Tropical Fish Site

Profiles Reviews Guides for Tropical and Marine

Lyretail Killifish – Aphyosemion Australe

Aphyosemion Australe

Common name: Lyretail Killifish

Scientific name: Aphyosemion Australe

Average Adult Fish Size: 2.5 inches / 6 cm

Place of Origin: Africa – Angola, Gabon, Cameroon and Congo

Typical Tank setup: Well planted aquarium with a lot of hiding places, the more densely planted the better. Good for a planted aquarium due to peaceful temperament.

Recommended Minimum Aquarium Capacity: 20 gallon / 80 litre

Compatibility: Perfect for the community fish tank although species only nano aquarium would be good.

Temperature: 69 – 75 Deg. F / 21 – 24 Deg. C

Water chemistry: pH 6.0 – 7.0

Feeding: Killifish will accept most live foods such as brine shrimp, white worms, tubifex, and some dry flake and frozen foods.

Sexing: The males of this species are more brightly coloured than the females.

Breeding: They lay a few eggs each day during the breeding period. They then rest for a while before entering a new breeding cycle. Coconut fibre makes for good breeding substrate. The eggs will hatch after around 5 weeks. The fry grows very fast and is recommended to feed them on brine shrimp.

Additional Information: Excellent fish where the focus of the aquarium may be plants due to their peaceful nature and interesting behaviour.