Turquoise killifish
The shortest-lived vertebrate that can be bred in captivity, completing its life cycle in a few months because the pool it lives in does not last longer. It is a laboratory model for ageing research and a genuinely rewarding aquarium fish for anybody who understands what its lifespan means.
Quick profile
- Scientific name
- Nothobranchius furzeri
- Adult size
- 4–6 cm (1.6–2.4 in)
- Lifespan
- 0.4–1 years
- Temperature
- 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
- pH
- 6–7.5
- Hardness
- 3–15 °dGH
- Minimum tank
- 45 L (12 US gal)
- Minimum length
- 60 cm
- Swimming zone
- Midwater
- Social
- Harem — at least 3
- Diet
- Micropredator
- Overall confidence
- moderate confidence
What keeping this species involves
Easy to feed and easy to spawn, and requiring the keeper to work on the fish's timescale rather than an aquarium one. Everything about it happens in months.
Temporary rain pools on clay soils that hold water for a few months a year and dry completely for the rest.
Identity and names
- Common name
- Turquoise killifish
- Scientific name
- Nothobranchius furzeri
- Family
- Nothobranchiidae
- Order
- Cyprinodontiformes
- Class
- Actinopterygii
- Also sold as
- Nothobranchius furzeri, furzeri, Mozambique killifish, GRZ killifish
Adult size and growth
4–6 cm (1.6–2.4 in)
Typical lifespan in an aquarium: 0.4–1 years. Almost every animal sold in a shop is a juvenile, so the tank has to suit the size in the first line rather than the size in the bag.
Shape, which is what the compatibility engine reads instead of length alone: fusiform — the ordinary torpedo with a moderate. Assigned from what is typical of Nothobranchiidae, not examined for this species.
Water and tank requirements
A small short-lived fish kept in a species tank with a peat spawning substrate. The tank is small because the setup is temporary by design.
Temperature (°C)
Scale: 0 to 36 °C.
pH (pH)
Scale: 4 to 9.5 pH.
Hardness (°dGH)
Scale: 0 to 30 °dGH.
Why these ranges: Rain-filled clay pools that warm quickly and vary through the season. The species is not particular about chemistry and is sensitive to accumulated organic waste, which a short-lived fish in a small tank produces quickly.
Where these figures come from
Habitat class
Seasonal pool
Water that exists for part of the year and dries completely for the rest — the habitat of the annual killifishes.
The chemistry is the least important thing about this habitat. What matters is that the animal's whole life is compressed into months, and a keeper who slows that down with cool, stable water is often doing the fish a favour.
- Conductivity
- 30–400 µS/cm
- Flow
- still
- Dissolved oxygen
- variable
- Seasonality
- strong
These are figures for the KIND of water body, not measurements of this species. They are AquariumHQ’s summary of the general limnology and are given wide because the water is.
- TemperatureReasoned on this record
- This record states its own reason for this band. See the water section.
- pHReasoned on this record
- This record states its own reason for this band. See the water section.
- General hardnessReasoned on this record
- This record states its own reason for this band. See the water section.
| Requirement | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 22–28 °C (72–82 °F) | Stability matters more than hitting an exact figure. |
| pH | 6–7.5 | A stable pH outside the ideal band is usually better than an unstable one inside it. |
| General hardness | 3–15 °dGH | Check your supplier's published figure before choosing species. |
| Minimum volume | 45 L (12 US gal) | A floor, not a recommendation. |
| Minimum footprint | 60 cm long × 30 cm deep | A small short-lived fish kept in a species tank with a peat spawning substrate. The tank is small because the setup is temporary by design. |
| Water flow | still | Match the outflow to this rather than to the filter's rating. |
| Lid required | Recommended | Reduces evaporation and prevents accidents. |
| Structure | A layer of peat or coir for spawning, dense planting and dim light. The substrate is where the eggs go and is removed and stored dry. |
Behaviour
- Reaches sexual maturity in around three weeks under warm conditions, which is the fastest of any known vertebrate.
- Males display and spar constantly, which is the normal activity of the species rather than a sign of overcrowding.
Telling males from females
Males are turquoise or red with a barred tail depending on the population; females are plain silver-brown. The difference appears within weeks of hatching.
Feeding
A predator of small invertebrates that grows extremely fast and needs feeding accordingly. Dry food is generally refused.
- Diet type
- Micropredator
- Staples
- Live blackworm, Frozen bloodworm, Live daphnia, Frozen brine shrimp
Breeding
- Strategy
- Eggs buried in soft substrate, which then survives the pool drying out
- Difficulty
- straightforward
- Parental care
- none
The eggs enter diapause and are stored damp for weeks or months before being wetted to hatch. This is how the species is maintained in captivity and how it survives in the wild.
Tankmates and compatibility
Assessments are derived from stored traits by the compatibility engine, with the reasoning shown. A verdict is a statement about probability, not a guarantee — individual temperament can override it.
| Towards | Risk | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Small fish | none | Anything that fits in the mouth is at risk once this species reaches adult size. |
| Adult dwarf shrimp | high | Cover reduces losses but rarely prevents them where the risk is high. |
| Shrimplets | near-certain | Determines whether a shrimp colony can grow rather than merely persist. |
| Snails | none | Applies to snails you wanted as well as snails you did not. |
| Long or trailing fins | none | Fin damage is an entry point for secondary infection. |
| Plants | none | Tough species such as Anubias and Java fern survive most grazers. |
Any pair in the catalogue can be assessed with the compatibility checker.
