Killifish and many other carnivores in their natural environment feed on live foods like small crustaceans, worms, a variety of insects, and insect larvae.    Although a few species of killifish include algae into their diets, the majority of killifish kept by tropical fish keeping enthusiasts are carnivores that require live foods to keep them healthy […]

The Red Striped Killifish (Aphyosemion striatum) is found locally between the lower Mitmele River, in Equatorial Guinea and the lower Ogooué basin in Gabon, including the Mbei, Komo,and Gabon watersheds in western Africa, and is regarded as a good “beginners Killie” by many tropical fish keeping enthusiasts. The Red Striped Killifish inhabits the freshwater swamps […]

The Clown Killifish (Pseudepiplatys annulatus) also known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Rocket Killie, Banded Panchax, or Clown Killie is a miniature non-annual species found in the slow moving streams in the swamps, savannas, and tropical rain forests of southern Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone,in West Africa. In the wild, Pseudepiplatys annulatus or […]

Acquiring Killifish for the home aquarium can be a challenging proposition.   With only a few exceptions, most pet shops do not normally have a supply of  killifish, and those that do usually bring in Fundulopanchax gardneri, Aphyosemion australe, or Fundulopanchax sjoestedti. The more unusual and rarer species are seldom, if ever, found in tropical fish […]

Killifish are a group of egg laying tooth carps that comprise over 1270 species from various families including Aplocheilidae, Cyprinodontidae, Fundulidae, Profundulidae, Valenciida, and Rivulidae.   Of the 1270 species discovered, about 350 of these are found within the equatorial belts throughout the world.   The largest family Rivulidae, contains over 320 of the known species. Although […]

The Blue Gularis Killifish (Fundulopanchax sjoestedti) is native to the water holes, streams, and marsh areas of Nigeria and Cameroon, Africa. Many tropical fish keeping enthusiasts regard the Blue Gularis Killifish as one of the best known and most sought after of all killifishes. Fundulopanchax sjoestedti is a large, colorful, semi aggressive, killifish that possesses […]

Fruit Flies (Drosophila melanogaster) or Vinegar Flies are often bred by tropical fish keeping enthusiasts to feed topwater species like African Butterfly Fish, Archer Fish, Hatdhetfish, Killifish, etc. Although Fruit Flies are sold in specialty pet shops and online for feeding young praying mantis, small spiders, frogs, fish, and a variety of other small insects, […]

Rainbow Wolf Fish (Erythrinus erythrinus) known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as High Fin Wolf Fish or Red Wolf Fish are found in Brazil, French Guiana, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago,  and Venezuela. Rainbow Wolf Fish (Erythrinus erythrinus)  are usually found among surface vegetation in the very shallow waters of small river tributaries, swamps, the margins […]

The Lyretail Killi (Aphyosemion australe) is a non-annual killifish known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Golden Lyretail or Lyretail Panchax and is found along the Atlantic coastline of Central Africa from Cape Lopesz, near the mouth of the Ogooué River, Gabon south, throughout the lowland areas of Africa. This species of Lyretail Killi […]

The New Guinea mudskipper (Periophthalmus cantonensis, aka Periophthalmus novaeguineaensis) also known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the New Guinea dyndspringe, is found in northern Australia, the Fly river delta in Papua New Guinea, and Merauke, New Guinea. The New Guinea Mudskipper is found in freshwater streams, the marginal areas of estuaries and tidal creeks, […]

The West African Mudskipper (Periophthalmus barbarus) also known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Atlantic Mudskipper, is found throughout the west African coastline as far north as Mauritania, to as far south as Angola including most of the offshore islands in the Indian Ocean and into the western Pacific Ocean to Guam. The West […]

The Indian Mudskipper (Periophthalmus Septemradiatus) is a brackish water member of the Gobiidae family that is found throughout northern India, Myanmar, Thailand, peninsular and insular Malaysia; and locally near the Ganges delta in India. Not only are Indian Mudskippers able to breathe air through their skin, and the lining of their mouth and throat; they […]

The Weitzman Tetra (Poecilocharax weitzmani) is widely distributed throughout several river drainages in Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, and Peru, and is also known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Black Darter Tetra or Black morpho tetra.     Wild specimens collected from Colombia and Brazil are much more intensely colored, and specimens collected from Peru may […]

  There are three easy ways to lower the pH in your tank without adding chemicals that may harm your fish. Many tropical fish keeping enthusiasts purchase fish from their local pet shops and find them lying on the bottom of the tank a few days to weeks later for no apparent reason. Assuming that the tank […]