Blue Gularis
Fundulopanchax sjostedti
Freshwater West and central Africa Usually captive bred
The largest commonly kept killifish, boasting a magnificent trident-shaped caudal fin and intense blue-and-gold marbling with deep red striping. Males can be territorial bullies toward rivals. Keep them in a heavily planted setup with subdued lighting, and seal every aquarium lid gap tightly against their astonishing jumping ability.
Also called: Blue gularis, Golden Pheasant Gularis.
Try it in the planner Opens a tank sized to its minimum with 1 fish added.
What it needs
| Item | Value | Because |
|---|---|---|
| Adult length | 11 cm | Used for the Space check: the tank must be long enough for the fish to turn round. |
| Smallest tank | 100 L, at least 80 cm long estimated | The least water and floor length this species is kept in for good, as a single fish or smallest group. |
| Extra water per added fish | 20 L estimated | What each further fish adds once the minimum is met. |
| Waste load | Class 3 of 5 estimated | How much waste an adult makes against its size. Feeds the Load check. |
| Temperature | 22 to 26 C | Stock sharing a tank need overlapping ranges. |
| pH | 6 to 7.2 | Compared with tankmates in the Water check. |
| Hardness | GH 3 to 12, KH 2 to 6 | Degrees of general and carbonate hardness. |
| Flow | Low | Low-flow fish are stressed in a strong current. |
| Light | Dim | Matched to the lighting class on the needs sheet. |
| Group size | Single fish is fine | Not a schooling species. |
| Temperament | Semi-aggressive | Territorial: strong. |
| Swims in | All levels | Fish that use different levels share a tank more easily. |
| Lifespan | About 4 years | A fish is a long commitment. |
| Experience | Some experience helps | A guide to how forgiving the species is of mistakes. |
| Jumps | Yes | Keep the tank covered. |
Tags marked estimated are judged from the size and habits of the species rather than measured, so treat them as a sensible default.
Diet and tank layout
Blue Gularis is an carnivore that swims in all levels of the tank. It is safe with plants. Give it plenty of cover. It will eat fish small enough to swallow.
Tankmates
Works with
Depends
- Bronze Corydoras
- Cardinal Tetra
- Cherry Barb
- Dwarf Gourami
- Goldfish
- Green Swordtail
- Guppy
- Harlequin Rasbora
- Kuhli Loach
- Molly
- Peppered Corydoras
- Platy
- Zebra Danio
- Bala Shark
- Boesemani Rainbowfish
- Clown Loach
- German Blue Ram
- Honey Gourami
- Julii Cory
- Panda Cory
- Rainbow Shark
- Red Eye Tetra
- Rosy Barb
- Rummy-Nose Tetra
- Sailfin Pleco
- Sterba's Cory
- Variable Platyfish
- X-Ray Tetra
- Agassiz's Dwarf Cichlid
- Black Ruby Barb
- Bleeding Heart Tetra
- Bloodfin Tetra
- Common Pleco
- Congo Tetra
- Denison Barb
- Dojo Loach
- Emerald Green Cory
- Emperor Tetra
- Flying Fox
- Forktail Blue-Eye
- Ghost Catfish
- Gold Barb
- Golden Otocinclus
- Golden Pencilfish
- Julii Corydoras
- Lake Kutubu Rainbowfish
- Neon Dwarf Rainbowfish
- Penguin Tetra
- Pictus Catfish
- Reticulated Hillstream Loach
- Scissortail Rasbora
- Silver Dollar
- Striped Raphael Catfish
- Tinfoil Barb
- Upside-Down Catfish
- Adolfo's Cory
- Amazon Puffer
- Asian Bumblebee Catfish
- Banded Rainbowfish
- Borelli's Dwarf Cichlid
- Brilliant Rasbora
- Checker Barb
- Diamond Tetra
- Doctor Fish
- Dwarf Chain Loach
- Featherfin Squeaker
- Fiveband Barb
- Gardner's Killi
- Giant Danio
- Golden Wonder Killifish
- Head-and-Taillight Tetra
Avoid
- Black Skirt Tetra
- Neon Tetra
- Tiger Barb
- White Cloud Mountain Minnow
- Black Neon Tetra
- Black Phantom Tetra
- Celestial Pearl Danio
- Chinese Algae Eater
- Convict Cichlid
- Discus
- Ember Tetra
- Glowlight Tetra
- Oscar
- Pygmy Corydoras
- Red Tail Shark
- Sailfin Molly
- Three Spot Gourami
- Yellow Lab
- Asian Arowana
- Auratus Cichlid
- Buenos Aires Tetra
- Clown Killifish
- Colombian Tetra
- Electric Blue Hap
- Eureka Red Peacock
- Fairy Cichlid
- Flame Tetra
- Green Terror
- Jack Dempsey
- Japanese Medaka
- Kenyi Cichlid
- Lambchop Rasbora
- Lemon Cichlid
- Lemon Tetra
- Norman's Lampeye
- Paradise Fish
- Pea Puffer
- Red Phantom Tetra
- Red Zebra
- Rosy Tetra
- Salt and Pepper Cory
- Scarlet Badis
- Serpae Tetra
- Silvertip Tetra
- Spotted Blue-Eye
- Yoyo Loach
- Zebra Mbuna
- Benga Peacock Cichlid
- Black Ghost Knifefish
- Blue Dolphin Cichlid
- Blunthead Cichlid
- Calvus Cichlid
- Convict Julie
- Daffodil Cichlid
- Dwarf Corydoras
- Dwarf Pencilfish
- Dwarf Rasbora
- Fire Eel
- Flavescent Peacock
- Frontosa
- Golden Julie
- Green Neon Tetra
- Heckel Discus
- Hengel's Rasbora
- Ice Blue Cichlid
- Jewel Cichlid
- Johanni Mbuna
Compare any two fish on the compatibility page, or print the equipment for a stock on the needs sheet. How this is worked out: the method.