Raising and breeding annual killifish

How to hatch and breed killifish
Killifish can be classified into 2 groups - those that are annual killifish and those that are not annual killifish. Annual killifish tend to have short lifespans - typically less that a year and as a result the fish reach maturity quickly. Annual killifish have lifespans of a few years and take longer to reach maturity. The following instruction is from experience in hatching, growing and spawning N. Eggersi killifish.
Step 1:
Identify which type of killifish is deing dealt with. Annual killifish require a period of "dryness" in order for the eggs to develop whereas non annual killifish do not. This instuction will deal with annual killifish. During the "dry" period the spawning medium should remain damp but not wet for a specified time period depending on the species of killifish
Step 2:
Killifish fry are tiny and will need infusoria or other tiny food source as their first food. This should be ready before any attempt to hatch the killifish eggs is undertaken.
Step 3:
Place the spawning medium in a shallow container containing aged water. Water from a mature tank is ideal but is not critical as long as the water is aged. Float the container in a tank to maintain a warm water temperature. Anytime from a couple of hours to a couple of days fry should start appearing. Allow the fry to develop for a few days before moving them to a small aquarium in which there is not a strong flow of water. During this time infusoria should be fed taking care not too overfeed thereby spoiling the water quality. If water changes are performed these should be of minimal volume and caution needs to be taken not to injure the fry. Water used should be of similar quality to the water used when initially hatching the fry.
Step 4:
The fry should grow rapidly. As they grow in size they can be fed newly hatched brine shrimp or finely crushed flake food. By 2 to 3 months the fry should have grown to adult size and the males and females should be able to be distinguishable.
Step 5:
Once the fish have reached maturity the adults can be spawned to restart the life cycle. For this a small container with high sides will be needed to ensure that the spawning medium is not dispersed throughout the aqurium once spawning takes place. A small container with a hole cut into the lid is also acceptable. Place the spawning medium (typically peat moss) into the container and add tank water. Allow the peat to saturate and sink to the bottom of the container. Now place the container containing the spawning medium in the aquarium with the adult fish. Spawning should take place fairly easily.
Step 6:
After 2 weeks remove the container with the spawning medium from the aquarium. Remove the spawning medium and squeeze it so that it remains damp but not wet. Store it in a bag somewhere where it will not dry out completely for a period of time determined by the species of killifish that was spawned. As the eggs develop the fry inside becomes more visiable. Once the fry looks fully developed (by a clearly seen eye staring out from the egg) it is ready to be hatched. After this period start again at step 1.

 

Thanks very much for the write up Brenton. Definitely gonna use this as a reference. Could you tell us more about infusoria?

 

Infusoria are mostly single cells organisms like amoebe (spelling?) that grow in "green" water. Google "infusoria". IMHO great for very small fry but far too small and ineffective for killis. Microworms and bbs is king.

 

Thanks Francoisve. You are the man with all the experience. Please feel free to add to anything that I have overlooked/left out. As I stated I drew this up from my experience a few years back on a single species of killis that I spawned for a few generations.

 

Only 1 year experince in Killis but learning every day... You got the basics covered!!!

 

Follow this link.......to someone who just explained like a pro.and it was easy to do it