Heterandria formosa

Common Names:

Formosa Livebearer
Least Killifish

Synonyms:

Family:

Poeciliidae

Category:

Livebearers

Distribution:

Pacific - North; America - North

Main Ecosystem:

Stream; Still or slow-flowing streams and drainages, primarily

Temperament:

Peaceful; Peaceful

Diet:

Ominvore; Ominvore

Care:

These tiny fish are easily maintained in fresh or brackish water. They are happy to eat nearly anything, although it must be tiny, and have such a small bioload that where many fish are "one per ten gallons" these are closer to "ten per one gallon." They are favorites for jars of java moss and other nontraditional setups, although they enjoy a nice filter and space to roam around.

pH:

7 - 8

Temperature:

20°C - 26°C

68°F - 79°F

Hardness:

6 dH - 20 dH

Potential Size:

Male: 3.5cm (1.4")
Female: 3.5cm (1.4")

Water Region:

All; All

Activity:

Diurnal; Diurnal

Gender:

Easy to sex: males have particularly long gonopodiums and females are larger and fuller. The sexes are equally colorful.

Breeding:

As with the more common livebearers: just add water. They are significant producers even at a young age and not very gifted at eating their fry; luckily they are easy to house and easier to give away.

Variants:

An albino variant (often referred to as "gold") has been developed, but is relatively uncommon compared to the wild-type.

Comments:

Tiny and yet hard to ignore, these are a great first american native. They make a particularly nice accent in a slightly "unreal" tank - theme tanks, oddly-shaped or colors tanks, places where a betta is generally the default option. Just don't combine the two - these fish are quite small enough to be a tasty betta treat.

Main Colours:

Grey, Black, Green

Markings:

Striped Vertical

Mouth:

Upturned

Tail:

Flat

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Image Credit:

;LittleMousling

Submitted By:

littlemousling

Contributors:

Natalie

History:

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