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How to look after
Limia melanogaster
Blackbelly Limia
(Günther, 1866)

A male Limia melanogaster *blue*
more images here

(Other members of the genus Limia)

ADULT SIZE: 4 cm

WATER CONDITIONS: Moderately hard and alkaline

TEMPERATURE RANGE: 23-27 C

FOOD: Feed Limia melanogaster small live-foods and fine grade dried foods

DISTRIBUTION: This species comes from Haiti, Jamaica

AQUARIUM CARE: These livebearers are easy to keep; they will largely look after themselves, eating most foods offered, and grazing on algae when present. Green food should be a part of any Limia diet: shelled peas, blanched courgette or cucumber, lettuce etc. Like most livebearers they prefer slightly harder alkaline water.

BREEDING: Limias are livebearers; the male has a gonopodia (see top image) and the (larger) female gives birth to around 15 live young. The black bellied Limia reproduces as prolifically as any guppy.

Have you bred Limia melanogaster? Why not fill in a breeding questionaire?, or examine existing Limia melanogaster breeding reports

Limia melanogaster
Blackbelly Limia

A male Limia melanogaster *blue*

A female Limia melanogaster *blue*

Limia melanogaster
Blackbelly Limia
breeding notes

BREEDING: Limias are livebearers; the male has a gonopodia (see top image) and the (larger) female gives birth to around 15 live young. The black bellied Limia reproduces as prolifically as any guppy.

Have you bred Limia melanogaster? Why not fill in a breeding questionaire?

This page summarises breeding reports provided by visitors to this site, along with some statistical analysis. Please feel free to contribute - whatever your experience! 1 breeder has filled in a breeding report, a summary of which is shown in the graphs below. You can read the full reports here. To add details of your experiences of Limia melanogaster, why not fill in a Breeding and maintenance Report.
Would Limia melanogaster be a good addition to a community tank? Never Doubtful, only with VERY calm fish Only with species of similar size Yes, a good community fish	How would you describe the disposition of Limia melanogaster? Very timid Slightly timid Neutral Somewhat aggresive on occasions Very aggressive
In which water conditions do you keep these fish? Very soft and acidic Moderately soft and acidic Neutral Moderately hard and alkaline Very hard and alkaline	At what average temperature? 10-15°C 16-19°C 20-23°C 24-27°C 28°C+
	How would you describe sex ratios when breeding Limia melanogaster? If you are unsure please leave this question unanswered. Almost all males Somewhat male heavy Roughly equal Somewhat female heavy Almost all females
In general, how difficult is Limia melanogaster to keep and breed? Very easy Easy Average Difficult Very difficult	How sucessful have you been at breeding Limia melanogaster? Very unsucessful Fairly unsucessful Average Fairly sucessful Very sucessful

Remember, each record represents only one persons experience; if you had different results, or used different methods, please share your experiences