Caring for African Lampeye Killifish

**laban** · 22nd Sep 2009, 14:56

Anyone keeping lampeye killifish ? can share some tips please

**Asgard** · 22nd Sep 2009, 16:28

I keep 'm, not much to say about it really.
They are easy fish, a little shy, so they like some floating plants and dimmed light. Some plants to hide in when scared. I keep them with Clown Killies (P. annulatus), African dwarf claw frogs (H. boettgeri) and CR's in a 20L tank (40*25*20cm).
They prefer small food but are not difficult eaters, live daphnia, cyclops and small (white) mosquito larvae are preferred, small flakes are also no problem. Large (white, red)mosquito larvae are disgarded and left for the Clown killies (P. Annulatus) and/or frogs.
I keep them at 18-26C

**RonWill** · 22nd Sep 2009, 16:50

Egg scatterers, most onto java moss and bushy roots of floating plants. Does best with some salt.

**laban** · 22nd Sep 2009, 17:35

do you think they will likely to attack little shrimpie fry?

**RonWill** · 22nd Sep 2009, 17:44

Anything that fits into the mouth is food. Who doesn't like shrimp salad???

**Zeth** · 26th Sep 2009, 22:56

How long do their eggs take to hatch?

**WildPERU** · 14th Dec 2009, 00:31

Depending on temperature, they take about 10-14 days to hatch. The fry are very small. I use APR ( powered rotifers) and lots of java moss to feed them until they get some size. The Moss offers lots of surface area for micro foods to attach upon which the babies feed.

Best,

**razinski82** · 19th Dec 2009, 16:58

what are the specific water parameters they thrive in? Very interested in keeping a school of lampeyes

**WildPERU** · 20th Dec 2009, 11:42

Originally Posted by razinski82

what are the specific water parameters they thrive in? Very interested in keeping a school of lampeyes

IME, once they are 2-3 weeks old, they are not particular as to the water. Sometimes getting eggs to mature properly and hatch is troublesome in harder water. Some people swear by using a little salt in the water to protect against velevet and bacterial skin issues.

Always keep a good, strong current in the tank!! P. normani being more of a savannah fish, loves heat! I keep mine at 78F ( or high twenties C) Feed regularly throughout the day appropriately sized food. They are very active and have high metabolisms. I try to feed 3-4 times per day in small amounts.
I prefer not to handle Poropanchax eggs, so a "natural setup" (basically a tank with lots of java moss in it) works best for me. I rotate the parents out after two weeks into another tank so the fry have a better chance of surviving. The parents should be kept in a female heavy shoal of not less then 6-10 fish. Water changes stimulate spawning, so change water as much as you can!! They are naturally short-lived, so don't expect that they will hang on until you get around to spawning them. Set them up right away and get them going!! And have fun!!!