Mamou Killifish (Scriptaphyosemion guignardi mamou)
Mamou Killifish are quite a rare species that is not very known in the hobby. These Killifish are an ideal fish for the nano or planted aquarium and will add some colour and activity to it. In addition, this Killifish is not demanding and can adapt to a wide variety of water conditions. However, due to their small size and care requirements, they are not suitable for the beginner aquarist.
Mamou Killifish are very shy and easily spooked; therefore, you should choose their tankmates carefully, or they will be out-competed for food. These fish will do much better if you house them in a species only tank or with similarly sized species.
Mamou Killifish are not suitable for the general community aquarium because they can be very aggressive with slow-moving small fish. They also have surprisingly large mouths for their size. These species are also known to be aggressive towards one another, so make sure you provide sufficient space and hiding places; that way, you can maintain a group together.
| Quick Facts | |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Scriptaphyosemion guignardi mamou |
| Other Names | None |
| Family | Nothobranchiidae |
| Genus | Scriptaphyosemion |
| Origins | Africa |
| Temperament | Peaceful |
| Aquarium Level | Middle - Top |
| Difficulty | Intermediate |
| Shoaling | No |
| Best kept as | Trios |
| Diet | Omnivore |
| Reproduction | Egg-Layer |
| Lifespan | 1 - 2 years |
| Water Parameters | |
|---|---|
| Water Type | Freshwater |
| PH | 5.0 - 7.0 |
| GH | 5 - 12 |
| Temperature | |
| 71 - 77℉ 21.7 - 25℃ | |
Natural Habitat
Mamou Killifish are endemic to the Mamou Region in the Republic of Guinea as well as in Mali and Senegal in Africa. These Killifish inhabit slow-moving lowland streams, brooks, temporary water-filled holes, pools, swamps, marshes and lowland floodplains in humid rainforest areas with moderate lighting and some dense vegetation.
Other Killifish of interest
What to feed the Mamou Killifish
In the home aquarium, Mamou Killifish will accept high quality dried flake and pellet foods as well as algae wafers. Still, it would be best if you also offered your fish frequent meals of small live or frozen fares such as daphnia, Cyclops, mosquito larvae, bloodworm, and artemia. This will not only bring out the vibrant colours but will also help to encourage spawning.
These fish can be shy at feeding times, so you must ensure that their tankmates are not too boisterous, so they don't get out-competed for food and receive their fair share.
How to Sex the Mamou Killifish
It is simple to distinguish male from female Mamou Killifish. Males have a bronze upper body with bluish-green coloured sides that are accentuated with dots that form chevrons in the anterior part of the pelvic membranes.
Their fins are also greenish-blue with red dots except for the dorsal and caudal fin that has a red sub-marginal stripe and a light blue marginal stripe on the edge. The anal fin also has a red line on the edge.
In contrast, females are an olive-brown colour with a few red dots. They also have black specks that define a thin dark line on the middle of the body, and their fins are a solid yellow colour.
How to Breed the Mamou Killifish
It is relatively straightforward to breed Mamou Killifish, and you can quickly breed a pair in an aquarium. However, it is recommended that you should produce them in trios, but the yield tends to be lower when they are bred this way, probably because the fish that are not spawning may consume some of the eggs.
Most breeders do not use filtration in a killifish breeding setup; instead, they use a small, air-driven sponge filter to prevent stagnation. The water needs to be slightly acidic with a slightly higher temperature. It would be better to keep the tank either dimly lit or unlit and remember peat filtration is beneficial.
It would be best if you conditioned your fish on a varied diet of live and frozen foods and keep the two sexes apart in separate conditioning tanks. In addition, it is better if you choose the best male and fattest female before placing them in the spawning tank. This method will allow females to recover between spawnings.
Mamou Killifish will deposit their eggs either in clumps of vegetation or in the substrate, and the spawning medium can either be clumps of fine-leaved plants, spawning mops, java moss or a layer of peat moss on the bottom of the tank. You can also have a bare-bottomed tank with the spawning mediums. This setup will make maintenance and egg collection a lot more straightforward.
If your water conditions are right and the fish are well conditioned, spawning should exhibit no particular problems. You can leave the eggs in the aquarium to hatch with their parents; however, some may get eaten.
Ten to twenty eggs are usually deposited daily for around two weeks, and if you would like to increase the yield of the fry, you should remove the eggs gently as soon as you notice them.
It would be best only to allow breeding pairs to spawn for about a week before returning them into the conditioning tank as the spawning process is challenging on the fish, especially the female. In addition, they can become weak and tired if left for too long.
Once removed, you can incubate the eggs either by placing them on a damp layer of peat moss in a small container or leave them in the water. Fewer eggs tend to fungus if you keep them in the water, although you should still remove these fungus eggs as they are noticed.
If incubating in water, you can transfer the eggs to a small aquarium or a container containing water from the spawning tank. A few drops of methylene blue is advisable as this helps to keep the eggs in good condition. It would be best if you kept the aquarium or container under darkness as the eggs are susceptible to light, and you will need to check the eggs daily for fungus eggs, which you should remove with a pipette.
The eggs will hatch in around 12 days, depending on the temperature.
If incubating on peat moss, place the container in a warm, dark place and leave it for 18 days, after which the eggs will be ready to hatch.
If you are spawning various offspring, it is excellent to label each container with the date, hatching date, species, and the number of eggs to limit any disasters.
Hatching can usually be induced by simply placing the eggs in the raising aquarium after 18 days, where the wetting of the eggs stimulates hatching. If this is unsuccessful, blowing gently into the water through a piece of airline or straw can trigger hatching.
The fry is tiny, and you should initially feed them with infusoria. If you decide to use the peat moss incubation method, you can seed the rearing tank a few days before hatching by adding a couple of drops of green water or liquifry. Alternatively, add small amounts as required.
After about two days, you can feed them on microworm or brine shrimp nauplii, introducing larger live and frozen varieties about two weeks after that.
You should initially keep the water very shallow, but you can increase the level as they grow. Ultimate care must be taken regarding water quality in the rearing tank as the fry are very susceptible to velvet disease, so small water changes every 2 to 3 days is ideal for the best condition and growth.