Rachovi's Nothobranch Beira 98 Albino (Nothobranchius rachovii)

Rachovi's Nothobranch Beira 98 Albino (Nothobranchius rachovii) is a compact annual killifish with a pale aquarium-trade colour form, rapid life history and specialist appeal. It is best suited to a mature, tightly covered aquarium where the keeper can provide stable water, gentle filtration, small live or frozen foods and close observation. Its adult dimensions are modest, but its annual biology, social behaviour and feeding needs make preparation more important than body size.

This listing supplies one live, unsexed fish at approximately 2.5-3.5 cm per selected quantity. It is not a guaranteed male, female, pair, trio, breeding group or packet of eggs. Selecting two means two unsexed fish; it does not guarantee one of each sex or compatibility. Any multi-buy price shown by the live selector is a quantity discount, not a biological-pair promise.

The name `Beira 98 Albino` is retained as the aquarium-trade line designation supplied for this product. It helps distinguish this item from other N. rachovii forms, but it is not presented as a DNA certificate, proof of wild origin, verified collection history or guarantee of genetic purity for the current fish. Read the identity, annual-life-cycle and sale-unit sections before deciding whether this is the right killifish for your aquarium.

Rachovi's Nothobranch quick facts

Scientific name	Nothobranchius rachovii Ahl, 1926
Family	Nothobranchiidae
Other name in databases	Bluefin notho; Rachow's Nothobranch also occurs in specialist literature
Trade form on this page	Beira 98 Albino
Sale unit	One live, unsexed fish per quantity
Approximate dispatch size	2.5-3.5 cm
Adult planning size	Usually around 4-6 cm; FishBase records 6 cm maximum total length
Care level	Moderate to specialist
Life history	Annual substrate-spawning killifish with embryonic diapause
Practical aquarium	From about 40 litres and 45 cm frontage for one; 60 litres and 60 cm or more preferred for several
Practical temperature	Stable 22-24°C
Practical pH	6.0-7.0
Practical hardness	Approximately 4-10 dGH
Diet	Small live or frozen aquatic invertebrates, with suitable prepared micro-predator foods if accepted
Best presentation	Mature, covered, species-focused aquarium with gentle flow and visual shelter

Scientific identity and the Beira 98 Albino label

Nothobranchius rachovii is the accepted species name used by FishBase and the 2010 scientific redescription of the group. The species was described by Ernst Ahl in 1926 and named in honour of German aquarist Arthur Rachow. The common spellings Rachovi's and Rachow's refer to the same named species; the scientific binomial is the clearest entity for care, search and record keeping.

Taxonomy matters here because fish once placed under a broad N. rachovii concept have been separated. The peer-reviewed revision by Shidlovskiy, Watters and Wildekamp describes N. krysanovi and N. pienaari as distinct species and restricts true N. rachovii around the Beira area and the southern side of the Zambezi mouth. A product page should not borrow range, appearance or husbandry claims from every blue-and-red annual notho that once shared the name.

`Beira 98` is a familiar aquarium population label in killifish records, while `Albino` describes the pale trade form supplied for this listing. Colour-form labels can be valuable to breeders, but their meaning depends on accurate line keeping over generations. This page preserves the supplied identity without claiming that Tropical Fish Co has independently genotyped the fish or reconstructed every transfer in its breeding history.

Name or label	What it tells you	Boundary
Nothobranchius rachovii	The accepted biological species	Use for scientific identity and evidence-led care
Rachovi's or Rachow's Nothobranch	English hobby names for the species	Spelling variation does not create a different fish
Bluefin notho	A database common name for the normal species	Does not promise blue finnage on an albino-form juvenile
Beira 98	An aquarium line or population designation	Not proof of a fresh wild collection for this batch
Albino	The pale trade colour form sold here	Colour and red-eye expression still vary with age, light and individual fish

Natural range, seasonal habitat and why the life cycle matters

The species comes from seasonal freshwater habitats in south-eastern Africa. The British Killifish Association summarises records from temporary pools, swamps and water-filled depressions in lowland floodplains associated with the lower Pungwe and Zambezi systems in eastern Mozambique, the lower Shire system in southern Malawi and adjacent Mozambique. The type locality is Beira, Mozambique.

These waters do not remain permanent through every season. Adult fish complete their aquatic life while water is present, placing eggs into soft bottom material. As the habitat dries, embryos can pause development in diapause within the damp substrate. Later rains restore water and allow a new generation to hatch. That annual strategy is the defining biological context for the genus.

