Palmqvist's notho
Nothobranchius palmqvisti
Also known as Palmqvist's killifish, Palmqvist's nothobranch
FreshwaterFish
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 72–81°F
- 22–27°C
- pH
- 6.0–7.0
- Adult size
- 2 in
- 5 cm
- Minimum tank
- 11 gal
- 40 L
- Temperament
- Aggressive
- Social behavior
- Solitary
- Tankmates
- With caution
- Swim level
- Middle
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Breeding
- Medium
- Rarity
- Rare
- Family
- Nothobranchiidae
- Origin
- Native to coastal seasonal swamps and marshes of southern Kenya and northern Tanzania near the Indian Ocean.
Overview
Keep one male with two or three females in a 40 litre species tank at 22 to 27 C and pH 6.0 to 7.0. Males are quarrelsome, so run a single male unless the tank is large. Feed meaty live and frozen foods including bloodworm, brine shrimp, daphnia, and blackworm. Spawn it over peat or a soft substrate and store the eggs damp to carry the line forward.
In the wild
It lives in intermittent freshwater swamps and marshes on the coastal plain that flood in the rains and dry back afterward. Males are turquoise with red scale edges and a red tail, while females are plain. Provide a dark, planted species tank with a soft base and a tight cover.
Good to know
Like all coastal nothos, Nothobranchius palmqvisti is an annual whose eggs wait out the dry months buried in the mud. It has been used in population genetics work because it is widespread along the Tanzanian coast. In a stable aquarium it can live up to about two years.
Did you know
It is one of the longer-lived nothos in captivity, sometimes reaching two years where many of its close relatives are gone within a single year.
Common questions
What size tank does a Palmqvist's notho need?
A Palmqvist's notho needs at least 11 gal (40 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.
What temperature and pH does a Palmqvist's notho need?
A Palmqvist's notho is comfortable at 72–81°F (22–27°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.0.
How big does a Palmqvist's notho get?
An adult Palmqvist's notho reaches about 2 in (5 cm).
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