Thayeria boehlkei – Blackline Penguinfish

Thayeria boehlkei – Blackline Penguinfish

Thayeria boehlkei or Blackline Penguinfish by its common name, is a quiet, peaceful schooling fish and therefore very suitable for the community aquarium. They do not set too high demands on the water composition, as long as the water is clean. This makes them very suitable for beginners. The females are a bit plumper than the males in this species, but it remains difficult to see the difference between the sexes.

As said, they are real schooling fish and must therefore be kept together with at least 6 specimens, and preferably with much more. They like to swim and are reasonably fast. With a clear current, they like to hang out as a group in the outflow of the aquarium filter. In a somewhat larger aquarium, you can see them swimming around the aquarium and going through the plants as a school.

The aquarium must have a closed lid. While catching them in the wild with nets, jumps were seen above the water up to a height of 2 meters.

Water parameters

These fish are massively bred for the aquarium trade. In the store most animals are therefore used to a wide range in water values. You can keep Thayeria boehlkei at a temperature of 22 to about 28 degrees Celsius. They actually do well on almost all water values, a pH from 5.5 to 8 is usually fine. The GH can range from 8 to 20.

In nature, fish have to deal with fluctuating temperatures. Keeping fish at the minimum or maximum temperature for a long time is not always desirable and can shorten the average lifespan of the animals.

Diet

The Blackline Penguinfish is an easy-to-keep species that will feed on all types of food such as flakes, frozen and live food. Don’t forget to feed them spirulina flakes to provide them with the vegetables they need to stay healthy.

Breeding Thayeria boehlkei

Thayeria boehlkei are very fertile fish that can produce up to 1000 eggs per spawn. For breeding, a fairly large breeding tank is required. Use a tank of around 40 liters with slightly soft/acidic water with a pH of around 5.5. The eggs are deposited between fine-leafed plants such as Java Moss and given the amount of eggs, quite a few plants are needed.

When the females are ready to spawn, they get a big belly from the many eggs they carry. After the eggs are released, the parents have to be removed, because they see the eggs as a delicious meal. After spawning and catching the parents, part of the water must also be changed. The males produce so much sperm that it pollutes the water. The very small eggs hatch within a day, the fry are very small and hard to see. They must therefore be fed with the smallest possible food such as microworms and infusions.

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Author

John de Lange

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John de Lange