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I am seriously considering venturing into the wonderful world of Killifish - was wondering if perhaps any of the members here have or have had Killies?? Many years back there was an article in TFH about them but I hadn't seen them really take hold (as in show up in fish shops) before now. A couple of our LFS's have begun carrying some (mostly the golden wonders....nice but I am thinking of ordering something even nicer)and I am finding myself taken in by them again. Anyway - I have been researching them exetnsively (always better to research BEFORE you bring them home and plop them in your tank) but none of the other fish fanatics I know have any experience w/them........anyone??

I've kept a few species - A. australe, A. bitaeniatum, and my favorite, P. annulatus. Oh, and Golden Wonders of course.
What do you want to know? It's a pretty varied group, so it's tough to generalise, but basically - plants, a bit of space, soft water, salt for certain species (Nothos especially), peat for the substrate divers and egg mops or some equivalent for the rest, etc.

-Molly
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Well, since this will be my first killi adventure I suppose my first question is what type would you think of as a good "beginner" species? I am not new to fishkeeping by any means (20 years in the hobby now) but have never had this particular type of fish. I do have experience in maintaining soft/acidic/peat tanks (South American cichlids and tetras are some of my favorite fish) so from what I have read thus far on them it is a start.
At the moment I have the following empty tanks (have only set up 2 since our last move...had been resisting the temptation to get them all back up and running - or better yet add new tanks - fairly well until now, lol) a 29 gallon and two 5 gallons......any good place to start with killis in either of those sizes??

Australe is a very common beginner's choice, and for good reason. It's a lovely species, comes in a couple of color varieties, and is easy to spawn. You could easily have a pair (and then a bit of a family) in one of the 5 gals.
For the other, perhaps try out an annual - gardneri would be a good option, beautiful, widely available, not too fussy, easy to spawn, etc.
I gotta run but the site's got a number of people more killi-inclined than I who can help you out.

-Molly
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I've kept A. australe and agree that it is an appropriate beginner killi. You may want to check out the American Killifish Association site:

http://aka.org/modules/tinycontent3/

Jim

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Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody. -- Mark Twain

Thank you both so much.........now, to figure out how I can set up the tank w/out my hubby noticing, lol.....

You are on the right track as far as research goes. But research water parameters as well, as there are many that come from hard water, and higher ph levels as well. Also, don't think all killis remain small, as several get quite large, over 5+ inches. Not all are annuals (only live a year or so), and in fact the majority of killis are not annuals.


Some good beginners;

Most all Epiplatys;
annulatus (clown killi)
bifasciatus
sexfasciatus

Most Aphyosemion;
australe
bitaeniatum
bivitattum
gardneri (most common, with multiple locales)

Fundulopanchax;
gardneri (most common, with multiple locales)
walkeri
gularus (gets 5+ inches, one of the more beautiful)

Rivulus;
cylindricus
xiphidius


HTH....


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There is always a bigger fish...

The latest TFH has another article on killifish by the way.

"The latest TFH has another article on killifish by the way. "

Ooh, thanks for the tip -- I just put in a subscription (my neice was selling them for a school thing....I'm such a sucker, lol) but of course it hasn't kicked in yet so I guess this is a good excuse to make a trip to the LFS

I'd suggest starting with a plant spawning, semi-annual from the Aphyosemion or Fundulopanchax family. For me they are the most beautiful, easy to keep and breed. The 5gal tanks you have would be perfect. Just add some dark gravel and some plant (floating plants and java moss are great).

I'd recommend 1 or 3 or males (ie don't get two) and more females than males (if that makes any sense).

Fundulopanchax gardneri, Aphyosemion australe or pretty much any from those families would be great. Check the species profiles on http://www.killifish.f9.co.uk/Killifish/Killifish%20Website/Index.htm for any particular species you like the look of.

Dean

I've kept over 50 different species of killifishes. I'd say the easiest are aphyosemions and fundulopanchax. I wouldn't say the others are much more difficult. I would suggest f. gardneri species or a. lamberene/ a. australe. Those are some of the fishes that I have started with. I am killi crazed... always looking for more.