nothobranchiidae. Its lifespan is short, roughly one year, which is normal for an annual species.

In the wild

Eggers' notho comes from temporary pools and swamps along the lower Rufiji River and delta in eastern Tanzania. These are shallow, soft, slightly acidic blackwater habitats, stained brown with tannins and shaded by plants.

Common questions

What size tank does an Eggers' notho need?

An Eggers' notho needs at least 11 gal (40 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does an Eggers' notho need?

An Eggers' notho is comfortable at 68–79°F (20–26°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.

What does an Eggers' notho eat?

An Eggers' notho is a micropredator. Feed it small live or frozen foods such as daphnia, brine shrimp and chopped bloodworm, since many refuse dry food.

How big does an Eggers' notho get?

An adult Eggers' notho reaches about 2 in (5 cm).

How can you tell a male Eggers' notho from a female?

Males grow a touch larger than females, and the females are plainer.

How does an Eggers' notho breed?

Eggers' nothos spawn into a peat or sand mound, and the eggs need a dry rest before they hatch. Store the damp peat warm for two to four months, then rehydrate it. Breeding them is hard, and the fry are prone to velvet.

Related species