Looking for a schooling fish for your freshwater (community) aquarium, but don't want to go for the same old tetras or rasboras everyone always gets? Well, what about a killifish? They're not all loners or short-lived! The little Norman's killifish is a real looker thanks to its shimmering blue eye-spot and makes for an excellent, underrated addition to the middle to top water layer. Thanks to its hardy nature, even first-time fishkeepers can keep this tiny killi.
Sound good? Keep reading to find out all about Norman's lampeyes, including where they're from, what they need their tank to look like, what they eat, and even how to breed them. Let's dive in!
Norman's lampeyes are a tiny (max. ~1.5") schooling species of killifish. They're not particularly colorful, mostly greyish with an olive-colored sheen, though they do shimmer nicely when the light hits them. Their real trump card is their eyes! The signature bright blue halfmoon markings really do shine like a lamp, as if the fish were lit up from the inside.
Female Norman's lampeyes sport rounded dorsal and anal fins, while males' fins are longer, more tapered, and may feature orangeish rims. Both have a rounded tail. Their mouths are turned slightly upwards, which is typical for omnivorous fish that spend most of their time near the water surface. A classic killifish look, if you ask us, but in perfect miniature! They're lively, school nicely, and add a lovely touch of color to the upper water layer.
Norman's lampeyes are scientifically known as Poropanchax normani and are members of the family Procatopodidae, better known as the African lampeyes. This group of species was long considered to be more of a subfamily of the Poecilidae (livebearers) than its own category. Given that poeciliid fish (like guppies) give birth to live young and lampeyes lay eggs, however, that placement never entirely seemed to fit. As such, lampeyes were elevated to full family status in 2024. They still belong to the overarching order Cyprinodontiformes, the egg-laying members of which are collectively known as killifish.
Most killifish belong to other families than the Procatopodidae and take completely different approaches to survival and reproduction. They're specialized in living in extreme environments that can dry out for part of the year, which has led species to evolve into annuals (living no more than 12 months). The majority of killis is also, unlike lampeyes, territorial and quasi-solitary. That's why the schooling behavior lampeyes exhibit may come as a surprise to some aquarists. We like to call them "the other killifish" to set them apart from "core killis" like the less social Nothobranchiidae.
As if all the above wasn't confusing enough already, Norman's lampeyes in particular have caused researchers headaches for almost 100 years. They were originally described as Aplocheilichthys normani in 1928, but later classified by some experts as Poropanchax . Not all ichthyologists agreed with this move, however, so they were also still sometimes called Aplocheilichthys or even Micropanchax . A 2019 paper finally firmly put the name " Poropanchax " in quotes after it was found not to be all that closely genetically related to the rest of the genus (nor to Micropanchax or any of the other Procatopodidae, for that matter). Keep an eye on this one, because it will likely be renamed soon!
It's actually not very surprising that Norman's lampeyes were found to likely constitute a separate genus rather than belonging to Poropanchax . Being the only member to frequently occur in arid, inland habitats rather than humid coastal ones, it was always a bit of an outlier! It can be found throughout the Nilo-Sudanic geographic region of Africa, meaning it inhabits river and lake systems roughly from Senegal on the western end all the way to the White Nile basin in the northeast. The landscape ranges from tropical marshes to dots of wetland in otherwise dry savannah.
There are some large rivers running through the Norman's lampeye's range, but the fish stay well away from the deeper and more turbid parts. Instead, they stick to the planted margins or opt for calmer tributaries, streams, and swampy areas. These waters are characterized by their slow flow, dense vegetation, and sandy or muddy substrate.
Setting up an aquarium for a school of Norman's lampeyes is a breeze. They're small but active, so go for a long tank rather than a tall one. 10 gallons should be considered the minimum, though 15 or even 20 gal allows you to keep a larger school and better observe their social interactions.
As for decor, a quick look at these little killis' natural habitat tells us pretty much everything we need to know. Your best bet for lampeye success is a calm, densely planted tank with some swimming room in the middle. The flow should be kept low and the light somewhat dim. If that sounds counterintuitive, keep in mind their striking blue eyes actually shine better when the fish aren't blasted with light!
If you're looking to go the biotope route and make your tank as similar as possible to the lampeyes' natural habitat, we've got good news: some of the plants available in the aquarium trade are found in their natural range. Anubias barteri in particular is an excellent option for a killifish tank, even if you don't have much of a green thumb or experience growing aquarium plants. Wild Norman's lampeyes may also come across Bolbitis heudelotii (African water fern) and Crinum natans (called the floating water onion, though they're actually more closely related to the popular terrestrial Amaryllis flower bulb).
The waters wild Norman's lampeyes are found in tend to be soft and acidic. Hydrological studies in their natural range consistently report very low pH and dissolved solids levels. Luckily for us, that doesn't mean we need to fiddle with reverse osmosis or rainwater if we want to keep these lampeyes. The stock you'll find at your local fish store is captive-bred and not picky at all — we can confirm from personal experience that they actually thrive in a wide range of water parameters.
