Foersch's notho

Care at a glance

Overview

Keep a trio or a single pair in a 40 litre species tank at 22 to 26 C and soft, slightly acidic water around pH 6.0 to 7.0. Males are territorial, so limit it to one male unless the tank is large and broken up with plants. Feed live and frozen bloodworm, daphnia, brine shrimp, and blackworm. Nothos are prone to the skin parasite velvet, so keep the water clean and consider a little salt.

In the wild

It comes from shallow, seasonally flooded ground in the lowland Ruvu catchment that dries out for several months each year. Males have a green to blue body with red-brown scale edges forming a net pattern, a deep red tail base, and a yellow anal fin. Set up a dimly lit tank with fine dark substrate and a tight lid.

Good to know

Nothobranchius foerschi looks very similar to the more common Nothobranchius guentheri but lacks the red cheek spot that guentheri shows. It is an annual species whose eggs undergo diapause in the substrate during the dry season. It may be restricted to a fairly small part of the Ruvu floodplain.

Did you know

It is named in honour of Walter Foersch, a German killifish specialist who helped describe several African annual species.

Related species

• 

  Kadlec's notho

  Nothobranchius kadleci

  2.4 in (6 cm)11 gal (40 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)
• Turquoise killifish

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• Palmqvist's notho

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• 

  Patrizi's notho

  Nothobranchius patrizii

  2.2 in (5.5 cm)11 gal (40 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)

• 

  Bluefin Notho

  Nothobranchius rachovii

  2.4 in (6 cm)21 gal (80 L)68–75°F (20–24°C)

• 

  Gunther's nothobranch

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  2.4 in (6 cm)11 gal (40 L)72–77°F (22–25°C)