The aquarium should not be allowed to dry, fluctuate wildly or become neglected in imitation of nature. Captive care uses a stable, filtered tank for the live fish. The natural history instead explains why maturation can be rapid, why adults have a comparatively short life after hatching, and why breeding involves damp spawning medium rather than leaving all eggs permanently under water.

Seasonal-pool origins also do not mean dirty or oxygen-poor water is acceptable. Waste products are concentrated in a closed aquarium in ways that differ from a replenished wet-season habitat. Ammonia and nitrite must remain at zero, organic waste must be controlled, and the filter must work continuously.

Adult size, dispatch size and appearance

The current fish are sold at an approximate 2.5-3.5 cm dispatch size. The British Killifish Association describes the species as a robust, moderate-sized Nothobranchius around 4 cm, while FishBase records a 6 cm maximum total length. Those figures are not contradictory: published maximums, typical captive adults, measurement methods, sex and line can produce different values. Planning for roughly 4-6 cm avoids treating a young fish as permanently tiny.

Albino-form fish can show pale cream, peach or translucent body tones, reddish eyes and red-orange fin or scale patterning. Mature males are generally the more intensely coloured and extended-finned sex. Females and juveniles may be plainer. Stress, transport, hierarchy, diet, age, health, background and lighting all change the colour seen on a particular day.

The live fish is unsexed. A keeper must not infer sex from the gallery, the word Albino or the number ordered. Juveniles can be difficult to sex reliably, and even apparently male-like or female-like forms may not match an online representative image. Exact finnage, eye shade, body pattern, maturity and breeding readiness are not promised.

Growth rate is also not guaranteed. Annual killifish often develop quickly, but feeding, temperature, line, health and social access all affect the pace. A fish that grows more slowly should prompt checks of food size, competition, water quality and health rather than an attempt to force growth with heavy feeding or excessive heat.

Aquarium size and usable footprint

For one fish, begin around 40 litres with at least about 45 cm of frontage. This gives enough room for a mature filter, gentle circulation, planted shelter and daily observation. It is a conservative retail planning point rather than a claim that one exact volume appears in the wild or in every scientific paper.

For several unsexed fish, prefer 60 litres with about 60 cm of frontage or more. Extra footprint creates feeding stations, visual breaks and a chance for a subordinate fish to leave a display area. Increase the plan further if sexed males prove territorial, if other species are present, or if hardscape reduces usable floor and midwater space.

Proposed stocking	Starting plan	Critical safeguards
One unsexed fish	About 40 litres and 45 cm frontage	Mature filter, tight lid, gentle flow, visual shelter and suitable small food
Two unsexed fish	Prefer 60 litres and 60 cm frontage or more	Do not assume a pair; watch for chasing and have a separation option
Several fish	Increase footprint, cover and filtration beyond the two-fish plan	Confirm sexes as they mature, spread feeding and manage male pressure
Community attempt	Increase again for the whole adult stock	Match feeding speed, water, flow, mouth size and behaviour, not only litres

A long tank is usually more useful than a tall narrow aquarium of the same volume. Annual nothos use bottom and midwater areas, and spawning fish may need access to a medium on the base. Keep enough open room to inspect the fish and enough cover to break direct lines of sight.

Never use a bowl, unfiltered temporary container or newly filled aquarium as the permanent home. Small size does not reduce the need for biological filtration or stable temperature. Prepare and test the tank before arranging delivery.

Water parameters: use a stable overlap

FishBase gives 20-24°C, pH 6.0-7.0 and 4-6 dH. The available batch-level care record is slightly broader for hardness and temperature. A practical home target is a stable 22-24°C, pH 6.0-7.0 and approximately 4-10 dGH. This creates a sensible overlap without inviting the aquarium to swing between every published extreme.

Measure	Practical target	Keeper action
Temperature	22-24°C	Keep stable; avoid rapid warming and do not use high heat to force growth
pH	6.0-7.0	Measure source and tank water; correct gradually rather than chasing a decimal
General hardness	Approximately 4-10 dGH	Use repeatable source-water preparation when tap water lies outside the target
Ammonia	0 mg/L	Any detectable result requires immediate water-quality action
Nitrite	0 mg/L	Any detectable result is unsafe
Nitrate	Low and controlled	Use regular testing and conditioned water changes appropriate to the source water

Stability is more valuable than repeatedly dosing chemicals to reach an exact reading. Sudden changes in conductivity, pH or temperature can be stressful even when the final number appears inside a care range. If reverse-osmosis water is used, it must be remineralised consistently; pure untreated RO water is not a complete aquarium environment.

Test both the display tank and source water. A pH value without hardness or buffering context is incomplete, and a clear aquarium can still contain ammonia or nitrite. Keep a simple log after water changes so trends become visible before fish show severe signs.

