Tanganyika Lampeye (Lamprichthys tanganicanus)
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Tanganyika Lampeye
Tanganyika Lampeye
Lamprichthys tanganicanus
114 Litres (30 US G.)
12-15 cm (4.7-5.9")
Freshwater
8.0 - 8.5
23 -25 °C (73.4-77°F)
10-20 °d
1:2-3 M:F
4-6 years
Family
Poeciliidae
This animal is available captive bred
Contents
Additional names
- Tanganyika Killifish, Tanganyika Lamp-eye
Additional scientific names
- Haplochilus tanganicanus, Lamprichthys curtianalis
Origin[edit]
- Native to Lake Tanganyika, but has also been introduced to Lake Kivu in Rwanda.
Sexing/Breeding[edit]
- The males are significantly larger & more colorful when mature. Before maturity, they can be distinguished by the shape of their anal-fin; the males have a long, parallelogram-shaped anal-fin, whereas the females have a shorter, triangular anal-fin. These are crevasse spawners that deposit their eggs in the tightest crevasses available; if using spawning mops, they should be tightened by tying the lower half repeatedly with additional yarn. The fry can take baby brine shrimp and microworms upon hatching but are delicate and sensitive to water changes.
Tank compatibility[edit]
- Quite peaceful, but their fragile nature means they cannot easily be mixed with most of Tanganyika's cichlids. Any tank mates should be very gentle species such as Cyprichromis, or strict bottom dwellers in a tall tank like shell dwellers. Males can be hard drivers and should be outnumbered by females at least two to one.
Diet[edit]
- Omnivorous and will eat anything provided. Best kept on a diet consisting primarily of live or frozen food.
Feeding regime[edit]
- Normal feeding routine, once or twice a day works with these fishes as long as stellar water quality is maintained.
Environment specifics[edit]
- Needs hard water with a pH over 8 and a relatively large tank (at least three feet/90 cm long and ideally larger) in order to thrive. The tank can be set up with sand and rocks like many Tanganyikan cichlid tanks, though there is no practical reason plants cannot be kept with this species and fry may grow up alongside the parents in a large tank with ample floating plant cover. These killies are very sensitive to poor water quality and thus requires an excellent regime of tank maintenance.
Notes[edit]
- This species is not frequently found in the aquarium hobby due to its sensitive nature. It is very disease and stress prone, handles shipping very poorly, and has been known to die within a few days from simply being out of water for a few seconds. Though referred to as a killifish, this is actually an egg laying poecillid more closely related to livebearers such as guppies and only distantly related to most of the common aquarium killifishes.
Pictures[edit]
External links[edit]
- Fishbase (Mirrors:
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