Argentine Pearlfish Care Guide
Austrolebias bellottii is an annual killifish of the lower Parana and Uruguay basins, formerly known as Cynolebias bellottii, living in seasonal pools.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Austrolebias bellottii is an annual killifish of the family Rivulidae, described by Steindachner in 1881 and historically known as Cynolebias bellottii. According to FishBase it is a seasonal toothcarp of temporary waters that dry up during the dry season. Males are deep-bodied with pale vertical bars across the flanks.
Taxonomy
- Family: Rivulidae
- Genus: Austrolebias
- Scientific name: Austrolebias bellottii
- Author: Steindachner, 1881
- Former combination: Cynolebias bellottii
Habitat
FishBase records the species from the lower Parana and Uruguay River basins in South America. It is an annual fish of temporary pools that fill in the wet season and dry out in the dry season; the adults complete their life cycle within a single year.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 60 L
- Temperature: 18-24 °C (64-75 °F); FishBase reports a subtropical 18-22 °C range
- pH: 6.0-7.5 (FishBase 6.5-7.0)
- GH: 4-12 °dGH (FishBase 5-8 dH)
- Size: 6-8 cm (FishBase max 7.0 cm TL)
- Lifespan: 1-2 years
Diet
The species is a carnivore. FishBase reports that adults feed on worms, crustaceans and insects. In aquaria it does best on live and frozen foods such as bloodworms, brine shrimp and other small invertebrates.
Compatibility
It is a peaceful, diurnal killifish best kept as a single-species harem of one male with several females. Its cool-water preference makes it unsuitable as a tank mate for tropical fish that require higher temperatures.
Breeding
Austrolebias bellottii is an egg-burying annual fish. FishBase reports that it is a bottom spawner with an incubation period of about four months; the eggs survive buried in mud through the dry period and hatch when water returns. This adaptation lets the species persist in habitats that dry out completely.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List: Near Threatened (assessed February 2021). FishBase notes the species is used in the aquarium trade and is described as easy to maintain.
Argentine Pearlfish (Austrolebias bellottii) Breeding Guide
Overview
Austrolebias bellottii is an Argentine annual killifish first described as Cynolebias bellottii by Steindachner in 1881 from La Plata, Argentina, and is the type species of the genus Austrolebias. It occurs in the basins of the Paraná and Uruguay rivers in Argentina and Uruguay, in temporary pools that dry seasonally. Like other South American annuals it is a cool-water species whose eggs survive the dry season in the substrate.
Sexing
Males are deep blue with vertical pale bars across the flanks, while females are smaller, plainer and brownish. A single male is housed with several females in cool water.
Conditioning
As a carnivore it should be conditioned on small live and frozen foods such as daphnia, bloodworm and brine shrimp. As a cool-water annual it does best below tropical temperatures, in soft, slightly acidic water.
Breeding Setup
Provide a small tank with a deep peat substrate for the fish to bury eggs in, with cover for the female. The fish dive into the peat to spawn. Soft acidic water and cool temperatures match its natural pools.
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
The pair dives into the deep peat and lays eggs within the medium. After spawning the peat is collected, partially dried to a damp consistency and stored, since later rehydration triggers hatching. The egg-laden peat is kept in a dark, cool place.
Egg Diapause & Hatching
Following the South American annual pattern, the damp peat is stored for several months while the embryos develop and may rest in diapause; the period can be shortened or extended by varying the storage temperature. Flooding the peat with soft, cool water then triggers hatching, and the fry are large enough to take baby brine shrimp at once.
Common Challenges
Keeping or storing the fish too warm shortens life and harms egg viability. Cool, dark storage and a second drying-and-wetting cycle for eggs that fail to hatch on the first flooding give the best yields.