Walker's killifish

Care at a glance

Overview

Walker's killifish is a colourful West African killi kept as a single pair or a harem of one male to two or more females. It moves through the middle and lower levels among plants and wood, and it is a strong jumper, so keep the lid tight. It is mostly peaceful and does well in a species tank or with small, calm fish that will not compete with it at feeding time. Feed live and frozen foods such as bloodworm, brine shrimp, daphnia, and whiteworm, and it will take some dry food too. A single pair settles into a tank of about 54 liters, and a harem appreciates more room.

In the wild

Walker's killifish comes from small streams, swamps, and ponds in the coastal rainforest and forest savanna of southwestern Ghana and southeastern Ivory Coast, soft, shaded, slow waters over leaf litter. Recreate that with a dark base, wood, floating plants, and gentle flow. Keep the water soft and acidic to neutral, about pH 5.5–7.0, and on the cool to warm side at 20–25 C, adding leaves or peat to hold the tannin stain.

Good to know

Fundulopanchax walkeri belongs to the family Nothobranchiidae and reaches about 6 cm, sitting toward the western edge of its genus's West African range. It is a semi-annual soil spawner: eggs can be buried and given a damp rest, like an annual, or laid on mops, and hatching them on schedule keeps breeding at a moderate level. Dark substrate, cover, and cool water suit both the fish and its spawning.

Did you know

Its eggs can pass a dry spell resting in damp peat, so a keeper can effectively pause the fish between generations and hatch the next batch when it suits them, turning a drought survival trick into a scheduling tool.

Tank mates

Walker's killifish is a mostly peaceful, social species that keeps to the middle. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.

• Assam banded loach

  Neonoemacheilus assamensis

  Freshwater

  1.8 in (4.5 cm)14 gal (54 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)
• Elongate moth catfish

  Hara horai

  Freshwater

  3.1 in (8 cm)14 gal (54 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)
• Dwarf spineless eel

  Garo khajuriai

  Freshwater

  2.8 in (7 cm)14 gal (54 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)

• 

  Infrafasciatus killifish

  Epiplatys infrafasciatus

  Freshwater

  2.4 in (6 cm)14 gal (54 L)68–77°F (20–25°C)
• Yellow fin rhinogobius

  Rhinogobius leavelli

  Freshwater

  3.1 in (8 cm)14 gal (54 L)64–77°F (18–25°C)
• Paraguay black otocinclus

  Otothyropsis piribebuy

  Freshwater

  1.4 in (3.5 cm)14 gal (54 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

Related species

• 

  Plumed lyretail

  Fundulopanchax filamentosus

  Freshwater

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

• 

  Steel Blue Killifish

  Fundulopanchax gardneri

  Freshwater

  2.2 in (5.5 cm)21 gal (80 L)70–79°F (21–26°C)

• 

  Amiet's lyretail

  Fundulopanchax amieti

  Freshwater

  2.8 in (7 cm)14 gal (54 L)68–77°F (20–25°C)
• Arnold's killifish

  Fundulopanchax arnoldi

  Freshwater

  3 in (7.5 cm)14 gal (54 L)68–77°F (20–25°C)
• Delta killifish

  Fundulopanchax deltaensis

  Freshwater

  3.1 in (8 cm)14 gal (54 L)68–77°F (20–25°C)
• Fallax killifish

  Fundulopanchax fallax

  Freshwater

  3.5 in (9 cm)14 gal (54 L)68–77°F (20–25°C)