Killifish

[SVANZYL1982]

Hi Guys
I'm new to this whole post thing, and to this website ... and to breeding fish, it's a hobby I'm trying to start for my son (but I have developed a keen interest). Can anyone tell me where I can get Killifish eggs (besides PNP or homemark where they 're ripping you off) and then maybe a few pointers on hatching them.

Thanks

[Cheetah]

Killis is a very sensitive subject to discuss on this forum SVANZYL, as they are generally banned and blacklisted in SA... I myself have had 2 (or 3) topics on Killis closed by the Moderators, so I'll suggest (being new)..... to get a list of all black listed fish and plants (ak Henk Hugo) and refrain from discussing those here...... BTW!.... Welcome to the forum.

[MItchell]

Welcome to the forum!
Most Killis arent Blacklisted, only 4, all Nothos. I currently have about 3 species but getting 2 more soon. Please put your location in your profile, others on the forum have a larger variety than me.

[SVANZYL1982]

To Cheetah - What does blacklisted mean? Is it illegal? Why ? Who are the moderators? I know I sound very naive and inexperienced (which I am) but like I said, I 'm new to all of this!

To Mitchell - Will complete location now and I assume the killis from Homemark are n't blacklisted or else they would n't by sold..... I assume...

[Cheetah]

Yes.... Blacklisted fish are illegal to keep... just click on the link below and peruse the list...... I would think that the main reason for blacklisting fish in SA would be that they are all fish which are compatable to our water conditions..... People getting fedup with their fish release them in the dams and rivers and they survive and flourish causing an upset in the indigenous balance in our eco-system.....
http://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/showthread.php?78-Freshwater-Fish-Blacklist

Rory is the Administrator of this forum and then we have a couple of Moderators whom you'll get to know with time..... they are the guys trying to maintain order on the forum and scrutinizing every post or topic we make to ensure that we (the members) keep within the rules of the forum and do not "promote" (for instance) fish on the banned list as this puts the forum in a bad stance with authorities which may result in closure of the forum or fines being imposed......

I hope that helps to explain a little..... BTW.... Zoom, Gert Combrinck and (I think Big_G) are a few of the mods to mention a few,.... but if you want help real quick....... talk to Zoom..... (no offence to the other mods.... he! he!)

[Vis]

Marco and @Salmon Africa are the new mods.

I wish the guys who are so eager to say something is blacklisted will
rather just name the species that are not or suggest alternatives.

In most cases its just "its blacklisted so deal with it"

Not speaking directly to the guys that posted here but in general we have
that attitude.

Svanzyl I will pm you some details that might be able to help you with
some killi fish.

Gerhard

[Zoom]

Hi SVANZYL1982

Mods are:
Gert Crombrink
Big G
Rory (owner)
Marco
Zebra Pleco
Salmon Africa
and myself

We basically just keep the forum clean of spam, chancers, and the odd "braun" that decides to show up his / her attitude.

Thank you to Cheetah to directing to blacklist.

Yes, unfortunately "Blacklist" means that they are illegal in our country. Unfortunately being a government department etc, this blacklist is not actively policed as it should be, nor are people fully aware of the list, nor the implications these species will have in our natural environment. However, having said that, we on TASA believe that we will not condone, nor allow that trade, or the specific requirements being asked in order to "keep" any fish or plant that is on the Blacklist. We will however tolerate certain discussions on blacklisted species as long as the discussions do not entail specific "keeping" or trading.

And yes, Killifish are BL, however, not all of them. There are a few species that are not.

However I personally feel there are a lot more easier fish that will prove more rewarding and easier to keep than killifish, and would encourage you to explore our site and find out more information.

And finally: Welcome to our forum.

[SVANZYL1982]

Vis, thank you for being so nice about this subject, for a newby, the first impression can be quite hostile, I would appreciate some info thanks and I can't become educated if noones willing to educate.

[Herve]

Hi
I dont think you guys realise how many killifish species you get,and let me tell you MOST OF THEM ARE NOT BLACKLISTED.They are some of the easiest fish that I keep.
Most of my killi tanks dont have any filtration or heaters,nor have I had any killifish with white spot.So try them.
REGARDS
Herve

[SVANZYL1982]

I'm definitely keen, can I bother you for pointers anytime?