Filtration, flow, oxygen and a secure cover

Use a mature biological filter with gentle, distributed movement. A sponge filter can work well in a species aquarium, while a small internal or external filter can work when its intake is guarded and the outlet is diffused. The fish should be able to hold position and feed without being pinned by a narrow jet.

Good gas exchange still matters. Aim for visible surface movement without turning the aquarium into a fast stream. Warm water holds less oxygen, and the bacterial processing of uneaten rich food also uses oxygen. Check the filter every day and confirm it restarts after maintenance or a power interruption.

Fit a tight lid and close gaps around pipes, cables and feeding flaps. Killifish can jump, particularly when startled, chased or exposed to sudden light. A cover must be secure while still allowing safe gas exchange above the water. Lowering the water slightly does not replace closing the gaps.

Guard filter intakes with a fine sponge. This protects a small fish and later protects fry if breeding occurs. Rinse the guard in removed aquarium water when flow falls, and never replace all mature biological media at the same time.

Substrate, plants and visual structure

A dark fine substrate can make a pale colour form easier to observe and can support a calm presentation. Add plants, moss, smooth wood or other safe structure to create several visual zones. Floating cover can soften light, but leave open surface access and prevent plants from sealing the entire top.

Do not confuse a planted display with a breeding setup. Spawning annual fish need an appropriate removable medium and a keeper who understands egg handling. Ordinary gravel can trap eggs where they are difficult to manage. If breeding is not planned, the aquarium can remain a welfare-led display without a dedicated spawning container.

Every decoration should be stable and free of sharp edges. Leave clear feeding areas and enough open base to inspect waste. Dense structure helps a chased fish move out of view, but it should not prevent the keeper from finding a fish that has stopped eating.

Social behaviour, sex uncertainty and keeping several

Adult males can display, chase and defend access to females or spawning areas. The intensity varies by individual, sex ratio, aquarium footprint and visual structure. Because this listing is unsexed, ordering several creates an unknown future ratio. A keeper must be ready for more than one male and must have a cycled separation option.

Two fish are not automatically safer than one. If both mature as males, a short open tank can concentrate conflict. If one becomes a female, constant male attention can still be stressful without cover and room. Traditional pair or trio breeding descriptions assume confirmed sexes and active management; they should not be copied onto an unsexed retail listing as a guaranteed stocking formula.

Behaviour seen	Possible meaning	Response
Short display or brief chase	Normal social or courtship behaviour	Observe whether both fish resume feeding and normal swimming
One fish repeatedly cornered	Excessive social pressure	Add visual barriers and separate before injury occurs
Torn fins or refusal to feed	Conflict, poor water or illness	Test water, inspect the group and isolate safely when required
Several colourful fish displaying	Multiple males may be maturing	Increase separation, reassess space and do not wait for serious damage

A planned group should be built around observed fish, not a fixed ratio guessed at checkout. Once sexes and behaviour become clearer, decide whether the aquarium can support the group. Never release or rehome a problem fish impulsively; arrange a secure separate aquarium or responsible experienced keeper.

Feeding an annual micro-predator

Offer varied, appropriately sized live or frozen aquatic invertebrates. Useful options include Artemia, daphnia, cyclops, mosquito larvae from a safe cultured source and modest chopped bloodworm. Suitable micro-predator granules or soft prepared foods can add balance if the fish accepts them, but acceptance should be observed rather than assumed.

Feed small amounts that are consumed promptly. Rich food falling into quiet substrate areas can decay, increase bacterial demand and damage water quality. Spread food across more than one point when several fish are present so a dominant individual cannot take every item.

Food type	Role	Boundary
Artemia and cyclops	Small moving foods that encourage a feeding response	Use an appropriate size and avoid overfeeding saline packing water
Daphnia	Useful varied live or frozen food	Use a clean cultured or reputable source, not an unknown polluted pond
Bloodworm	Occasional conditioning variety	Choose modest pieces; do not make a rich single food the whole diet
Prepared micro-predator food	Can improve nutritional consistency if accepted	Watch the individual eat; remove rejected particles
Newly hatched fry food	A separate breeding requirement	Fry may need finer first foods than those used for a 2.5-3.5 cm fish

Body condition should be full but not persistently swollen. A thin fish may be losing food to a dominant tank mate, receiving particles that are too large, or experiencing a health problem. A swollen fish may have overeaten or may need diagnosis. Change one factor at a time and keep water tests alongside feeding records.

Do not warm the tank or feed continuously in an attempt to produce faster maturity. Growth without stable water and balanced condition is not success. The aim is a fish that feeds eagerly, maintains normal body shape and behaves predictably.

