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I have never seen a killifish before, and am willing if anyone here is particularly acquainted with this fine species/genus or whatever........ I have seen killie eggs for sale on ebay, and wondering if they are trustable and nice looking. I ahve a few pics i looked up, but i was wondering how large these things get. I would like to add them to our new 55 (actually it is all mine!) What fish are they compatible with? Also, what kind of fish are they? Caracins? Cyprinids?

All im saying is that killies are a wonderful idea for me, and i want to have a little more info before purchasing them! Thanks in advance!

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Hi,
This site and its links should answer any question
you might come up with about the various killifish:

http://www.aka.org/aka/modules/content/index.php?id=1

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Killifish are technically cyrinidototiformes who belong to the families aplocheilidae,mostly african and old world fish which also include panchax.


Most killies are beautiful sometimes seasonal or annual fish (although some live longer) fish, often adapted to die at young ages and reproduce quickly.They usually live in pools that dry up every year or every couple of years. The eggs are capable of a diapause so they survive under dried mud and hatch again when the rains come. They are among some of the most beautiful fish you can keep, they have great personalities and looks. Only lookout is not to buy specimens that are fully grown unless youre all kitted out for breeding them, the adults of many species dont live very long, often no more than 6 to 18 months depending on the species. Full size adults in shops may only have a few months left on the clock. There are species that will live several years however, so make sue you do your research for longer lived specimens.

Because of the short lifespans, if you want to keep enjoying killifish, you should make an effort to breed them. Better in species tanks than in community for this reason along with a degree of shyness. They can be shy and nervous feeders, although they may suit a small community of small fish ok at times.

One of the best things about killies is the ability to readly acquire the eggs from other hobbyists and then hatch them out in your own tanks. This saves you money on shipping, but it's pretty fun to receive a package of what appears to be dried out peat or some other substance, place it in an aquarium and in a few days have baby killies. Just like magic.

And as stated they are some of the most colorful and beautiful fish available. Check out the AKA as Frank suggested as it's full of info on them and how you can get your own.

Jim

---

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

Thats neat! I never knew that, LHG, and Frank, the website is wonderful, and i have looked and decided to get a killie tank. What is their minimum size? I would like to also know if i have to replicate the rise and fall of the water levels. Are they agressive? What is the average ph of the killie world. I just saw some on ebay and am planning to get some one day. 2.00 for an egg packet.

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What is their minimum size?

It depends on the killi you are planning on getting. As some stay smaller than an inche, and in fact the smallest one, which is a native to the US, only gets to one cm long. I kept a colony of these going for over 10 years in just a 2 1/2 gal tank with a small sponge filter and some java moss.

I would like to also know if i have to replicate the rise and fall of the water levels.

Again, it depends on the killi you are looking at. Some will most definitely require this. But those are for the more experienced killi keeper. And, these killis fall into the substrate spawners vs the plant spawners.

Are they agressive?

Again, it depends on the killi you are looking for. Mostly they are not. Many of the killis that are of the larger size, will eat any other fry found in the tank, including pleco fry. In some species, the males are strongly dominant over other males, and depending on the size of the tank, they may kill off all the other males in the tank. But mostly, they are a peaceful fish otherwise, and mostly always peaceful with other non-conspecific fishes in the tank.

What is the average ph of the killie world.

Again (lol, lots of repetivenss here, lol), it depends on the killi you are looking at. As they come from different areas of the world, and as such, they also come from different water parameters, including but not limited to, ph, hardness, and temps.

There are a ton of different species, as well as genus, in the killi fish world. They come from many different places on the earth. And, relatively speaking in comparison to the number of species, there are limited numbers of them available to the hobby. You should look for specifics of the species you can aquire. Do some research on them, and then come back with any other questions concerning that specific species.

If you are looking to breed them, as a novice I would suggest you look more at the plant spawners. As these will get you into the killi world. Most all of them are easily spawned, and easy to keep. They also live longer, for the most part, than the substrate spawners.

Happy Hunting, and HTH....

_____________________________________________________________

There is always a bigger fish...

Hi, this is the list of Killies i would like!

1)Fundulopanchaxes

2)Nematolebias whitei

3)And the smallest Killie(insert Name Here)

I found these, and would like to have some, but i think that the first two are too difficult? How big do they get, and Will they really fit in a <5 gallon tank!?!?

Also, are these killies agressive? Which one will suit me most, as i am still considering to get what tank size, and I think i will have to buy another filter, right? Thanks again!

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From what I've read the Florida Flag fish come from killi group and are said to be the the fish you should use to learn about keeping killis. I use mine to control hair algae. The male has better coloring but the females are good looking as will. I don't think this is what you are really wanting but at least you could learn about raising this type of fish.

