Emerald Green Lampeye

About

This is the lampeye shops list as Poropanchax macrophthalmus, and that name is a junior synonym. FishBase's synonym table for Poropanchax luxophthalmus (Brüning, 1929) records "Poropanchax macrophthalmus (Meinken, 1932)" as a junior synonym — along with Aplocheilichthys macrophthalmus, Micropanchax macrophthalmus and Aplocheilichthys dispar — and the species page carries the taxonomic remark "Commonly misidentified as Aplocheilichthys macrophthalmus in scientific literature", citing Van der Zee, Woeltjes and Wildekamp's 2008 treatment of the Lower Guinea Poeciliidae. Ask FishBase for the macrophthalmus page and it hands you this one. The fish in the bag is real; it is the label that has not moved on. It is also not Norman's lampeye, though the two arrive under the same trade word at the same price. Fishipedia gives the field mark: "This species is very similar to the Poropanchax normani, but can be distinguished by the presence of blue lines along its flank." FishBase describes those lines in full — two longitudinal rows of large, light blue, blue-green or green iridescent spots on the lower half of a male's body, sometimes with a shorter third row between them — while both species carry the reflective blue spot in the upper iris that names the whole group. Range separates them too. Where P. normani spans half a continent, this is a Lower Guinea coastal-plain fish held to southern Togo, southern Benin, southern Nigeria and western Cameroon, in small rivers and brooks running through swampy rainforest. And then there is the part the shelf never mentions: FishBase rates P. normani "easy to maintain in the aquarium" and this species "very difficult to maintain in aquarium", while killi.co.uk, whose entire subject is killifish, calls it "A delicate species with very subtle colouration." That difficulty is not annualism, though — the same FishBase sentence opens "It is not a seasonal killifish", so the eggs never need a dry rest and a fish that dies at ten months died of something you can find. Aquarium Glaser supplies the detail that turns that difference into something you can act on: "Experienced aquarists prefer to keep this species in medium hard to hard water for the fish are much hardier under these conditions." A soft, acid blackwater tank is the wrong home for it — which is the opposite of what the words "African killifish" usually get people to build.

Care

Ten is the floor, not the target: Aquarium Glaser says the species "should never be kept in groups with less than ten specimens". Give that group about 70 L on a 60 × 30 cm base, effectively a species tank — Fishipedia's 50 L recommendation is written for a group of five. Keep it warm, 24–27 °C, inside the 22–28 °C that FishBase and Aquarium Glaser both give. The water is the counterintuitive part: FishBase gives pH 6.0–8.0 and 5–12 °dGH, and Aquarium Glaser is explicit that experienced keepers use medium-hard to hard water because the fish are hardier in it. Salt is not required — Aquarium Glaser mentions the traditional teaspoon per 10 litres and then says "this is not necessary", its only real benefit being that Artemia nauplii live longer. A dark tank, dark substrate and alder cones; the iridescence only reads against dark. Unlike Norman's lampeye, this one wants movement: killi.co.uk says it "does best with plenty of room for swimming and some current within the tank". Feed live and frozen. Aquarium Glaser calls the fish "absolutely peaceful against all other fish", so the limit on tankmates is not temperament but the fish's own fragility and 4 cm length.

Diet

Micropredator on worms, crustaceans and insects. Artemia nauplii are an important part of the aquarium diet, backed with cyclops, daphnia, moina and other small live and frozen foods. Match particle size to a 3–4 cm surface feeder; dry food alone will not carry it.

Telling males from females

What works for this species, most reliable first.

• Colour and patternStrong · from about 6 months, and only on a settled fish

  In rainbowfish, killifish and several barbs the male carries the colour — deeper and more saturated, intensifying further when he displays.

• Extended finsStrong · from about 8 months, and later in a suppressed male

  On many cichlids and killifish the male's dorsal and anal fins draw out into trailing points as he matures, while the female's stay rounded.

Also in these lists

Similar species

Same category and the closest water parameters — if this species isn't quite it, start here.

Sold in Lithuania

These Lithuanian shops listed this species in their public catalogue (checked August 8, 2026). Stock moves — ask before you travel.

These links are unpaid: we get nothing for them and ask for nothing.

Frequently asked questions

What tank size does a Emerald Green Lampeye need?

A Emerald Green Lampeye needs an aquarium of at least 70 litres (18.5 US gallons) with a footprint at least 60 cm (23.6 in) long — for this species, swimming length matters as much as raw volume.

What water parameters does a Emerald Green Lampeye need?

Emerald Green Lampeye does best at 22–28 °C (71.6–82.4 °F), pH 6–8 and a general hardness of 5–12 °dGH.

What group size does a Emerald Green Lampeye need?

Emerald Green Lampeye is a social species — keep a group of at least 10 so natural behaviour emerges and stress stays low.

Is the Emerald Green Lampeye suitable for beginners?

Emerald Green Lampeye is a demanding species best attempted with some experience — it needs stable, closely watched conditions to thrive.

Sources

• FishBase — Poropanchax luxophthalmus
• FishBase — Synonyms of Poropanchax luxophthalmus
• FishBase — Poropanchax-macrophthalmus.html resolves to Poropanchax luxophthalmus
• Aquarium Glaser — Aplocheilichthys luxophthalmus (= Poropanchax luxophthalmus)
• killi.co.uk — Poropanchax luxophthalmus luxophthalmus
• Fishipedia — Emerald green lampeye, Poropanchax luxophthalmus