Aquarists usually think of the African killifishes of the genus Aplocheilichthys when they hear the term „lampeye fish“. However, there are also lampeyes among the livebearers! One of them is Giradinus falcatus.
The shining eyes of the fish have the same sense as in their African cousins: they are used to keep the school together. Giradinus falcatus are real school fish. In contrast to their colorful relatives (guppys, platies, swordtails…) they hardly ever fight with each other.
If the fish are kept in relatively dark aquaria the shining eyes look really amazing! G. falcatus is an absolutely peaceful animal. On the other hand it is a bit delicate and so it never should be kept together with tough or quarrelsome species.
Females can give birth for up to 50 young. The adults do not hunt the young, but nevertheless it is better to let them grow up to a size of approx. 1 cm in a seperate tank. Then they can become integrated in the school of the adults. It is a fascinating look to see shining spots of different sizes swim around as if by magic!
Lexicon: Girardinus: in honour for the American zoologist C. F. Girard. Falcatus: Latin for „sicklelike“ or „crooked“.
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