Tank mates and the species-focused option

A species-focused aquarium is the most predictable choice. It allows the keeper to tailor flow, food size, visual cover and observation around one annual killifish. It also reduces competition from fast community feeders and avoids accidental hybridisation with closely related nothos.

A carefully chosen community is possible only when every species overlaps in temperature, pH, hardness, food size, pace and adult mouth size. Avoid large predators, fin nippers, forceful feeders and fish that require sustained warmer or harder water. Small shrimp may be treated as food, especially shrimplets.

Choice	Assessment	Why
Species-only setup	Preferred	Best control of food, social observation, water and line identity
More unsexed fish of the same product	Possible with planning	Future sex ratio is unknown; footprint, cover and separation are essential
Calm small community fish	Case by case	They must not outcompete, nip or require incompatible water
Other Nothobranchius in a breeding project	Avoid mixing	Identity, hybridisation and egg-line records can become confused
Large or aggressive fish	Avoid	Predation, stress and injury risk

The killifish collection is the right page for broad shopping and species comparison. Within annual nothos, the Gunther's Zanzibar Gold Nothobranch has a different species identity and range. It should never be treated as another colour of the fish on this page.

For non-annual comparisons, review Gardner's Killifish, Gardner's Gold Killifish and Amiet's Killie. A surface-oriented alternative is the Blue Panchax. These links are genuine comparisons, not synonyms or a list of phrases to force into one species page.

Use the Water Parameter Matcher to compare your measured source water with potential fish, then verify each exact species from reliable sources. A tool can narrow choices, but it cannot assess an individual tank's maturity, social structure or feeding competition.

Annual life span: what can and cannot be promised

This is an annual species with a naturally short post-hatch life. That statement is biologically meaningful, but it does not create a guaranteed number of months after purchase. The fish's age on arrival is not certified, and lifespan is influenced by line, sex, temperature, health, social stress, food and individual variation.

A published laboratory comparison included a study population of N. rachovii in which 10% survival occurred at 8.5 months. That result describes a controlled population from hatching; it is not a promise that a retail fish will live exactly that long or that shorter or longer individual outcomes prove poor care. Genus-level research likewise describes post-hatch life in weeks to months, not one universal retail countdown.

Do not try to extend life by chilling below the appropriate range or to accelerate breeding by overheating. Keep stable conditions within the practical target and judge care through appetite, body condition, normal behaviour and water quality. Anyone seeking a multi-year display fish should choose a different species rather than expecting an annual notho to follow a conventional community-fish timeline.

Breeding, eggs and diapause

This product is a live fish, not eggs. Egg information belongs here because diapause defines the species' biology and because customers may wish to preserve an aquarium line. Breeding is a specialist project and should begin only after sex, condition and line identity are understood.

Mature fish spawn into a suitable soft medium at the bottom. Keepers commonly use a removable container of prepared spawning medium so eggs can be collected without dismantling the aquarium. The medium is then handled damp rather than left flooded continuously. Moisture, cleanliness, temperature, line and embryo development all affect success.

The British Killifish Association sheet gives an incubation period around five to seven months and sometimes longer, while specialist breeder records vary. Use those ranges as planning context, not a guaranteed wetting date. Experienced breeders inspect developmental signs and keep line-specific notes instead of following one calendar number blindly.

Breeding stage	What happens	Important uncertainty
Conditioning	Confirmed compatible adults receive varied small foods and stable water	This unsexed listing does not guarantee a pair or breeding readiness
Spawning	Eggs are placed in soft bottom medium	Egg number and fertility vary
Damp incubation	Embryos develop with possible diapause outside a flooded tank	Time varies with line, temperature, moisture and embryo state
Wetting	Developed eggs are reintroduced to suitable water	Not every egg hatches together or successfully
Fry rearing	Tiny fry need prepared first foods, clean water and frequent observation	Food size and density must match the actual fry

Do not mix eggs, adults or spawning media from different locality lines under one label. Keep dates, parent identity and medium notes. Have fry food and grow-out space ready before wetting eggs. Never release fish, eggs, plants or aquarium water into natural waterways.

Health observation and safe first response

A healthy settled fish should respond to suitable food, maintain body condition, breathe steadily and use the aquarium without persistent hiding or frantic escape behaviour. Learn the individual's normal pattern. Annual biology does not mean gradual wasting, severe fin damage or poor water should be accepted as inevitable.