[MItchell]

Thanks Herve for helping to clear this up. The most commonly kept killifish I would say are Fundulopanchax, Aphysemion and Nothobranchius. Out of those three types only Nothos have some Blacklisted species. Out of the hundreds, maybe even thousands of Notho's, only 4 are blacklisted, and you will probably struggle to find them anyway. They are beautiful fish that are really easy to keep and breed, it a shame more people dont breed them.
Homemarks killifish havent been identified yet, though I can say its a type of Notho and because 1 of our blacklisted Notho's is so pretty, it could possibly be shipped in these kits. I would wait until the fish in these kits are identified before buying a kit, and even then reconsider because these kits are so expensive and promote bad fishkeeping.

[WitB1itz]

Hi
I have always had an interest in Killi fish but could never get hold of any.
Then the other day I saw some eggs being sold on EBay.

After some investigation I came across this thread.

Can anyone help me getting hold of some killi fish or eggs.
I would prefer non-annual's but annuals will do fine for a start.

Any advice will be welcomed.

Thank you
WitB1itz

[luquail]

yes wow killis have interested me for years just each time ive been talked out of keeping them.... such a pity

perhaps this year il give it a go. i believe petstop has a few and if there are other forum member willing to sell some please im very keen and i currently have an unused 2ft sitting outside eyeballing me.

who would be the best member to chat to about this? im in the pretoria area.

[Zoom]

I'm sure azurekoi could direct you into the right direction.

[Herve]

Hi guys
You can contact me,if you want some info on killis.I know PROF DIRK was advertising some golden ausrtale on ASAP.There is also a list of Killifish keepers on ASAP.

[Herve]

Sorry APSA

[azurekoi]

luquail - Sure Mark,will be glad to help out... Maybe catch up over the weekend or so?

[WitB1itz]

Sure...where do you want to meet?
My Saturday is a bit full but Sunday is open or even Friday afternoon.

[luquail]

yay!!! (except for the thread hijacking) but i got a trio of killies from petstop still doubtful on the species but our best guesses seem to point to (Aphyosemion cinnamomeum) could be horribly wrong :worried:...


still reading up plenty on these delightful little fish! lol so cute! i don't have enough posts to pm so can i get your email to correspond please... pm me ;)

[lithosza]

You can maybe post some pictures and I will try to identify

[azurekoi]

luquail - They are Fundulopanchax gardnerii - Wildcaughts from Nigeria - unfortunately we didnt recieve a specific location on them and the males where still way to small when I was still there to possitively have a go at identifying the location...

[luquail]

wow thank you! yes its bunches easier to research when you have the correct species :)

and definitely killies are growing on me. im having a little trouble getting them to eat properly.... baby guppies seem to be working but the normal food and the frozen lobster eggs dont seem to be making much impact on them.

any other advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.... also the all important how to get more others!!!! :D yay!

busy cycling 3ft and busy scheming where the other 2ft needs to live!!! hahahaha

[azurekoi]

Start a Brine shrimp hatchery dude - best thing for them + you WILL need it for fry....

[luquail]

1083210833

here the pics. sorry just woke them up so they not smiling....

[luquail]

cant seem to get my water much cooler then 25-26 seems the outside 3ft is a comfortable 20 so if it stays a problem especially as we move into summer proper il move them outside... water a little brown a few plants... dont yet have a PH test kit but its rietondale water (dunno if that helps)

mmm anything else you need to know?

oh they eating!!! yay :) and the males chasing the female around a bit.... :blink:

[lithosza]

Hmm, it is a bit difficult to identify that gardneri when it is so small. The first part is to try and figure out wat species it is:
Fundulopanchax gardneri gardneri: http://www.aka.org/wak/Ref_Library/Fundulopanchax/Fp.gar.gar.htm
or
Fundulopanchax gardneri clauseni: http://www.aka.org/wak/Ref_Library/Fundulopanchax/Fp.gar.clauseni.htm
or
Fundulopanchax gardneri lacustris: http://www.aka.org/wak/Ref_Library/Fundulopanchax/Fp.gar.lacustris.htm
or
Fundulopanchax gardneri mamfensis: http://www.aka.org/wak/Ref_Library/Fundulopanchax/Fp.gar.mamfensis.htm
or
Fundulopanchax nigerianus: http://www.aka.org/wak/Ref_Library/Fundulopanchax/Fp.nigerianus.htm

My guess is that it might be 'gardneri gardneri'. Unfortunately you don't have a location code so whatever species it turns out to be you will have to add 'Aquarium strain' after the species name.


dont yet have a PH test kit but its rietondale water (dunno if that helps)

I wouldn't worry about that too much. They should be fine as long as you don't play around with water parameters.


oh they eating!!! yay :) and the males chasing the female around a bit.... :blink:

You need to give them some spawning mops that they can play in :idea:

[luquail]

oooh those are cool links.... :D thanks! @lithoza

spawning mop?? :huh: the wool tied to styrofoam??? are they big enough to be getting up to that kind of shannagans?

oh have i mentioned these are awesome fishies!

