Lyretail killifish care
Aphyosemion australe · Coastal Gabon (Cape Lopez)
Lyretail killifish males have a lyre-shaped tail edged in orange, white and blue; the gold form is a bred color.
- Tank size
- 10 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 70 to 79 °F (21 to 26 °C)
- Group size
- 3 or more
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Adult size
- 2.4 in
- pH
- 5.5 to 7
- Hardness (GH)
- 2 to 10 dGH
- Lifespan
- 2 to 3 years
- Diet
- Micropredator
- Care level
- Moderate
In a 10 gallon
20¼ × 10½ × 12 9/16 in outsideHow to keep lyretail killifish
Lyretail killifish males have a lyre-shaped tail edged in orange, white and blue; the gold form is a bred color. Keep one male with two or three females in a covered, planted 10 gallon or larger tank at 70 to 79 °F; they spawn in fine-leaved plants and moss.
Diet: Micropredator: small live and frozen foods, fine flakes. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Top of the tank.
Lyretail killifish tank mates
Share the temperature and water, and neither side eats, nips or bullies the other. Check the full group in the stocking checker.
Diamond tetra
2.4 in · 20+ gal · 72–82 °F
Bleeding heart tetra
2.4 in · 20+ gal · 72–80 °F
Penguin tetra
2.4 in · 20+ gal · 72–82 °F
Bumblebee catfish
2.4 in · 20+ gal · 70–77 °F
Dwarf chain loach
2.5 in · 20+ gal · 75–82 °F
American flagfish
2.5 in · 20+ gal · 65–79 °F
Julii corydoras
2.5 in · 20+ gal · 72–79 °F
Sterbai corydoras
2.6 in · 20+ gal · 74–82 °F
Keep apart
Pea puffer: Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Red-tail dwarf puffer: Red-tail dwarf puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Everglades pygmy sunfish: Everglades pygmy sunfish belong in a tank of their own.
Axolotl: Axolotls belong in a tank of their own.
Electric blue crayfish: Electric blue crayfish belong in a tank of their own.
Discus: No shared temperature: lyretail killifish need 70 to 79 °F, discus 82 to 88 °F.
What a lyretail killifish tank needs
A tank of 10 US gallons or more (such as the 10 gallon) with a tight lid (they jump), and the equipment below.
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hygger AquaFall Aquarium Filter, S
Rated by the maker for 7–10 US gal, which covers a 10 gallon lyretail killifish tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Aqueon QuietFlow Internal Power Filter 5–15 gal
Rated by the maker for 5–15 US gal, which covers a 10 gallon lyretail killifish tank without being built for a far bigger one.
hygger Precise Aquarium Heater 50W
Lyretail killifish need 70 to 79 °F; most homes run cooler, so a heater holds the temperature.
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
Tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, the readings that matter most before and after adding lyretail killifish.
Seachem Prime 100 mL
Removes chlorine and chloramine from tap water at every water change.
Fluval Edge Thermometer
Shows the water temperature at a glance, so you know it stays within 70 to 79 °F.
More choices, each with the reason it is in or out: Filters for a 10 gallon tank · Heaters for a 10 gallon tank. We don’t list fish food: any good brand of the foods under Diet will do. Plan the whole tank's equipment →
Common lyretail killifish problems
- Males fight each other; keep one male in a small tank.
- They jump; a tight lid is essential.
Test the water first whenever fish look unwell: see what your readings mean, then match the symptom. For disease, a vet who treats fish can diagnose it and advise treatment.
More to compare
Sources
Name, origin and adult size checked against Wikipedia: Aphyosemion australe. Temperature, pH, hardness, group size, lifespan and minimum tank size are common hobby guidance, not figures from that article. Ranges are the range the species tolerates; aim for the middle. Minimum tank sizes are for an adult group. Drawings are our own; photo credits follow.
Photo credits
Real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, resized and cropped to fit; each is used under the license named.
- Lyretail killifish Alexander Prokoshev, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Diamond tetra SOK, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Bleeding heart tetra 5snake5, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Penguin tetra Kkonstan, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Bumblebee catfish CHUCAO, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Dwarf chain loach Stefan Maurer, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- American flagfish nat_t (iNaturalist), CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Julii corydoras Bob Jenkins, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Sterbai corydoras Matthew Mannell, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pea puffer Beta Mahatvaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Red-tail dwarf puffer Neale Monks (English Wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Everglades pygmy sunfish Brian Gratwicke, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Axolotl LoKiLeCh, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Electric blue crayfish Dirk Rohlfs, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Discus Patrick Farrelly, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Clown killifish Dornenwolf, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Gardneri killifish Tommy Kronkvist, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Golden wonder killifish Marrabbio2, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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