Turquoise killifish

Nothobranchius furzeri

Also known as Turquoise notho, Furzer's notho, Mozambique killifish

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 68–79°F (20–26°C)
pH: 6.0–7.5
Adult size: 2.4 in (6 cm)
Minimum tank: 11 gal (40 L)
Temperament: Aggressive
Social behavior: Solitary
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Difficult
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Common
Origin: Native to seasonal rain pools in the semi-arid savanna of southern Mozambique and adjacent Zimbabwe, in the Save and Limpopo drainages.
Family: Nothobranchiidae

Overview

Keep one male with two or three females in a 40 litre or larger species tank at 20 to 26 C and pH 6.0 to 7.5; cooler temperatures slow the aging clock and stretch out their short lives. Males are pushy toward each other, so either keep a single male or use a large tank with sightline breaks. Feed a carnivorous diet of live or frozen bloodworm, brine shrimp, daphnia, and blackworm. It is best kept on its own rather than in a community.

In the wild

It lives in ephemeral pools that form during the rainy season on clay soils and then dry out completely for much of the year. The water is shallow, warm, and often turbid, with little flow. In the aquarium it wants a dimly lit tank with a soft substrate, some floating plants, and a tight lid because these fish jump.

Good to know

Nothobranchius furzeri is the shortest-lived vertebrate that can be bred in captivity, with a natural lifespan of only a few months. Its drought-resistant eggs survive months buried in dry mud in a dormant state called diapause. This combination has made it a major laboratory model for the biology of aging.