DjRichie
"Don't Panic"

Djrichie
"So Long, and Thanks For All The Fish" Douglas Adams

Only thing about flags is they can be nippy sometimes, whereas killies generally arent. The LFS has them in at the moment and theyve badly tattered each others fins and those of a few white cloud mountain minnows too. Flags are better in slightly cooler water, and killies can take the heat.Killies love their insect and livefoods, whereas flags , while still omnivores, generally focus on the vegetable end of omnivory.Flags also tend to lay eggs on plants and a lot of killies just spawn over mud,gravel or on patches of mosses. IMHO i dont think they really have too much in common, they may belong to cyprinids , but they are more like pupfish and pearlfish than killies. Technically they are really a coolwater minnow.

1)Fundulopanchaxes

Many in this genus would be fine. Some get very large and would not be good in anything less than a tank that had a surface area of a 55gal or larger. IMO, the best choice here would be one of the gardneri species. There are a bunch of different local of these fish, and thus different color paterns. They can be bred in a 5 gal tank, as I have done so. But, they produced greater for me in a 10 gal tank. So I would recomend the 10 gal.

2)Nematolebias whitei

I would not recomend this for your beginner fish. As this is a substrate spawner. If you do decide to try this fish, it will probably do fine in a 5 gal tank, but I would also recomend a 10 for these guys, as the males can become quite aggressive.

3)And the smallest Killie(insert Name Here)

Heterandria formosa. Also known as the least killi. Though known as a killi, this fish is a rarety in the family. As it is actually a live bearer. They only reach about 1cm long for males, and females up to 2.5cm. They can be kept in a very small aquarium. Personally, I have kept a colony of them for years in a 2 1/2 gal. I was giving away bags full almost every month.


IMO, I feel you should start off with either Aphyosemiom, Epiplatys, or Fundulopanchax. Before purchasing any of these genus of fish, be sure the species you are looking at is a plant spawner. The reason is, you will have much more fun in your starting of keeping of these fish, than with a substrate spawner as your first attempt. Many to most of the species in these genus are mop spawners, or plant spawners. Do your research on the individual species you are looking at, as within each genus, several get large, while others remain smaller. Be cautious of their aggessiveness as well. Some of them are quite aggressive with each other as well as with other fish.

As for the FFF, I don't feel they are one to learn about killis from. Yes they are considered to be a killifish. But they don't really "act" like a killi. They make a nice addition to many tanks, and are easily spawned. But like many NA natives, they require cooler water.

Check out those genus I listed above, and what are available that you can aquire. Then get back with us about the specific species you are looking at.

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There is always a bigger fish...

Actually, Heterandria formosa is a livebearer (Family Poeciliidae) ...


Killifishes ... a lifetime's fishkeeping study in their own right, as Colonel Jorgen Scheel dsicovered ...

Wind the clock back to the days when the old Innes book was the new Innes book, and the Killifishes were all gathered together in the Family Cyprinodontidae. Since that time, however, much taonomic revision has taken place, and now, the old Family Cyprinodontidae (the name translates as "tooth carp", and indeed these fishes were distinguished originally as having carp like features, but unlike the carps, possessing oral dentition) has been subject to a fair amount of revision over the years.

Originally placed in an 'Order' labelled Cyprinodontes back in Innes' day, along with the related Poeciliidae (our familiar livebearers) and related Families, the taxonomic situation now is more complex. The old 'Order' Cyprinodontes has been replaced by the modern Order Cyprinodontiformes, which also contains some other interesting Families too - the Exocoetidae (saltwater Flying Fishes), the Hemirhamphidae (Halfbeaks, many of which are brackish), the Belonidae (Needlefishes such as Xenentodon cancila) and the assorted 'Minor Livebearers) of the Goodeidae & Jenynsiidae, and the Anablepidae (Four Eyed Fish).

So, back to the Killies proper. Once upon a time (back in Innes' day), the Killies were all in the Cyprinodontidae, with two Subfamilies - the Cyprinodontinae (principal member being Jordanella floridae, the Florida Flag Fish) and the Fundulinae (containing the majority of fishes familiar to aquarists in the Family). This picture has long since become obsolete, and now, we have the following breakup:

Cyprinodontidae: Florida Flag Fish, the Aphanius species, the Pupfishes of the Genus Cyprinodon (many of which are on CITES I incidentally) and a few other odd Genera not usually seen in aquaria (North American) - you'll also find oddities such as Cubanichthys cubensis in here:

Rivulidae: The Rivulus (Genus Rivulus, along with Plesiolebias and assorted other Genera), and the annual Killies of the Genera Cynolebias, Austrolebias etc., belong in here (all South American);

Aplocheilidae: The assorted African Killies, including Nothobranchius, the Fundulopanchax fishes (Aphyosemion, Fundulopanchax, Roloffia and allies), though there is talk of Nothobranchius being moved to its own Family, the Nothobranchidae, upon account of reproductive differences - Epiplatys and allies belong here too;

Adrianichthyidae: This Family contains the Rice Fishes (Genus Oryzias), including the Japanese Rice Fish (an exclusively Asian Family).

