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I've pretty much decided on killies for my 6g and I have a bunch of questions

-I can either be bidding on eggs from AquaBid, right now I'm looking at A. australe and F. gardneri. My other option is purchasing a young pair of F. gardneri N'sukka online...any opinions on which is better to do?

-For whatever reason(s), is one of these a better choice than the other?

-Water pH is 7.6, is that ok for either species?

-Temp requirement?

-Preferred diet?

-How heavily should the tank be planted? Planted only or a mix of planted and floating?

-Spawning mops...required for both species? How large? How many?

-I see peak mentioned frequently; it it necessary? Where do I get it? How do I add it to the tank?

-If I do go with eggs arrive, how do I go about hatching them?

-This is thinking ahead, but would one species be more saleable than the other if things worked out well for me?

-Also thinking ahead, can either be kept in a community tank? My daughters have a 10g with platies and I was wondering if eventually I could give them a couple for their tank.

Links to websites with basic killie care and information would be apprecaited as well.

I know these sound like beginner questions, but with killies I feel like I'm venturing into new territory and am a beginner


Last edited by Theresa_M at 15-Apr-2005 11:08

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

-For whatever reason(s), is one of these a better choice than the other? Any choice is fine. Some people prefer eggs, some prefer fish. It's up to you.

-Water pH is 7.6, is that ok for either species?
7.6 is okay for both species, but if you're getting eggs, I would try to lower it a little bit. I don't know what I'm talking about... but around 7.6, my eggs tend to be more females. I think around 7.2 is good.

-Temp requirement?
Room temperature is good, also up to around 76ºF

-Preferred diet?
Live food and occasional flakes/pellets is ok.

-How heavily should the tank be planted? Planted only or a mix of planted and floating?
This is up to you. Plants would be good for your scenary basically. Doesn't really have to be heavily planted. Just some so that it would provide the fry with some infusoria when they hatch.

-Spawning mops...required for both species? How large? How many?
1-2 mops for a pair.. that's where they would spawn, you don't really need spawning mops until later on if you are purchasing eggs.

-I see peak mentioned frequently; it it necessary? Where do I get it? How do I add it to the tank?
You probably mean peat. Peat moss can be purchased at garden stores etc. It's not really needed, some can be used to lower pH. It's basically used for peat spawning fishes.

-If I do go with eggs arrive, how do I go about hatching them? They will probably be in water when they arrive, or some people put it in peat (helps stop the spread of fungus) If it's in water, you can keep it there until they hatch, usually 2-3 weeks after the collection date, and also depending on temperature. If they are in peat, you can keep it there until 2-3 weeks, or until they have eyed up. Then put them in water, and they should hatch soon after.

-This is thinking ahead, but would one species be more saleable than the other if things worked out well for me?
Most LFS doesn't have killis, so either one would be pretty saleable. Also, if you're selling to the public, the most colorful ones would probably sale better.

-Also thinking ahead, can either be kept in a community tank? My daughters have a 10g with platies and I was wondering if eventually I could give them a couple for their tank.
Yes they would work, depending on their tank mates. Some male gardneris would be a lil aggressive as to fin nipping and tryin to spawn with different fishes??? (lol, I seen it in my friends tank) It really depends on the tank mates.

Links to websites with basic killie care and information would be apprecaited as well.
www.killies.com

Good luck with everything, killies aren't really much different than regular fishes. Maybe just new personalities and striking colors =P

Thank you so much for your reply. I was actually hoping to hear from you since I remembered reading in another post that you'd kept a large number of them.

I just have one more question (for now ), if I end up purchasing fish instead of eggs should I get one or two pair?

And with either species is there agressive amongst the males?

(sorry that was two questions)

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

I'd have to agree with wheezo on most points. I've never found feeding them as much of a problem as people make out. They would survive just fine on dry food and breed ok with a mix of frozen and dry food. They go crazy over live tho Some are more reluctant to eat dry food than others but will eat it.

I'd recommend trying to get more females than males if you can. I find I have to give the female a break from the male if I only have a pair. Two pairs can also be a problem as the dominant male can harass then other a bit. More than that and the game of tag tends to even out more. Get 2 pairs and if a male gets beat up give him a holiday with the platies.

Any combo is ok but you may need to intervene occasionally if the female starts looking a bit tired. More plants and hidey-holes also helps bullied fish to get a break.

The only suggestion I'd give b/w australe and gardneri N'Sukka is that the australe may be less genetically robust from decades of aquarium breeding but it really comes down to a choice b/w blue/green and orange


Dean

All males tend to be somewhat aggressive towards one another. It's nice to watch them showoff to each other. =) I've kept 2 pairs of certain species together with not much problems, just give them places to hide. I had 2 spawning mops so each one could have one, but it didn't work out that way. They go anywhere. With Australe, I think it'll be okay to have more than a pair, with the Fundulopanchax' 1 pair should be enough.

Like what Dean said, having more females than males is also a good thing. A trio is the best I think.