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How to look after
Nothobranchius rachovii
Rachov's Nothobranch
Ahl 1926

Nothobranchius rachovii is one of the most spectacular of all aquarium species, and photographs rarely do it justice
more images here

(Other members of the genus Nothobranchius)

ADULT SIZE: 7 cm

WATER CONDITIONS: Not critical

TEMPERATURE RANGE: 23-28 C

FOOD: Feed Nothobranchius rachovii predominantly live foods

DISTRIBUTION: This species comes from South Africa, Mozambique

SEXUAL DIFFERENCES: Female Nothobranchius are noticeably smaller than males, and lack the colouration that these fish are famous for.

AQUARIUM CARE: This small Southern African killifish vies for the position of most attractive fresh water species. This species is a real treat to keep but not for beginners. It requires regular livefoods, and being aggressive should be kept as a pair, trio or bigger group with many individuals. These are true annual fish, reaching maturity very quickly, yet rarely living longer than a year.

Nothobranchius are completely unsuitable for the community aquarium, and due to their short life span are best kept in a permanent breeding set up with a peat spawning substrate and no other species present.

BREEDING: This is a typical substrate spawner, eggs should be incubated in partially dried peat for up to six months, often less for newly collected species. The key is to collect many eggs, so whenever the eggs are rewetted, some fry will emerge.

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

Nothobranchius rachovii
Rachov's Nothobranch

Nothobranchius rachovii is one of the most spectacular of all aquarium species, and photographs rarely do it justice

Nothobranchius rachovii
Rachov's Nothobranch
breeding notes

BREEDING: This is a typical substrate spawner, eggs should be incubated in partially dried peat for up to six months, often less for newly collected species. The key is to collect many eggs, so whenever the eggs are rewetted, some fry will emerge.

Have you bred Nothobranchius rachovii? 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 Nothobranchius rachovii, why not fill in a Breeding and maintenance Report.
Would Nothobranchius rachovii 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 Nothobranchius rachovii? 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 Nothobranchius rachovii? 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 Nothobranchius rachovii to keep and breed? Very easy Easy Average Difficult Very difficult	How sucessful have you been at breeding Nothobranchius rachovii? 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