The Gunther's Blue Zanzibar Killifish (Nothobranchius guentheri) is an extremely colorful, peaceful fish whose small size makes it absolutely perfect for the nano or planted aquarium. Native to stagnant swamps and slow-moving waterways in Tanzania, this colorful fish is excellent for aquariums with very low water flow or, under the correct strict maintenance schedule, no water flow at all. It is an "annual killifish," meaning that it lives a rather short lifespan of roughly a year in the wild (although this is sometimes longer in the aquarium). It is easy to breed, however, and an ongoing colony can be established for more long-term keeping. The Gunther's Blue Zanzibar Killifish occupies the top level of the water column almost exclusively. It is not afraid to jump, so it must be kept in an aquarium with either a lid/hood/canopy or at least a significantly lowered water level. It will not eat or bother ornamental plants and it will appreciate the cover, especially with floating plants. The Gunther's Blue Zanzibar Killifish is possibly compatible with other very peaceful fish and invertebrate species that thrive in low water flow, but only if those species will not outcompete the Gunther's Blue Zanzibar Killifish for food and are too large to be considered prey for the killifish. Also, other fish species will eat most of the fry of the killifish when spawning occurs, so other tankmate species are not recommended if breeding is desired. While many killifish are kept in pairs, this is not absolutely necessary for the Gunther's Blue Zanzibar Killifish, and some aquarists report the best luck when keeping multiple females per male. The Gunther's Blue Zanzibar Killifish is not a particularly picky eater, though it requires a varied diet of mostly meaty foods supplemented with some algae and microfauna. It is primarily a micropredator and it feeds at the top of the water. It may initially ignore floating dry foods, but might eventually accept them. Appropriately sized frozen foods such as Tubifex, Daphnia, and Artemia will usually be accepted, and bloodworms can also be used as long as they are a manageable size. Live foods are the excellent for the Gunther's Blue Zanzibar Killifish, and it will gladly accept fruit flies and live specimens of the aforementioned frozen foods. What We Like About This Fish: Beautiful coloration and small size Peaceful disposition with fish and peaceful invertebrates Easy to breed in the aquarium Excellent for inhabiting the top of the aquarium Will not bother ornamental plants RECOMMENDED TANK PARAMETERS: Temperature: 72° - 82° F (22° - 28° C) pH: 6.0 - 7.5 KH: 5 - 8 dKH Minimum Tank Size: 10 gallons for a pair or small group CARE INFORMATION: Diet: Micropredator. Requires appropriately sized meaty live and frozen foods, but will likely also accept dry foods. Some vegetable matter such as spirulina is beneficial Social Behavior: Peaceful, schooling/shoaling. Origin: Tank-bred, but indigenous to Tanzania Average Adult Size: 2 inches (5 cm) Average Purchase Size: 1 inch (2.5 cm)