Welfare considerations
Points where the way this species is commonly sold or kept differs from what it actually needs.
- A death at eight months is the species completing its life, not a husbandry failure. Judging this fish by the standards of a five-year tetra misreads it entirely.
- Its wild habitat is fragmentary and depends on a rainfall pattern that is changing. Captive populations are maintained by killifish associations with locality codes attached, and those codes are worth preserving.
Problems to watch for
Most problems in a tank containing this species are general rather than species-specific. Start with the troubleshooting index and work from the observation rather than from a guess at the cause.
What AquariumHQ does not yet hold
Species-level disease susceptibility is modelled in the graph and is not yet populated. Health pages will not be published until each condition has veterinary sourcing, because health content written without evidence is the most harmful thing this product could publish. The gap is recorded in the coverage report.
Where it comes from
- Native range
- Mozambique and eastern Zimbabwe — seasonal pools on the Save and Limpopo floodplains
- Habitat
- Temporary rain pools on clay soils that hold water for a few months a year and dry completely for the rest.
What the checklists say
2 distribution statements retrieved from GBIF checklists. Establishment means is reproduced from the source where it states one, and left unstated where it does not — a record of presence is not a record of origin.
| Status | Places | What this means |
|---|---|---|
| Recorded as present, establishment means not stated | 2 | The source records the species as present and does not say whether it is native or introduced. AquariumHQ does not fill that in. |
No checklist AquariumHQ holds positively calls this species native anywhere, so the native range above rests on AquariumHQ’s own reading of the literature rather than on a cited checklist.
Evidence
Every stored value with the kind of support behind it and where to check it. Evidence type and confidence are separate axes: an editorial position held confidently and a measurement held tentatively are different things.
| Claim | Value | Evidence type | Confidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| scientific name | Nothobranchius furzeri | Observed / measured | high confidence | Catalogue of Life; GBIF — Global Biodiversity Information Facility |
| native range | Mozambique and eastern Zimbabwe — seasonal pools on the Save and Limpopo floodplains | Observed / measured | moderate confidence | GBIF — Global Biodiversity Information Facility |
| adult size | 4–6 cm | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| lifespan | 0.4–1 years | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| temperature | 22–28 °C | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| ph | 6–7.5 pH | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| general hardness | 3–15 °dGH | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| minimum tank volume | ≥ 45 L | AquariumHQ editorial position | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| minimum tank length | ≥ 60 cm | AquariumHQ editorial position | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| minimum group size | ≥ 3 | AquariumHQ editorial position | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
Last reviewed 2026-08-10. Values labelled as an aquarium-literature consensus are AquariumHQ editorial positions rather than measurements — see how evidence is handled.
Why we say this
What each figure on this page rests on, and how far that is from being independently established.
Every figure on this page has a provenance. Open any claim to see what AquariumHQ holds for it, which sources say what, and what a claim of that kind actually needs. Different claims need different evidence: an accepted scientific name is settled by one authority, while a legal restriction needs a current primary instrument. A single source is often the right answer rather than a thin one.
scientific nameAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableBased on a verified authoritative source.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: accepted scientific name and classification — 1 authoritative source in an appropriate context. Checked against gbif on 2026-08-29. One authoritative backbone is what this class requires.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
native rangeAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableLimited evidence — treat with caution.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: where the species occurs — 1 authoritative source in an appropriate context. 2 distribution statements held, and not one of them states an establishment means. Presence without native-or-introduced is not a native-range claim, so this stays below requirement rather than being read as one.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
adult sizeAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: size a well-kept specimen reaches — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
lifespanAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
temperatureAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
phAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
general hardnessAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
minimum tank volumeAquariumHQ's judgement — no authority publishes thisAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
No external authority publishes this. The rationale carries the reasoning.
What this kind of claim needs: minimum tank size — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No authority publishes this. AquariumHQ derives it, and the derivation is recorded with its inputs and assumptions.
What would improve this: Keep the rationale current. There is no source to find.
minimum tank lengthAquariumHQ's judgement — no authority publishes thisAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
No external authority publishes this. The rationale carries the reasoning.
What this kind of claim needs: minimum tank size — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No authority publishes this. AquariumHQ derives it, and the derivation is recorded with its inputs and assumptions.
What would improve this: Keep the rationale current. There is no source to find.
minimum group sizeAquariumHQ's judgement — no authority publishes thisAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
No external authority publishes this. The rationale carries the reasoning.
What this kind of claim needs: group size — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Keep the rationale current. There is no source to find.
Guides relevant to this species
Chosen from this record's own traits rather than listed on every page.
- Predator and prey sizeIt takes adult dwarf shrimp, which decides what can share the tank.
- Wild conditions and aquarium recommendationsThe water band on this page is an AquariumHQ position with a stated reason, not a measurement of a river.
Group size and social behaviour
Males are territorial and display constantly. A single female is pursued relentlessly, so several are needed.