Clown killifish care guide

Plan a tank with clown killifishSee all tank mates

Clown killifish quick facts

• Known jumper: keep a tight-fitting lid.

Tank setup

A group of six fits a 10-gallon (38 L) tank, and bigger groups are less shy. Use plenty of floating plants and gentle flow, such as a sponge filter, because they live at the surface and struggle in current. Keep the lid tight with no gaps.

How many clown killifish in a tank?

The smallest common tank that suits clown killifish is a 10 gallon. Here is roughly how many fit in each size when they are the only fish, based on adult size and waste output. Leave room if you want tank mates.

Water parameters

Keep them at 22–26 °C (72–79 °F), pH 5.5–7.0 and soft water of 2–8 dGH. They come from soft, acidic coastal swamps. Stable, clean water matters more than exact numbers, so avoid big swings during water changes.

Best tank mates for clown killifish

These popular species share clown killifish' water needs and temperament. See the full list of 90 good matches.

• Cherry shrimp

  3 cm (1.2 in) · 20–27°C (68–81°F)

• Nerite snail

  2.5 cm (1 in) · 22–27°C (72–81°F)

• Guppy

  5 cm (2 in) · 22–27°C (72–81°F)

• Neon tetra

  3.5 cm (1.4 in) · 21–25°C (70–77°F)

• Panda corydoras

  4.5 cm (1.8 in) · 21–25°C (70–77°F)

• Bristlenose pleco

  12 cm (4.7 in) · 22–26°C (72–79°F)

• Bronze corydoras

  7 cm (2.8 in) · 21–26°C (70–79°F)

• Zebra danio

  5 cm (2 in) · 18–25°C (64–77°F)

Avoid keeping clown killifish with

• Angelfish: Angelfish can eat clown killifish: they're small enough to fit in its mouth once it's grown.
• Common goldfish: Common goldfish can eat clown killifish: they're small enough to fit in its mouth once it's grown.
• Oscar: Oscar can eat clown killifish: they're small enough to fit in its mouth once it's grown.
• Bala shark: Bala shark can eat clown killifish: they're small enough to fit in its mouth once it's grown.
• Chinese algae eater: Chinese algae eater is aggressive and will bully or injure peaceful clown killifish.
• Convict cichlid: Convict cichlid can eat clown killifish: they're small enough to fit in its mouth once it's grown.

Feeding

They eat tiny insects and crustaceans at the surface. Offer crushed flakes and floating micro foods, and give small live or frozen foods such as baby brine shrimp or daphnia every day if you can. Food that sinks quickly is often ignored.

Behavior

Peaceful, and small enough to be eaten by most medium-sized fish. Males display and spar but rarely injure each other, and one male to two or three females works best. Good tankmates are other tiny, calm fish such as chili rasboras, celestial pearl danios, lampeye killifish and pygmy corydoras.

Breeding

They lay eggs among floating plant roots, fine moss or spawning mops. Eggs hatch in about 9–12 days at 24–25 °C (75–77 °F). The fry are very small and need infusoria or rotifers before baby brine shrimp, and bigger fry eat smaller ones. In a mature, heavily planted tank some fry often survive without help.

Tips from experienced keepers

• Add floating plants like salvinia or frogbit. They rest under the leaves and feel safe at the surface.
• Keep at least six. In bigger groups they come out more and show better color.
• Feed tiny floating food. Their mouths are very small.
• Seal the lid and cord holes. Surface fish like these jump when startled.
• Adult dwarf shrimp are usually safe, but expect fewer baby shrimp to survive.

Sources

We checked these references when writing this page. Values are for healthy long-term keeping, not survival limits. Last reviewed 2026-10-13. See our editorial policy.

• seriouslyfish.com
• fishbase.de
• aquariumcoop.com