[lithosza]

spawning mop?? :huh: the wool tied to styrofoam??? are they big enough to be getting up to that kind of shannagans?
They might try, but I have noticed alot of the eggs will be infertile and fungus away. Once they get a little older then more of the eggs seem to be viable.

You can make one mop that sinks and another that floats with cork or styrofoam(I think). You should just make sure that the wool is synthetic and not natural wool. Try to find a nice darkish color like dark green.
Two links that show how to make them:
http://www.petfish.net/articles/Killifish/mop.php
http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/killi/spawningmop.php

[lithosza]

I don't think it is a 'garderi garderi'. The fin patterns look like 'gardneri clauseni'.
'gardneri gardneri' has a spotted anal fin while 'gardneri clauseni' has a line in in the anal fin. The same with the claudal fin, the yellow bands on the sides goes inwards rather than outwards like 'gardneri gardneri'. 'gardneri gardneri' is also more spotted, but this might be because the fish is still young.

[luquail]

aah thanks for that! :D

now to get some brine shrimp going, fatten them up for the shananagans.... mmm some places say put said eggs in peat other leave em in shallow water and still other leave them in the tank what will you suggest for a complete noob?

[lithosza]

Keep the eggs in shallow water. If all the eggs starts fungussing then you can try to adding very little methylene blue to the container with the eggs.
If that still doesn't work then you can try putting the eggs in peat and once the eggs have started to develop you can move them back to water.

Other issues that could lead to fungussed eggs is dirty water, killies still too young, diet not good enough or the water is a bit too hard.
The eggs take longer to develop in peat so that is a good way to send eggs to other people accross the country.

[luquail]

i got some shallow plastic dishes so il just pop a lid on them and float them in the aquarium??

then water changes? im doing about 25% every week about or if i walk past the tank and it looks a little manky
is there a specific trigger like letting it stand shallow for a while?

and how brown should the water be? mines like 1rooibos teabag inna thin 1.5ft that the two adults are in...

thanks for the help sorry im brimming with questions, but it seems there are sooo many alternates just wanna know what people have used that worked for them.

[lithosza]

i got some shallow plastic dishes so il just pop a lid on them and float them in the aquarium??

Yip


then water changes? im doing about 25% every week about or if i walk past the tank and it looks a little manky
is there a specific trigger like letting it stand shallow for a while?


25% a week is fine. I try not to change too much and too often, because I'm always not sure if I would be negatively impacting the nitrogen cycle in a way or distrupting the bacteria. Don't wash your filter media with tap water. Use tankwater instead and always keep about atleast 50% of the filter media behind when you are about to replace some of it. I also always use an anti-chlorine that removes chloramine, because I am very paranoid


and how brown should the water be? mines like 1rooibos teabag inna thin 1.5ft that the two adults are in...

That should be okay, If you have bogwood/driftwood or peat in your tank then it will make the water slightly brownish. Nothing wrong with it.


thanks for the help sorry im brimming with questions, but it seems there are sooo many alternates just wanna know what people have used that worked for them.

No problem :)

One of the most important things that beginners forget about is the lid. Always remeber to put back the lid. If you leave it off for a few mins and quickly turn your back they will jump out of the tank. Also make sure there are no gaps between the lid where they can jump out of. They find the smallest gaps. lol

[luquail]

yes the lid thing is the reason i only have two left....:(

thanks again il be changing to a sponge filter soon my babie guppies are eating of the ones in the other tank (yay for free growth) wil get the spawning mops sorted the weekend proper and hopefully have some updates :D

using "aquasafe", from tetra, with all the water changes.
heard i can just bubble air through a bucket of water for a day or two but im very skeptical??? maybe il do it and just keep a close eye.

thanks for everyones advice and sorry for hijacking said thread.

