Edit Nothobranchius guentheri
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Name
Scientific name
Nothobranchius guentheri
Described by
Authority Pfeffer, Year 1893, Bracketed
Family
Nothobranchiidae
Common names
Gunther's Nothobranch, Redtail Notho
Photograph credits
All 2 credited
Summary
Gunther's nothobranch, Nothobranchius guentheri, is an annual killifish endemic to Unguja, the main island of Zanzibar, Tanzania. It lives …
Size and aquarium
Maximum size
41mm, standard length
Aquarium size
Minimum length 45 cm, Minimum depth 30 cm, Water movement Low: still or sluggish water
Water
Water conditions
Temperature 22–25°C, pH 6.5–8
Hardness
Not recorded
Conductivity
Not recorded
Behaviour
Temperament
Aggressive towards its own kind
Social needs
One male with several females
Community suitability
Not for a community
Where it lives
Countries, regions, rivers and lakes
Tanzania
Writing
Etymology
Nothobranchius: from the Greek nothos, meaning 'false', and branchia, meaning 'gill'. Peters named the genus for what he took to be free pseudobranchs. Wildeka…
Distribution
Endemic to Unguja, the main island of the Zanzibar archipelago, Tanzania. Type locality is Zanzibar. Pfeffer described it in 1893 as Fundulus guentheri.[2][3]
Habitat
Lives in seasonal pools and marshes in the coastal lowlands of Unguja, at 30–63 m above sea level. The pools fill in the rainy season and dry out completely, a…
Aquarium size
A male with two or three females needs a tank with base dimensions of at least 45 ∗ 30 cm.
Maintenance
Use a dark, soft substrate and give it dense planting, floating plants and some wood for cover, with subdued lighting. Needs a tight-fitting lid as it jumps we…
Water conditions
Temperature: 22 – 25 °C pH: 6.5 – 8.0 Conductivity: , as measured in wild pools[1]
Diet
A micropredator. Base the diet on small live and frozen foods such as Daphnia, Artemia and bloodworm. Most take dried food only occasionally.
Behaviour and compatibility
Best kept in a species tank. Males fight each other, so keep one male unless the tank is large enough for each to hold a territory. Keep two or three females w…
Sexual dimorphism
Males are larger and blue-green, with two or three red oblique bars on the gill cover and a red caudal fin with a black rear edge. Females are smaller, yellowi…
Reproduction
An annual killifish. In the wild the adults die when the pools dry out, and the eggs wait in the mud until the rains return. In the aquarium it spawns into a l…
Notes
It is one of the easier Nothobranchius to keep and breed, and often recommended for a first attempt at an annual killifish. Adults live for a short time, so a …
References
References
6 on this profile