Killifish

[bullseyejoey]

So yesterday I picked up a pair (male and female) of killifish. They came from a special breeder to the pet store and the pet store guy said they should breed However, can anyone identify this species? female is the one in front and the male is the colorful one


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[lohachata]

looks like one of the fundulopanchax species ; possibly a variety ofgardneri..
what you really need is for the shop owner to tell you the species...
these are mop spawners...you will need to make a mop out of green yarn with a cork or piece of styrofoam rod to keep the top of it afloat..
keep the pair in a separate 2 1/2-5 gallon tank...the prefer temps in the low to mid 70's..
a sponge filter will work fine..
about once a week pull the mop and wring it out until it is slightly wet...then sort through it strand by strand and pick out the eggs...put them in a small covered container such as a margarine bowl or one of the disposable glad containers with some methylene blue and put it aside checking every day to see if eggs hatched...remove the fry to a filtered tank of about 5 gallons..
they will need a very fine "FRY" food...probably around 100 microns in size...they grow quick and should be mature within 2 months..
some killies will start breeding about 3 weeks after hatching..

[bullseyejoey]

Just to keep them, is 78 degrees good?


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[emc7]

I concur is looks like a F. gardneri to me also. Normal trop. temps and water parameters are okay. It is a hardy and tolerant fish. You do want some dense plant-like stuff so they can spawn and so the female can hide. You can make a mop out of dark acrylic yarn, put in plastic or silk plants or use something like water sprite. If you don't pick eggs, you can still get a few fry. Gardneri eggs don't have to dry out to hatch. They are large and adhesive.

You MUST cover the tank and any openings in the lid.

[bullseyejoey]

Are these enough plants? Anyway I think I watched them spawn, so ill keep checking my female


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[lohachata]

why would you want to keep checking the female ? she won't get pregnant , she is an egg layer...

[bullseyejoey]

Oh, Loha, they don't get fatter? Try just lay the eggs?


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[lohachata]

killes are continual spawners...they may lay anywhere from 2-20 eggs a day...that is why i suggest making a mop for them so you can pull the mop and collect the eggs...

[bullseyejoey]

I have no other tank unfortunately except my 5 gal which isn't set up yet. I would really like to keep this species and try to breed them. When I do get my 5 gal up and running I will do the mop thing.


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[emc7]

gardneri eggs are BB sized and kind of opaque off-white. The will be stuck in tight places like between roots. They hatch into guppie-fry sized fish that are big enough to take flake. Really about the best "beginner" killie you could've lucked into. The are a bit territorial, but you can have a dozen adults of both sexes in a 10 gallon easily.

[bullseyejoey]

Thanks for all the info. I truly think the fish I got is awesome I love both of them


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[bullseyejoey]

Emc, I would like to know what the genus name is. You only put "F. gardneri"


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[lohachata]

Fundulopanchax Gardneri.......

[bullseyejoey]

Ok thanks Loha


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