Steel Blue Killifish

Fundulopanchax gardneri

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 70–79°F (21–26°C)
pH: 6.5–7.5
Adult size: 2.2 in (5.5 cm)
Minimum tank: 21 gal (80 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Easy
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Nigeria, Cameroon
Family: Nothobranchiidae

Overview

The steel blue killifish is one of the easiest killifish for a first-timer, hardy and forgiving in a quiet planted tank. Keep it as a pair or as one male with two or three females, since males glow steel blue and yellow and can chase both rivals and lone females. Feed live and frozen foods such as bloodworms, brine shrimp, daphnia and blackworms, with some flake taken readily. It occupies the middle water among the plants and appreciates a tight lid, as killifish jump. A tank of 80 liters or larger comfortably houses a small group.

In the wild

Fundulopanchax gardneri comes from streams, pools and swampy places across Nigeria and Cameroon, often in savannah and forest-edge country. Many of these waters are soft and slightly acidic to neutral, warm and well vegetated. Recreate this with a planted, gently filtered tank, some cover and warm water from about 21 to 26 C, with a pH around 6.5 to 7.5. It is adaptable and tolerates a fair range of conditions as long as the water is clean, which is part of why it is such a good beginner killifish.

Good to know

The steel blue killifish is an African species in the family Nothobranchiidae, reaching about 5.5 cm, with bright steel-blue males patterned in red spots and yellow-edged fins. Despite belonging to a family full of annual species, it is non-annual and does not need a dry season. The pair scatter eggs among plants and spawning mops, and the eggs hatch in water in roughly two to three weeks. Breeding is rated easy, which is why it is often the first killifish people spawn.

Did you know

The steel blue killifish is widely seen as a first killifish to try. It is not annual, so it breeds in a normal planted tank without any dry-storage of eggs, and a pair will often fill a spawning mop with eggs that simply hatch in water.