Fascinating Foerschi Killis!

Killifish are fascinating, this is not up for debate. Foerschi Gold Fin Red Killifish are no exception to this rule. In the wild, Nothobranchius foerschi lives a short but very interesting life. They're found in the rivers and surrounding floodplains of eastern Tanzania. Adults will spawn in the seasonal puddles and ponds that collect water during the monsoon and lay their eggs there. It will be the only time they do this because these puddles dry up and the adults will die in the dry. However, their eggs are capable of drying out completely for several months and then hatching when they hydrate when the puddle returns! There are reports of dried out eggs being viable for multiple years! In fact, in order to hatch, they have to desiccate for some time, (somewhere in the two-to-three-month range), which does complicate aquaculturing them somewhat.

That being said, they are being aquacultured, enough so that the Gold Fin Red Killis are only available aquacultured through us here at Aquatropic. When mature, these are a more brightly yellow overall than their wild counterparts. They are gorgeous little fish, though because of their life history, do live fairly short lives. The shortest-lived Killifish (Nothobranchius furzeri) lives its whole life from egg to death in only three months! Nothobranchius foerschi lives longer than that, but it is still uncommon for them to make it more than two years. They also don't get very large; males do get a little bigger at about two inches long and females will get about an inch and a half. Females are pretty fish but lack the stunning coloration of the males which have yellow bodies and fins with red outlines to their scales and a bright red tail at maturity.

The small size of the Foerschi Gold Fin Red Killifish means you can keep a small group of them in a ten-gallon tank! They pose no risk to plants and will do very well and look amazing in these deep green setups. They aren't likely to bother any fish, so make your tank mate choices based more on what wouldn't be a problem for the Killi and stay away from fish that are aggressive or big enough to eat them. With wild Killifish, we suggest keeping them only in same sex groups, mixed males and females only for spawning, though males and females can be mixed with enough space. These Killis are aquacultured, and mixing sexes usually isn't an issue. Single Killifish are just fine but they'll be more active in groups and males will be more colorful if they have to show off a bit.

Nothobranchius foerschi is capable of living in a huge range of temperatures, which is also likely an adaptation from the living in puddles for countless generations. They've been kept in temps as cool as 55 degrees and as high as 86! This being said, a better range for them is somewhere in the 70s. Some aquarists report the fish having longer lifespans if kept in high 60s to low 70s, though temps under 70 may negatively affect the Foerschi Killis immune response. They are also (predictably) pretty unbothered about general water chemistry. They have been collected from waters that are hard and slightly acidic, though these conditions were variable at best, and are so many generations ago, that there is no need to try to replicate them. Still, if this is your thing, shoot for a hardness over 200ppm and a pH between 6 and 7.

Feeding Foerschi Killifish is very straightforward. In house, they get fed a diet that is dominated by Nutramar Complete Sinking Pellets. They also occasionally get a smaller portion of a meaty mix that consists of a variety of Gamma frozen foods: Brine, Mysis, Mini Bloodworms, Tubifex, and Copepods are all parts of this mix, though the exact make up changes day by day. Many people swear by feeding Killifish live food, and this is completely unnecessary as long as your feeding quality pellets or thawed foods (or both!). These fish are easy to feed and don't need feeding more than once per day.

People often look at Foerschi Killi's as beginner fish, and they are very appropriate for beginners. They are very hardy and peaceful, easy to feed and absolutely gorgeous. That being said, this is also a great list of attributes for anyone who likes to keep aquarium fish. So go forth and get some of them for your display, and if these fish are just too easy for you, and you need a bit of a challenge, just get into harvesting the eggs and desiccating them to keep your Killifish culture going! Whether beginner or advanced aquarist, these are the Killifish for you. Head to your Local Fish Store and ask them for Gold Fin Red Killifish (Nothobranchius foerschi) from Aquatropic today!