Sjoestedti's Killie (Fundulopanchax sjoestedti)

Overview

Sjoestedti's Killie is a large West African killifish best known in the hobby as the Blue Gularis or Golden Pheasant. The customer-facing scientific name for this refreshed listing is Fundulopanchax sjoestedti; FishBase and some older references may spell the epithet as Fundulopanchax sjostedti, and the supplier record still uses the older Aphyosemion sjoestedti style. Those names point to the same fish group for practical aquarium care, so this page keeps the synonyms visible without forcing them into every sentence.

This is not a tiny background killifish. It is one of the larger, more confident African killies, with males capable of dramatic blue-green, yellow, red and orange colour, extended tail rays and a strong display posture. The Shopify product currently carries three size variants, around 3-4 cm, 5-6 cm and 6-7 cm when available. Choose the variant shown as available at checkout; the care below plans for the adult fish, not just the delivery size.

Quick Facts

• Supplied sizes: variant dependent, usually around 3-7 cm across this product group
• Adult planning size: FishBase lists up to 13 cm standard length / around 14 cm total length; BKA notes large males around five inches
• Temperature: 22-25 C as the practical shop range; cooler stable water is safer than permanently hot conditions
• pH: 6.0-7.5 for normal aquarium planning
• Hardness: about 5-20 dGH, with stable clean water more important than chasing extremes
• Minimum aquarium: 90 litres recommended for a pair or trio; 120 litres or more for groups or extra tank mates
• Temperament: semi-aggressive; males and even females can be quarrelsome if crowded
• Best setup: covered, mature, planted aquarium with dimmer areas, open feeding space and many sight breaks

Natural Habitat and Identity

FishBase places this species in the Niger Delta region of southern and southeastern Nigeria and southwestern Cameroon, with reports from Ghana requiring care in interpretation. Its habitats include temporary swamps, raffia swamps and swampy parts of slow-flowing brooks in coastal rainforest. The AKA/WAK notes add useful locality context from coastal western Nigeria, the Niger Delta and the extreme west of Cameroon, including swamp areas and slow streams over sedimentary soils.

The habitat detail matters because this fish is not designed for a bright, bare, fast-flowing community tank. It wants cover, subdued light, clean water and enough floor plan for territories. It is also not a seasonal annual killifish in the simple shop-label sense. FishBase lists it as not seasonal, while also noting bottom spawning and incubation around two months. Hobby breeding reports show variation, so the safest customer advice is to treat it as a specialist bottom or substrate-associated spawner rather than a quick, plant-only community spawner.

Appearance

Mature males are spectacular. BKA describes a red-brown to olive upper body, green-blue flanks, bluish to pure blue belly colour, carmine red dots and streaks, and a three-pointed tail with blue, yellow and red fields. That is why the Blue Gularis name has lasted so strongly in the hobby. Females are smaller and plainer, usually brownish to greenish with red spotting and rounded fins, but they are still valuable for natural group behaviour and breeding attempts.

Young fish can look modest after transport, especially under bright shop-style lighting. Give them a shaded planted aquarium, good food and a steady routine before judging the final colour.

Aquarium Setup

Use a mature aquarium with a secure lid. This species can jump powerfully, and even a small cable gap can be enough. A 90 litre aquarium gives a pair or trio room to feed and display without constant pressure. If you plan to keep more than one male, or if you want tank mates, move up towards 120 litres or more and build the aquascape with clear broken lines of sight.

Dense planting, floating plants, Java moss, spawning mops, driftwood roots, leaf litter zones and darker substrate all help. Leave some open space at the front or centre so the fish can feed confidently. Filtration should be reliable but not violent. A sponge filter, guarded intake or gentle external filter return works better than a harsh jet. Keep the tank clean because rich foods can spoil water quickly, but avoid huge abrupt water changes that swing temperature or chemistry.

