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Hey fishpeople,
LFS has pairs of these guys in and I am considering keeping them. Anyone have experience with them or a similar fish and wish to share pearls of wisdom related to them?

Thank you,

Aphyosemion australe is a great beginner's killi. They are typical hanging mop spawners. If I remember correctly they are a non-annual species and will live and breed for a couple of years in a properly maintained aquarium. They prefer soft and slightly acidic waters for spawning.

If you are interested in Killifish in general may I suggest you check out the American Killifish Association's website at:

www.aka.org

These guys are the real experts on these fish.

Jim

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

Aphyosemion australe has also been around in the hobby a long time - it was featured in the venerable Innes book.

It's definitely a good deal easier to maintain than some of the related Fundulopanchax killies that were once grouped with it - some of those are a headache. A truly gorgeous one is Fundulopanchax (Aphyosemion) bivittatum, which looks like it should be one of those fishes you show to people in order to demonstrate why you like keeping fish, but ... maintenance wise it's a LOT more of a headache than Aphyosemion australe.

Best results with A. australe come from taking note of the following:

[1] Although the species is fairly adaptable for maintenance purposes, it prefers soft, acidic water;

[2] If you want to breed the species, you NEED soft, acidic water;

[3] It is a kind of aquatic "mine canary", in that if conditions are favourable, it keeps its fins nicely spread, and if they aren't, it clamps up;

[4] For maintenance, 73 to 75 degrees F is your target temperature, rising to 78 or 80 for breeding;

[5] Spawning, if you aim for it, is spread over several days (use Java Moss as a substrate for best results), and eggs take 14 to 16 days to hatch after being laid;

[6] Fry require infusoria or liquid fry food for 7 to 14 days, then move on to newly hatched Brine Shrimp;

[7] You don't HAVE to filter its water over peat, but some people claim better results if you do - consider this an area for experimentation.

EDIT : Whoops, almost forgot. KEEP IT COVERED. These killies are rocket propelled jumpers - remember that the Blue Gularis, one of the worst offenders of the lot in the entire fishkeeping world, is related to A. australe. Regard them ALL as being bad jumpers, and keep them covered the way you would keep Hatchet Fishes or pantodon buchholzi covered, because these little killies are like Trident missiles when they want to be - leave the water and head for low earth orbit at speed!


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002