Of course, your aquarium should always be fully cycled and mature before you introduce any livestock. Small weekly water changes of 20% or so ensure the water stays in optimal condition for your lampeyes to thrive and maybe even breed.
Temperature: 72–79°F
Norman's lampeyes are tiny and peaceful, meaning they'll get along fine with a wide range of community fish. The only requirements are for their tankmates to thrive in similar water parameters and refrain from trying to eat them!
Most of the small fish at your local aquarium store will get along swimmingly with these little killifish. That includes, but definitely isn't limited to:
If you decided to go for a biotope tank, you can combine your Norman's lampeyes with species like:
As for the lampeyes themselves, they don't do well on their own or in small groups. You should get at least six fish, but preferably double that or even more. The bigger the group, the happier and more colorful they will be!
Norman's lampeyes make for excellent shrimp tankmates . They eat bugs, but are too small to take on anything but the tiniest baby dwarf shrimp. In a densely planted aquarium, they'll coexist fine with Neos, Amano shrimp, ghost shrimp, and crystal reds, and more — anything but finicky Caridina cantonensis and tiger shrimp varieties should work.
Your Norman's lampeye starter pack:
Wild Norman's lampeyes are omnivores that mostly feed on small bugs, mostly midge larvae and crustaceans. Depending on the conditions and season in the particular area they inhabit, they'll also go for mosquito larvae and some plant matter.
You can feed your pet lampeyes a staple diet of high quality floating microflakes or pellets. Regularly mix things up for the best results; a weekly serving of live Daphnia or (thawed) frozen foods like mosquito larvae goes a long way in keeping these killifish happy and healthy.
If you're looking for a breeding project and don't mind raising tiny fry on home-grown green water or infusoria, Norman's lampeyes are just the thing. These little killis reproduce readily in the aquarium. You'll know they're in the mood when the males start coloring up and the females develop rounded bellies. After some frantic swimming and chasing, pairs will embrace and the females lay their eggs on spawning mops or fine-leaved plants like Java moss.
In densely planted, peaceful community set-ups, it's possible to find your school of Norman's lampeyes slowly expanding. You might think a spawning attempt has failed, only to find baby lampeyes emerging from the plants to join the main group after a few weeks of hiding out! For the best results, though, it's recommended to set up a separate spawning/rearing tank. This way neither the parents nor their tankmates can eat the eggs and fry, resulting in much higher survival rates. You can read all about how this works in our full guide to breeding and raising egg-scattering fish .
Poropanchax normani is the most common lampeye species in the aquarium hobby. Although they're not quite as popular or easy to find as the standard tetra or rasbora species, most specialized aquarium stores should carry Norman's lampeye killifish. Look for vibrant, active and colorful fish without any signs of fin damage or clamping.
You don't have to leave your home to find these killifish. We're delighted to offer you our healthy, tank-bred Norman's lampeyes , shipped right to your doorstep with The Shrimp Farm's live arrival guarantee! They'll be swimming around your tank before you know it, their beautiful blue eyes complimenting your aquascape like few other fish can.
Bragança, P. H., & Costa, W. J. (2019). Multigene fossil-calibrated analysis of the African lampeyes (Cyprinodontoidei: Procatopodidae) reveals an early Oligocene origin and Neogene diversification driven by palaeogeographic and palaeoclimatic events: Bragança PHN, Costa WJEM. Organisms Diversity & Evolution , 19 (2), 303-320.
Ezeanya, N. C., Chukwuma, G. O., Nwaigwe, K. N., & Egwuonwu, C. C. (2015). Standard water quality requirements and management strategies for fish Farming (A case study of Otamiri River). International Journal of Research in Engineering and Technology , 4 (3), 1-5.
Ogbukagu, I. N. (1984). Hydrology and chemistry of surface and groundwater resources of the Aguata area, SE Nigeria. Journal of African Earth Sciences (1983) , 2 (2), 109-117.
Rodríguez-Machado, S., Elías, D. J., McMahan, C. D., Gruszkiewicz-Tolli, A., Piller, K. R., & Chakrabarty, P. (2024). Disentangling historical relationships within Poeciliidae (Teleostei: Cyprinodontiformes) using ultraconserved elements. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution , 190 , 107965.
Romand, R. (1985). Feeding biology of Aplocheilichthys normani, Ahl, a small Cyprinodontidae from West Africa. Journal of fish biology , 26 (4), 399-410.
Van Der Zee, J. R., Bernotas, K., Bragança, P. H., & Stiassny, M. L. (2019). An unexpected new Poropanchax (Cyprinodontiformes, Procatopodidae) from the Kongo Central Province, Democratic Republic of Congo. American Museum Novitates , 2019 (3941), 1-12.