[luquail]

overjoyed spotted my very first killi egg just now!!!!

i tried with the peat they ignored it flat but it did set off much more shananagans.... egg spotted on the floating plants so il do the spawning mops definitely monday.

[lithosza]

Nice, any news on the eggs? Are they developing or getting fungus on them?

[luquail]

yay yay...

unfortunately fishing out the first batch of eggs didn't happen... and they all got eaten:(

but just now i popped in spawning mops let them at it and went strand by strand and removed 12 eggs!!!!!!!! wow got them in a tup floating in the parents water. some dude on the internet said i need to put some peat in with the water so ive got them like that.

anyone know how long about do i need to wait?

read abot the a. erberti being like 12 days??? could this a. calliurum also go so fast???

gosh im excited :bigsmile:

and there must be an easier way then strand by strand!!!!

[luquail]

managed to pull out 15 eggs this evening! study day so i left the mops in the whole day...

managed to take a few pic too... sorry about the quality... one day i'll learn how to use a camera :P

11452114531145411455

the little clay pot is just a weight... what i noticed, when i had them in the other tank, was that as soon as i put the peat bucket in they started spawning (totally ignored the peat though) so i took a stocking filled it with a hand full of peat tied it off and made a little peat ball, that's floating there inside the upturned pot, releases very slowly.

discovered the easiest way is to remove the mop, squeeze most of the water out and then somewhere nice and light go through the mop picking off the eggs gently, (when they on your finger just touching the bak with the tank water in releases them), i suggest going through the mop 4-5 times and then some.

oh and they were eating this great little red food that petstop pre-packs but since i gave them mosquito larvae that's stopped:notrust:

they've eaten mosquito larvae and extra baby guppies so far.

[lithosza]

Nice stuff, I don't think the peat is really required. They will still go and spawn on the mop without the peat.
btw it looks like a different species or is that still the same species that you took a picture of last time?

[Reedfish]

Nice stuff, I don't think the peat is really required. They will still go and spawn on the mop without the peat.
btw it looks like a different species or is that still the same species that you took a picture of last time?

Never had killis myself.
But is the peat not required for 2 reasons. To help the water attain the correct ph? And I have also read that peat has certain anti bacterial/anti fungal properties which is beneficial to the eggs.

[azurekoi]

luquail - Congrats Mark !!! Little dudes have grown in nicely!! Soon you will have some F1 babies to brag with!

[luquail]

lithosza makes sense that the peat shouldnt/wouldnt be required since they ignore it flat but as reedfish said the ph is probably the trick.


But is the peat not required for 2 reasons. To help the water attain the correct
i recon you probably right i read something like that too. i read it as anti-fungal properties in relation to plant roots; soon as i come across the link i'll put it up.
and i set up two containers to check (one with some peat and one without) in the no-peat container i've had to remove 3 eggs bringing the count down to 12 but in the peat container(also12) i strain my eyes looking for eggs :huh: so i have no idea how they doing. i could, i suppose, wait for them to hatch and count fry :)

yes they are the same just grown up a little more! aphyosemion calliurum ill be seeing if i can track down where they were collected later this week.

anyone tried some remedies to deal with eggs molding? i have lost 3 in two days i do little water changes to the buckets etc but if another miffs i going to have to do something about it.

final question live food.... cos these guys are now refusing the little discus pellets (ever seen a kid looking at broccoli)

read up about all the different types and how to keep them ....buuuut i need starter cultures and a few finer pointers! please if you got a culture and you dont mind helping a brother out :) im in the pretoria area pm me with a price then i can come get please!
also algae the type they use for culturing daphnia i need a little unless you know if they enjoy hair algae cos i got heaps of that!

[luquail]

woohoo new friends!!! sorry about the quality
11525

Aplocheilus lineatus

picked them up from petstop this afternoon.
so far they've eaten my regular fish food and 4 baby crickets! these are definitely gonna be great fun.

[luquail]

all my eggs miff'd :cry:

will try again next week....

[azurekoi]

Either unfertilized(Your male's still quite young...) or next time just add a bit of Methylene blue to the water....

[luquail]

asked today at the pharmavalue place for Methylene blue the dude just looked at me funny.... i did ask him for glutaraldehyde as well so he was probably just trying to get rid of me.

where do you get it and how much is it about?

one or two are...or did get eyes. but no worries next time il just be better prepared!