Lampeye Care Guide - Aquarium Setup, Diet & Breeding

The Lampeye is a diminutive African killifish named for the striking blue-green reflective patch that flashes across each eye. Its slender, silvery body is often marked with a subtle golden or bluish sheen, while the fins may show delicate yellow, orange or reddish highlights, particularly in mature males.

These fish are active but generally peaceful, spending much of their time in the upper and middle levels of the aquarium. They are alert and sociable, and a group moving together can produce an attractive, shimmering display whenever the fish turn toward the light.

In the wild, Lampeyes occur in calm, shallow waters with vegetation, leaf litter and subdued, broken sunlight. Their small size and surface-oriented habits reflect an environment where cover is readily available and tiny aquatic organisms provide an abundant food supply.

Poropanchax normani is sometimes sold under names such as Norman's Lampeye or Norman's killifish. Although it is a hardy species when settled, it is easily overlooked beside larger, more brightly coloured fish; in a suitable group, however, its reflective eyes and lively character make it an excellent small-community fish.

Poropanchax normani is native to freshwater habitats in West Africa, including parts of Nigeria, Cameroon, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. It inhabits slow-moving streams, pools and quiet backwaters across the region.

A group of Lampeyes should have at least a 45-litre aquarium, with a footprint of roughly 60 by 30 cm providing useful swimming space. A longer tank is preferable to a tall one, as these active surface fish benefit from uninterrupted horizontal room. Use a secure lid because they can jump, along with gentle filtration and a modest current. Dark sand or fine gravel, dense planting, floating plants, driftwood and subdued lighting help recreate their sheltered natural habitat while making their reflective eyes stand out.

Males reach about 4 cm (1.6 in) in length; females are usually slightly smaller or similar in length, reaching around 3.5–4 cm (1.4–1.6 in).

Lampeyes are small carnivorous-leaning omnivores that naturally eat tiny insects, crustaceans and other zooplankton. Offer a varied diet of high-quality small flakes or micro-pellets supplemented with frozen or live foods such as daphnia, cyclops, baby brine shrimp and suitably sized mosquito larvae. Small portions fed regularly are preferable to large foods they cannot swallow.

Lampeyes are peaceful and work well with other small, calm freshwater fish such as ember tetras, small rasboras, pencilfish, pygmy corydoras, otocinclus and other similarly sized African lampeyes. They should not be housed with large, aggressive or highly predatory species, nor with fin-nipping fish that may harass their delicate fins. Because they are small and often remain near the surface, avoid tankmates that will outcompete them aggressively for food.

Lampeyes are egg-scattering fish that can be bred by placing a pair or small group in a mature breeding aquarium with fine-leaved plants or spawning mops. They deposit adhesive eggs among the vegetation over several days. Remove the adults after spawning, or transfer the eggs to a separate hatching container, as the eggs and fry may be eaten. Depending on temperature, the eggs usually hatch after around 10 to 14 days. Feed the tiny fry suitably sized liquid or powdered foods before progressing to newly hatched brine shrimp.

Males are generally slimmer and more intensely coloured, with brighter fin markings and a more noticeable sheen around the body. Females tend to have a fuller abdomen, especially when carrying eggs, and usually show less vivid fin colouration.