Semi-annuals inhabit areas that may or may not dry up completely, while non-annuals occupy permanent bodies of water. Keeping killifish ranges from easy to difficult, depending on species.
While they do have a few special requirements, if you are looking for something a little different, killifish are well worth the effort! Killifish are found in tropical and sub-tropical waters on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. They inhabit temporary pools, swamps, creeks and shallow streams, while some species are known to venture into brackish estuary habitats.
Many killifish are found in habitats with overhanging trees and shrubs, which create subdued light and cooler temperatures. While many killifish come from soft acid water, captive bred strains that have been acclimated to local water conditions are becoming more common.
Before buying, it is good practice to research killifish carefully to find out what water conditions the fish were bred in. Preferred water conditions vary depending on species, but most killies do well at a pH of 6. Some seasoned killifish keepers do not use filters they do a lot of water changes! Do not forget to treat tap water with Aqueon Water Conditioner before refilling your aquarium! Many killifish are perfect for nano and desktop aquariums because of their small size.
For species tanks, a trio can be housed in 5 to 10 gallons, but a gallon or larger aquarium is recommended for community setups or if you want to keep more than one male. Once the eggs have been laid, the water and the parents should be removed and the substrate should be kept warm and moist for around 3 months. The eggs incubate in water, for a much shorter period of time. They will need a much barer tank. Some breeders like to include some fine-leafed plants; however, it can be difficult to remove the eggs from plants.
When you buy your killifish, you should choose healthy-looking fish, and also ensure they match the description of the species you are choosing. The killifish can be an enjoyable and rewarding breed to keep, especially if you want to breed them. Unfortunately many pet stores are just not adequately trained in providing the right advice.
Good luck with your future tanks! Love it. I did the same thing, with the same fish, from the same company. My male died within 3 days as well. I thought the same. His lip was broken. I do love my female. She has quite a character. Being territorial we have to work together. There are some tools she hates. And gives me maybe 5 mins at a time in the water. I own a 90 gallon w 23 species and counting.
And shes the head mother. Unfrozen krill ,freeze dried shrimp,white worms ,and live snails are her faves. I bought a killi at a big box pet store, and although it seems to be getting on fine with the other fish in my community tank, I suspect it ate my freshwater shrimp. I had a variety of shrimp including some larger Amanos and some smaller Neocaridina. The Amanos are fine, but all but one of the neos have disappeared. The remaining neo tends to hide in the base of a plant.
I have no trouble raising killies and other types of fish. I have bred and raised live- bearers, and egg layers for over 20 years. I sold a ton of fish to a large pet store.
I have been my salt water aquarium featured in a fish magazine 25 years ago. Plus praised highly for my success in breeding and raising Corydoras. That was also 25 years ago. Now I think everyone does it. So…with my experience…what am I doing wrong?
I am also waiting for very high quality and beautiful, show guppies. But I have greater hope of breeding them, as I have sold,many hundreds of them over the years. Plus Mollies, Zebra danios, leopard danios, etc.
Some cichlids. I had a professional breeder come and look at my fish set up. When he saw one of my female guppy breeders. He was amazed. The guppy was over 5 inches long, not counting tail fin. He catches a lot of fish in the wild, and said he had never seen a female guppy that size, except in the wild.
I think I was successful, because I raised my own food for them. Plus I used marbles as substrate in the breeding tanks. That way no babies got eaten. Anyway I raise several types of live feed now, and give the fish a big variety, including flakes, freeze dried and and frozen food as well.
ATM I am raising way too much feed for the fish I have now. So I freeze a lot too. Ok, back to my Killies. I have on order every kind of Killifish I could find. Plus at least I tried, with no success, to hatch. Breeding killifish is not too difficult, but different species often require different methods. There are a number of different killifish breeding techniques, both to suit the fish, and the needs of the keeper. Providing enough space, food and clean water for huge numbers of fry can be challenging, and sometimes it is better to raise a few superb fish, rather than a lot of ok ones.
This page explains in simple steps how to get your fish spawning, how to collect and store the eggs, and finally how to raise the fry. When to use this method This is an ideal breeding method for plant spawners. It is great if you are short on tankspace, but is certainly not the most productive. Leaving the fry to fend for themselves produces robust fish, and is the method of choice for a number of quick growing hardy species such as Fundulopanchax nigerianus which can soon fill a 2ft tank if well fed.
Another group of killifish that do well in such a set up are the Scriptaphyosemions , which don't seem to be be particularly predatory towards their young.
Tank setup This is best done in a larger tank. It should be full of plants; najas is ideal as it fills the whole tank from top to bottom, giving the most cover. Also Indian fern, java moss, java fern, hornwort and riccia. It is also useful to have a shallow gravel or sand substrate, providing shelter or at least an easier terrain in which to hide for the fry, and a ready source of infusorians.
Alternately, it can be filled with spawning mops, or a combination of both. The idea is to create unending hiding places and keep fry and larger fish apart from each other.
What next? Fry can be fished out and raised separately to avoid predation both by parents and larger siblings, or left to fend for themselves. Some species will be more affected by predation than others, and in many ways this is good, as it can prevent you being overrun by the more prolific species. Regular feedings of newly hatched artemia whether you have seen fry or not massively increases the success of this method.
When to use this method If you intend to collect eggs of plant spawning species spawning mops are the ideal solution. Mops are made from strands of synthetic 'wool' fibre real wool rots attached to a float a piece of polystyrene or cork. Fish deposit their eggs on the strands where they can be picked and stored in water or on damp peat, or left to develop on the mop. This really is the method of choice for species that do not lay large numbers of eggs: it allows the keeper to monitor the embryos development and hatch a batch of fry together, at convenient time, reducing cannibalism, and competition for food.
Tank setup The tank should ideally be empty apart from the mops and any filtration. Any kind of gravel or plants provides extra spawning places that are difficult to collect eggs from and will reduce the number laid on the mops.
Feed the parent fish well before introducing them to the mops. Be careful allowing trios into such a set up, as the 'second' femle may follow round the spawning pair, eating the newly laid eggs. The mops should be removed carefully, and squeezed gently to remove excess water- sometimes there will be a fish hiding in there so be very careful!
Either way, fungused eggs should be removed as soon as possible. It is also possible to move the entire mops to empty tanks or to place the damp mops in a plastic bag to allow them to incubate undisturbed.
Some eggs are light sensitive, so this should be born in mind when storing them. When to use this method A number of species prefer to spawn in some form of substrate such as peat.
These are typically annual fish such as Nothobranchius , Austrolebias and Simpsonichthys species. Tank setup The peat can cover the entire tank bottom or be placed in one or more spawning 'tubs'; plastic containers often with a lid with a hole, that the fish will spawn in.
Some species such as Nothobranchius require only a small amount of peat in fact they will spawn without it. These are sometimes referred to as ploughers. The purpose of the peat is more to prevent egg predation in these cases.
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