Aphaniops mento Breeding Guide

Breeding the Persian killifish Aphaniops mento: a hardy hard-water Middle Eastern toothcarp that spawns on vegetation during the warmer months of the year.

Overview

Aphaniops mento, the Persian or pearl-spotted killifish (family Aphaniidae), occurs across the Middle East in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon and Turkey, where FishBase and Wikipedia report it from a wide range of freshwater habitats including springs, streams, lakes and rivers in shallow vegetated areas. The IUCN lists it as Least Concern. The species was described in 1843 as Lebias mento from Mosul, Iraq.

Sexing

FishBase gives a maximum of about 5 cm. Males are the more strongly coloured sex, carrying the iridescent turquoise spots over a dark body for which the species is named, while females are plainer.

Conditioning

The species feeds on insect larvae, crustaceans and algae, so a mixed diet of small live, frozen and some plant matter conditions it well. FishBase gives a temperature tolerance of 10-25 C, and the fish is hardy in hard, alkaline conditions.

Breeding Setup

A well-planted hard-water tank with fine-leaved plants and algae provides the spawning sites. The broad temperature tolerance allows a cooler winter period followed by warming to cue the breeding season.

Spawning Behaviour & Trigger

FishBase notes the species is not a seasonal (annual) killifish but breeds during the warmer months of the year, with rising temperature acting as the main trigger. As an Aphaniidae toothcarp it deposits eggs on vegetation rather than burying them in substrate.

Egg & Fry Care

Eggs are laid on plants and can be left in a low-predation tank or moved for separate incubation in water from the parents' aquarium. Free-swimming fry take small live foods such as newly hatched brine shrimp.

Common Challenges

Predation of eggs and fry by adults is the main risk, addressed by dense planting or removing the spawning medium. Hard, alkaline, stable water and warm-season triggering give the most reliable spawning.