Amiet's Killifish Breeding Guide

How to breed Fundulopanchax amieti, a robust non-seasonal Cameroonian killifish that spawns on plants or mops, with eggs hatching in water in roughly three weeks.

Overview

Fundulopanchax amieti is a robust Nothobranchiidae killifish from the lower Sanaga system of western Cameroon, where it occurs in swampy parts of rainforest brooks. FishBase records a maximum length of about 7 cm and states it is not a seasonal killifish, breeding as a bottom spawner with around one month of incubation. It is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

Sexing

Males are the larger, more colourful sex, with rust-red flanks and electric-blue speckling more developed than in females. As in plant-spawning killifish generally, females are plainer and shorter-finned.

Conditioning

The species is a small carnivore. Tropical Fish Hobbyist recommends conditioning plant-spawning killifish with generous feedings of live and high-quality foods, with females separated for about a week before being placed with the male.

Breeding Setup

A small dedicated spawning tank with live plants or mops is used. FishBase gives 22-28 C and pH 5.8-7.2 for the species. Tropical Fish Hobbyist describes both floating and sunken mops to suit species preferences and a general hardness of about 80-200 ppm for plant-spawners.

Spawning Behavior & Trigger

Tropical Fish Hobbyist describes the male approaching the female from the rear and side, the pair forming an S-shape, and eggs being deposited and fertilised on plant or mop fibres. With a conditioned pair, spawning commences quickly and continues until the female is depleted, generally within a few hours.

Egg & Fry Care

Eggs can be handled a few hours after spawning thanks to their protective chorion and are placed in a tray of established water with daily water changes. FishBase cites about one month of incubation for this species; Tropical Fish Hobbyist gives a general two-to-six-week hatch window for plant-spawners. Newly hatched brine shrimp can be fed from the first day, with plant matter from an established tank providing microorganisms for the smallest fry.

Common Challenges

FishBase notes the species is difficult to maintain in the aquarium, so stable water and good feeding are important. To synchronise hatching and reduce fry size differences, Tropical Fish Hobbyist describes a forced-hatch method in which fully embryonated eggs are agitated in a capped vial to make them hatch together.