Tiger limia
Limia islai
Also known as Poecilia islai
FreshwaterFish
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 72–81°F
- 22–27°C
- pH
- 7.0–8.2
- Adult size
- 2.6 in
- 6.5 cm
- Minimum tank
- 14 gal
- 54 L
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Social behavior
- Social
- Swim level
- Middle
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Breeding
- Livebearer · Easy
- Rarity
- Rare
- Family
- Poeciliidae
- Origin
- Lake Miragoâne, Haiti
Overview
The tiger limia is a peaceful livebearer for the middle of a planted, hard-water tank. It is best with a little experience.
Did you know
Lake Miragoâne has produced its own small flock of Limia species found nowhere else, several of them described only in the last few years. The tiger limia is one of the most recent additions to that Haitian lineup.
Caring for the tiger limia
Keep tiger limias as a colony, with more females than males, so courtship does not focus on any one female. A group is comfortable in 14 gal (54 L) or more. Give them a planted tank with a soft, dark substrate, some open midwater and steady filtration. They settle quickly, and their dark barring shows best against green plants and a darker background.
Keep the water warm and hard, at 72 to 81°F (22 to 27°C) and a pH of 7.0 to 8.2. Gentle mineral hardness keeps the fish and its colors strong. Feed a varied omnivore diet of algae and spirulina, small frozen foods such as daphnia and bloodworm, flake and micro pellets.
Tiger limias are peaceful and can share a tank with other calm, hard-water fish. A species colony makes the easiest and best-looking setup. Like other limias, they bear live young and breed readily in the aquarium.
Good to know
The tiger limia, Limia islai, is a livebearer in the family Poeciliidae, described as recently as 2020 by Rodriguez-Silva and Weaver. It is marked with a row of dark vertical bars, usually somewhere between four and twelve, that give it the tiger name.
In the wild
The tiger limia is found only in Lake Miragoâne, a lake in southern Haiti. It lives over muddy bottoms among submerged plants, in warm, hard water.
Weekly picks
Tank mates
The tiger 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.
Bahia parotocinclus
Parotocinclus bahiensis
Freshwater1.6 in (4 cm) · 14 gal (54 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)
Guinean panchax
Epiplatys guineensis
Freshwater2.8 in (7 cm) · 14 gal (54 L)68–77°F (20–25°C)
Green lace shrimp
Atyoida pilipes
Freshwater2.8 in (7 cm) · 14 gal (54 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)
Hansen's hasemania
Hasemania hanseni
Freshwater1.6 in (4 cm) · 14 gal (54 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)
Assam banded loach
Neonoemacheilus assamensis
Freshwater1.8 in (4.5 cm) · 14 gal (54 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)
Scherer's hatchetfish
Carnegiella schereri
Freshwater1 in (2.6 cm) · 14 gal (54 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)
Common questions
What size tank does a tiger limia need?
A tiger limia needs at least 14 gal (54 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.
What temperature and pH does a tiger limia need?
A tiger limia is comfortable at 72–81°F (22–27°C) with a pH of 7.0–8.2.
What does a tiger limia eat?
A tiger limia eats a varied omnivore diet of algae and spirulina, small frozen foods such as daphnia and bloodworm, flake and micro pellets.
How big does a tiger limia get?
An adult tiger limia reaches about 2.6 in (6.5 cm).
How does a tiger limia breed?
A tiger limia bears live young, like other limias, and breeds readily in the aquarium.
Related species
2.4 in (6 cm)16 gal (60 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)Blackbelly limia
Limia melanogaster
2.4 in (6 cm) · 16 gal (60 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)
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)20 gal (75 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)Humpbacked limia
Limia nigrofasciata
2.4 in (6 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)
2.5 in (6.4 cm)16 gal (60 L)72–86°F (22–30°C)Merry widow livebearer
Phallichthys amates
2.5 in (6.4 cm) · 16 gal (60 L)