Two-striped killifish

The two-striped killifish is a small West African killifish of the family Nothobranchiidae, native to coastal streams and forest waters of Cameroon and Nigeria. Males are vividly colored with red and blue patterning and, depending on the population, one or two dark horizontal stripes, while females are plainer and brownish. It is a carnivore that feeds on small insects, larvae, and micro-crustaceans at the surface and in midwater. It occurs in soft, acidic, shaded waters. In the aquarium it thrives in a small, well-planted tank with subdued lighting, soft acidic water, and a tight-fitting lid, as killifish are accomplished jumpers. It prefers live and frozen foods such as daphnia, brine shrimp, and bloodworms. It is a plant-spawner that deposits eggs among fine-leaved vegetation or spawning mops, and the eggs can be incubated in water. It is peaceful but males can spar, so several females help spread aggression.