Observation	Check first	Measured response
Fast breathing or surface distress	Temperature, oxygen, ammonia, nitrite and filter operation	Increase gas exchange and correct measured water problems promptly
Refusal to feed	Food movement and size, social pressure, recent travel and water	Offer an appropriate known food lightly and isolate safely if decline continues
Weight loss	Competition, actual intake, faeces and progression	Use a proper hospital setup and obtain diagnosis before medication
Torn fins or hiding	Chasing, sex ratio, visual cover and tank footprint	Separate incompatible fish before injury worsens
Spots, lesions or clamped fins	Water tests, recent introductions and spread across fish	Seek confident aquatic-health advice rather than treating every symptom alike

Do not add salt, antibiotics, copper or parasite medication solely because the fish looks subdued. Environmental stress, conflict and infection can share signs, while the wrong treatment can harm fish, invertebrates or filter bacteria. Test first and document changes with dates or photographs.

A quarantine aquarium is useful when it is already cycled, covered, heated as required and equipped for observation. An unfiltered emergency jar is not a welfare improvement. This page does not claim that every current fish has completed a fixed quarantine or treatment schedule.

Preparing for delivery and acclimation

Before ordering, confirm that the aquarium is cycled and that ammonia and nitrite test at zero. Check temperature, pH, hardness, filter flow, intake guard and lid. Have suitable small live, frozen or accepted prepared food available. Do not arrange delivery first and build the tank after the fish arrives.

Follow the current live-fish delivery and acclimation guidance supplied for the order. Keep lighting low and use the instructed temperature and water-transfer process. Once a transport bag is opened, its chemistry changes, so do not prolong an improvised acclimation without reference to the current instructions.

After release, give the fish quiet time and observe breathing and balance. Offer a small meal only after it is settled enough to respond. If several fish arrive, confirm that every individual gains feeding access. Keep any packaging and submit clear evidence within the published time window if the Live Arrival Guarantee needs to be used.

The current Live Arrival Guarantee applies only under its published terms. The active code WELCOME10 currently provides 10% off where checkout eligibility and current terms allow. It is not described here as a first-order-only offer because the live discount configuration does not enforce that condition.

How to read the existing gallery

All four current gallery items are protected existing AI-generated aquarium references. They are not verified photographs of the exact stock and not the fish that will be dispatched. They can illustrate the supplied pale red-orange trade-form concept, but they cannot guarantee sex, age, eye colour, body pattern, fin extension, maturity or breeding readiness.

The two-fish scene is a visual composition, not evidence of a male/female pair and not a statement that one selected quantity contains two fish. The side and pattern scenes show colourful male-like representatives. An unsexed juvenile or female may be much plainer. Live appearance also changes with light, background, transport and settling.

The original identity reference is only 300 x 122 pixels. It remains preserved privately as provenance but is not suitable for customer inspection or a storefront hero. It has not been enlarged, painted over or used to remove any existing gallery media.

No image has been generated, uploaded, deleted, cropped, replaced or reordered during this repair. All four existing Shopify media IDs, files, dimensions and relative order remain protected. The improvement is truthful alt text and disclosure, not a false claim that a rendered scene is today's exact fish.

Evidence and source transparency

The identity, published size and scientific water profile come from the FishBase species record for Nothobranchius rachovii. The range boundary and separation from related species are supported by the 2010 Zootaxa redescription of the rachovii group.

The seasonal-habitat summary and specialist breeding context are cross-checked against the British Killifish Association species sheet. The specialist species profile and line index is useful for Beira 98 records and for seeing why breeder observations vary.

Annual-life-cycle and lifespan language is deliberately cautious. The published annual-killifish lifespan comparison is study-population context, not a retail guarantee, while the peer-reviewed review of the genus explains rapid maturation and diapause across Nothobranchius.

Retail planning values such as minimum aquarium footprint combine those biological records with a conservative welfare decision for a closed home aquarium. Where sources differ, this page shows the boundary rather than manufacturing one false level of certainty.

Who this fish suits

This fish suits a keeper who enjoys species-focused aquariums, can maintain stable soft-to-moderate water, has access to appropriate small foods and accepts an annual life cycle. It also suits a careful breeder who understands that an unsexed purchase is not a guaranteed breeding pair and who can keep line records responsibly.

It is a poor choice for someone seeking a guaranteed colourful male, a ready pair, a long-lived conventional community fish or a product that will thrive on large dry flakes without observation. It is also unsuitable for an uncycled tank, an open aquarium or a busy setup where forceful feeders take every small food item.

Choose from the live selector only after checking the aquarium, not because an old search snippet shows a historic pair price. Current price, stock and quantity terms are dynamic. The core promise on this page is intentionally simple: one live, unsexed Beira 98 Albino-form fish in the stated approximate size band per quantity, supported by detailed care boundaries and honest media disclosure.