Nothobranchius eggersi Care Guide
Nothobranchius eggersi is an annual killifish from temporary pools of the lower Rufiji River in Tanzania, best kept as a single male with several females.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Nothobranchius eggersi is an annual killifish of the family Nothobranchiidae, native to eastern Tanzania. Males show rich red flanks with blue scaling. According to FishBase, it is an annual species adapted to seasonally drying pools.
Taxonomy
- Family: Nothobranchiidae
- Genus: Nothobranchius
- Scientific name: Nothobranchius eggersi
Habitat
FishBase records the species from temporary pools and swamps of the lower Rufiji River, including its delta, in eastern Tanzania. It is a freshwater, benthopelagic fish of tropical climates. These habitats fill during the rainy season and dry out completely afterwards, which shapes the species' annual life cycle.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 40 L
- Temperature: 22-26 °C (72-79 °F)
- pH: 6.5-7.5
- GH: 5-15 °dGH
- Adult size: 4-5 cm
- Lifespan: 1-2 years
Diet
The species is a carnivore. Annual Nothobranchius readily take live and frozen foods such as bloodworm, Daphnia and brine shrimp, fed about twice daily.
Compatibility
It is best kept as a single male with several females in a quiet species tank. Multiple males may fight, and the species should not be combined with aggressive tankmates.
Breeding
Nothobranchius eggersi is an egg-burying bottom spawner. FishBase reports an incubation period of about 2 to 3 months, during which the eggs survive in moist substrate before hatching when re-wetted. FishBase notes the species is easy to maintain in the aquarium.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List: Least Concern, assessed in October 2018.
Eggers' Nothobranchius (Nothobranchius eggersi) Breeding Guide
Overview
Nothobranchius eggersi is an annual killifish from Tanzania, known from many local strains across the country including the Rufiji and Ruhoi river areas. In the wild it occupies shallow temporary pools and swamps with a muddy or leaf-litter bottom that dry out seasonally. It is best kept in a species-only tank in soft, slightly acidic water at about 23-25 °C.
Sexing
Males have rich red flanks and powdery blue scales, while females are smaller and plain. A typical breeding group is one male with three to four females, matching its natural harem structure.
Conditioning
The species fares best on small live foods such as daphnia and small bloodworm, though it often accepts frozen and sometimes dried foods. Generous feeding of well-fed adults can yield up to about 100 eggs per spawning period.
Breeding Setup
Provide a species tank with peat as a substrate, or place a container of peat at the bottom for egg deposition. The fish are bottom spawners that deposit eggs into the medium. Soft acidic water and subdued light keep the pair productive.
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
During each spawning embrace the adults release a small batch of eggs into the peat. The egg-laden peat is then collected and dried down to a damp, pipe-tobacco-like consistency for storage.
Egg Diapause & Hatching
The damp peat is stored for several weeks at roughly 26-28 °C (about 79-82 °F). In the wild the buried eggs remain dormant in diapause for 8 to 12 weeks and hatch when rains refill the pool. To reproduce this, gradually rehydrate the peat moss as if a wet season has arrived; the embryos sense the environmental change and begin to hatch, a process that can take several weeks. Use soft, cool water for the wetting.
Common Challenges
Storing the peat too wet or too dry, or wetting before diapause is complete, reduces hatch rates. As with other annuals, eggs that fail to hatch on the first wetting can often be re-dried and wetted again after a further rest.