The term "Killifish", incidentally, refers not to bad aggressive habits (though some, such as Pachypanchax playfairii can be vicious), but is in fact a derivation from a Dutch term meaning "Creek Fish", as most members of the various Killifish Families are indeed found in small watercourses as opposed to big rivers and lakes. There are exceptions, of course, and some African species are found in placs such as Lake Tanganyika, giving the aquarist an interesting diversion from keeping Cichlids in hard, alkaline water.

In the main, Killies are small fishes, though there are some species that hit 6 inches or so. Smallest of the popular aquarium species to date is the Rocket Panchax, Pseudepiplatys annulatus (look at its tail fin and see why it's called a Rocket Panchax!) while one of the largest of the familiar Killies is Aphyosemion sjoestedti, the Blue Gularis.

The BIG differences between the fishes from the aquarist's standpoint arise where reproduction is concerned. These fishes can be divided into the non-annuals (fishes that live several years, and reproduce in 'normal' fish fashion, laying eggs among plant leaves or in the substrate to hatch out in the usual fashion of fish eggs) and the annuals (fishes that live in water bodies subject to periodic dessication, which live brief lives, bury their eggs in the substrate, die upon evaporation of the water, with the next generation hatching with the return of the rainy season after spending up to 7 months in suspended animation under conditions of partial dessication). Obviously this impacts heavily upon their aquarium maintenance as well - the annuals are going to be short lived, and also grow at a phenomenal rate of knots from hatching, as they have to cram their lives into about 3 months' worth of time during which they have habitable water to live in before the dry season shrivels their home pools in the wild to nothing. The annual Killies do, however, have one BIG advantage from the standpoint of obtaining aquarium stock - you can send an E-Mail to a Killie breeder, ask for a species, and receive a parcel of peat in the mail that you add water to and hatch out your new fish! No worries about transportation problems here!

Non-annual Killies, on the other hand, have to be bought 'live' as per other fishes (along with water to carry them in) and breed in assorted interesting ways. Some are buriers of eggs in substrates, others scatter eggs in plants, and there's one reproductive oddity - Cubanichthys cubensis - whose females carry their eggs about with them on a kind of 'bungee cord' after fertilisation! The old Innes book has an illustration of a pair with a female doing precisely this, by the way!

The BIG reason for keeping Killies, however, is colour. You want colourful fishes? The Killies are probably the catwalk stars among small freshwater fishes, many of them bearing colour schemes that look as though some small child painted them with glitter paint! However, be advised that with Killies, there are two aspects of care to watch out for - some are delicate (one or two of the Fundulopanchaxes, for example, Fundulopanchax bivittatum, are as troublesome as Discus in this regard), and many of them are rockeet-propelled jumpers. The Blue Gularis is an evil example of a fish that is an ICBM with fins, but many of the other Killies will mimic its airborne antics if left uncovered, so be warned! In addition, the Rivulus have a strange habit of 'velcro jumping' onto the glass and floating plant leaves, then staying out of water for up to several minutes at a time before plopping back into the water - a neat means of placing yourself out of reach of aquatic predators when they threaten to make a meal of you!

Oh yes, Killies are fun. But, once again, I cannot stress this too much - do your research before launching into these interesting fishes, because choosing the wrong species could be a nightmare! Beginners are advised to steer clear of the annuals (even though some of those are drop dead gorgeous - Nothobranchius rachovii being an excellent yet notorious example of a fish that blows your socks away when you see it, but is troublesome to maintain if you're inexperienced) and concentrate on fishes such as the Rivulus or the surface dwelling Epiplatys as a first departure from the ever hardy Golden Wonder Killies (though among the Rivulus, AVOID Rivulus strigatus, the Herringbone Rivulus, as it's another touchy species requiring Discus levels of care).

There you go GobyFan, some light bedtime reading for you.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Just wanted to say this is a great thread. I think my next endeavor will be a small planted Killie tank...so I'm getting some good information here. /:'

*Kristin*

AcidRain are you sure about the water temp on FFF because I collect them in the waters just before key largo,fl and that water is in the mid to upper 80's during the summer time. i know that they are not what most think when it comes to Killi's but FFF are egg scatters in shallow tanks and will use a spawn mop in deeper tanks.

DjRichie
"Don't Panic"

Djrichie
"So Long, and Thanks For All The Fish" Douglas Adams