Home / Fishes / Killifish and livebearers / Cyprinodon brontotheroides
No federal permit to keepCyprinodon brontotheroides
Cyprinodon brontotheroides
Fishes › Killifish and livebearers (Cyprinodontiformes) › Cyprinodontidae (Pupfish)
Cyprinodon brontotheroides, the molluscivore or durophage pupfish, is a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cyprinodontidae, the killifishes.
Care at a glance
Species-specific aquarium care
- Tank: At least 24 in long and 12 in front to back for one adult (adults commonly reach about 1.4 in / 3.61 cm).
- Water: Freshwater.
- Layout: Uses both the bottom and open water: give open swimming space plus cover near the substrate.
- Availability: Rarely or never seen in the aquarium trade; expect to source it from specialists or not at all.
Calculated from this species' own FishBase record: tank size from its typical adult length and swimming zone, water values from its recorded ranges. The group guide below fills in general care.
Care guide
Species care notes
- Behaviour: a shoaling fish best kept in a group of six or more; not a community fish.
- Difficulty: Moderate (Seriously Fish rating).
Short excerpts from the species profile:
- Diet: “This species is a specialised durophage, i.e., a predator of hard-shelled invertebrates, particularly gastropods and ostracods.”
- Breeding: “Males guard breeding territories in midwater from 0.5 to 1 m depth, and although breeding has been observed year-round it seems to be most common in spring.”
From the Seriously Fish profile for this species, which has the full habitat, maintenance, diet, behaviour and breeding write-up 167
Pupfish
Applies to most species in this group. Habitat: These fish occupy shallow vegetated fresh or saline waters, ranging from Florida marshes to coastal lagoons and the isolated Devils Hole pool. [fg179-flag, fg179-sheep, fg179-fws]. Individual species can differ, so compare with the species numbers above and the linked sources.
Housing & setup
- For a flagfish pair, use at least a 60 × 30 cm footprint; groups need more room.
- Break sightlines with plants or spawning mops to provide cover between territorial males.
- Use sponge filtration when eggs or fry are present.
- Encourage filamentous algae for flagfish grazing.
- Flagfish: pH 6.5–8.5 and 2–20 dGH; establish species and population requirements before choosing fresh or saline conditions.
Climate & lighting
| Water | 64.4–86°F |
Diet
- Algae or an algae-containing prepared food for flagfish.
- Small live or frozen Artemia and Daphnia.
- Small bloodworms and other appropriately sized invertebrate foods.
Social life
- Flagfish males form territories; keep groups only with sufficient cover and space. Species-only maintenance is preferable for breeding.
Health watch
- Aggression injuries under overcrowded conditions; a general aquarium-fish risk.
- Ammonia-associated gill damage in inadequately cycled systems.
- Skin parasites or secondary bacterial infections introduced with new fish.
Understanding the animal
About this animal
About this animal
This species is endemic to San Salvador Island in the Bahamas.
Quoted from the Wikipedia article “Cyprinodon brontotheroides” (CC BY-SA 4.0) 174
In the wild
In the wild
From this species’ own FishBase record (habitat, bottom type, water and breeding data), not its family. Good care copies these conditions.1
| Where it lives | Lives in freshwater, in lakes. Uses both the bottom and open water. Inhabits six hypersaline lakes (Crescent Pond, Osprey Lake, Oyster Lake, Little Lake, Wild Dilly Pond and Moon Rock Pond). Sympatric with Cyprinodon variegatus in all six lakes and with C. desquamator in four of the six lakes (except Wild Dilly Pond and Moon Rock Pond). Feeds on gastropods and ostracods. Spawning occurs in spring and summer seasons, but may be more common in the spring. Breeding territories are guared by males. |
| Water it lives in | Freshwater. |
| Climate | Tropical climate. |
From the sources
From the sources
Quoted from the matching sections of reputable sources for this exact species. Specialist databases are used first; Wikipedia (community-edited, CC BY-SA 4.0) only fills gaps. Other sources are short credited quotes.
| Overview | Cyprinodon brontotheroides, the molluscivore or durophage pupfish, is a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cyprinodontidae, the killifishes. This species is endemic to San Salvador Island in the Bahamas. — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
| Where it lives | Home ranges Population dynamics Growth parameters Max. ages / sizes Length-weight rel. Length-frequencies Mass conversion Recruitment Abundance Life cycle Reproduction Maturity Maturity/Gills rel. — FishBase |
| Appearance and size | Cyprinodon brontotheroides is durophagous. It has a large in-lever to out-lever ratio for closing its lower jaw with force and a protruding, reinforced nasal region probably used for crushing its specialized diet of ostracods and gastropods. They breed in the spring and the breeding territories are guarded by the males. — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
| Biology | Inhabits six hypersaline lakes (Crescent Pond, Osprey Lake, Oyster Lake, Little Lake, Wild Dilly Pond and Moon Rock Pond). Sympatric with Cyprinodon variegatus in all six lakes and with C. desquamator in four of the six lakes (except Wild Dilly Pond and Moon Rock Pond). Feeds on gastropods and ostracods. — FishBase |
| History and naming | Cyprinodon brontotheroides was first formally described in 2013 by Christopher H. Martin and Peter C. Wainwright with its type locality given as Crescent Pond, San Salvador Island. The genus Cyprinodon is classified within the pupfish subfamily, Cyprinodontinae, belonging to the killifish family, Cyprinodontidae, which belongs to the suborder Cyprinodontoidei of the order Cyprinodontiformes. — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
Data and studies
The numbers
The numbers
Each bar is what one source reports. Where several sources weigh in, the dashed gold band marks their average.
Sources for this sheet
- FishBase (Froese & Pauly, eds.), version 24.07 Peer-reviewed researchThe global scientific database on fishes, maintained by a consortium of research institutions; every value is referenced.
- Seriously Fish species profiles Experienced keeper or breederLong-running aquarium reference written and peer-checked by experienced fishkeepers and ichthyologists; each profile covers habitat, tank size, water, diet, behaviour and breeding.
- Seriously Fish: Jordanella floridae Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- FishBase: Cyprinodon variegatus Peer-reviewed researchAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- US Fish and Wildlife Service: Inside Devils Hole Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Disorders and Diseases of Fish Zoo, university or veterinaryAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Wikipedia (species article) Community referenceFree encyclopedia; useful overviews with their own citations. Intro text is quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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