Water Parameters

The supplier record gives 22-25 C, pH 6.0-7.5 and 5-20 dGH. FishBase gives pH 6.0-8.0, hardness 5-19 dH and a tropical temperature line of 23-26 C. BKA's older keeping note is cooler, around 70-74 F, and specifically warns that higher temperatures may shorten lifespan. Killi.co.uk breeding reports include both 20-23 C and 24-27 C results. Bringing that together, a stable 22-25 C is the best shop-facing range, with extra caution against keeping them permanently hot.

Soft to neutral water is usually ideal, but do not create instability by over-adjusting every water change. Mature biological filtration, low nitrate, no ammonia or nitrite, and a calm acclimation routine are more important than a perfect-looking single test result.

Feeding

Sjoestedti's Killie is a carnivorous, predatory killifish. Offer varied live and frozen foods such as bloodworm, mosquito larvae, daphnia, brine shrimp, white worms, grindal worms, chopped earthworm and other suitably sized insect larvae. Some individuals will learn to take quality soft pellets or flakes, but live and frozen foods usually give better colour, body condition and breeding response.

Feed small portions once or twice daily and remove uneaten food. The fish is large enough to take bigger prey than most small killies, so do not mix it with tiny fish, fry or small shrimp you want to keep. If faster tank mates take every meal first, the setup is wrong for this species.

Behaviour and Compatibility

This is the section that needed the biggest cleanup. Sjoestedti's Killie should not be sold as a casual community fish. BKA notes that males can be very quarrelsome and that females may also need care in the aquarium. Killi.co.uk keeper reports rate community suitability as doubtful or limited to very calm, similar-sized fish, and disposition can range into occasional aggression. In practice, this means the safest display is a species tank, a carefully watched pair or trio, or a large planted aquarium with robust but peaceful fish that are too large to be swallowed and too calm to steal food.

Avoid fin nippers, aggressive cichlids, tiny rasboras, fry, small shrimp, hectic barbs, very fast tetras, territorial bottom fish in small tanks, and other large or aggressive killifish. Do not crowd several males into a small aquarium and hope plants alone will solve it. If one fish is pinned in a corner, split the group or change the layout quickly.

Breeding Notes

FishBase describes the species as a bottom spawner with about two months incubation. BKA gives a classic method using sand or peat on the bottom, with eggs separated or incubated in peat; it also mentions newly hatched brine shrimp, microworm, sieved daphnia and grindal worm for fry. Killi.co.uk records successful keeper reports using spawning mops, peat or similar substrate, and other methods, with temperatures spanning 20-27 C.

For home breeding, condition a well-matched trio with live foods, provide peat, fine sand or low mops, and expect to manage eggs separately if adults are eating them. This is achievable, but it is more specialist than a simple community spawn. Keep notes by strain or locality, because Dwarf Red, Niger Delta, USA Blue, Warri and other hobby forms may not behave exactly the same.

Who This Fish Suits

Choose Sjoestedti's Killie if you want a centrepiece killifish with real presence and you are happy to manage specialist behaviour. It suits keepers who already understand lids, live foods, water stability and territorial fish. It is less suitable for brand new aquariums, tiny tanks, uncovered rimless displays, bright hard-water communities or mixed tanks full of small fish and shrimp.

Delivery and Guarantee

Livestock orders are packed for safe overnight transport when the weather and route are suitable. The checkout will show the available service for your address. Our Live Arrival Guarantee applies when the delivery conditions are followed, and first-time customers can use WELCOME10 at checkout. If conditions are not right for the fish, dispatch should wait until it is safer.

Source Notes

This rewrite was checked against FishBase for distribution, size, habitat, water ranges, non-seasonal status and bottom-spawning notes; British Killifish Association for temperament, appearance, cooler-temperature warning, feeding and breeding detail; AKA/WAK for synonym history, locality and habitat notes; Killi.co.uk for current hobby naming, distribution, strains, temperature reports and community-suitability context; and Petra's supplier data for the actual SKU, size variant, source photo and shop water-parameter baseline.