Good advice there Platy 252.

I'll just add a few extra bits.

Aging.....yep. These guys age (to the extent that they are medically significant), so Platy's comments are not that much of an exaggeration.

Often, the aging process just after the final spawing is so rapid that it is un-believable; one day a fine healthy vibrant male, the next a 150 year old trout. (maybe an exaggeration there though).

If them eggs work for you, let us know. I may try some of the shipped ones myself oneday (when I could be bothered going on the internet )

In the picture of N.rachovii, this shows the breeding set-up in one of my tanks (but, of course, that picture was taken some years and the male is no longer with us).
This is what I used to help reduce the aggressive nature of the males on the females.
A small glass tank with a raised stilts bottom is placed within the main tank. In the small tank is the breeding material.
The idea is that a female can easily enter and leave the small tank, and if the male pursues then he tends to find a glass water rather than a straight line for the female. I found females lasted much longer with this set-up.



ian

Nice set up Ian. I like the N.rachovii.
I had some recently but do you think i could find peat without fertilizer added, not a hope.
I managed to get some after my annuals were all gone.

Are you keeping any killies at the moment?

Thanks Platy.

The rachovii.....I have even been so bold as to publically state that they are the most beautiful fish in the world.
Super.

At the moment, all adults gone....I have a few eggs left incubating. I've tended to move over to less demanding fish recently (but that is only a temp thing).

I also had an importation a while ago that was infested with camalanus....and that put pay to maintaining the collection until I'm confident of the supplies.

I hadn't seen camalanus for donkey's years....so that was a big surprise.

Peat? I use reptile coire (for vivariums). Some say that that is salty....but that isn't a problem with killies.

thats a great read darren, you covered just about every important aspect there. you must have typist's cramp after that.
anybody thinking of working with annual killies should print off and keep this post. better than any commercial book.

I had S.bellottii and N. rachovii recently but they were mature when i got them.
So i didn't get much time to get some media for spawning.

Camalanus worms are a nasty piece of work. I hope you managed to get rid of them.
In the past 12 months i know of 2 fish keepers in Dublin that had problems with these.

Stop Derek, you'll embarrass me

Writers cramp just about sums it up. I had come on line to update the whiptail tread which had a bit of typing in itself.
I made the mistake of browsing first. When i came across this tread how could i refuse writing about a fish i am so fond of.
Killies were my first love
I had to come back to this tread this evening to fill in some blanks and add a bit more info.

Do you think there was anything i missed out on?

hope this pic helps identification Platty

Crikey!!!
The eggs hatched very quickly - and the fry grew at an amazingly fast rate for you to get that snap!!!

;o)

John

igmillichip wrote:


...this shows the breeding set-up in one of my tanks (but, of course, that picture was taken some years and the male is no longer with us).
This is what I used to help reduce the aggressive nature of the males on the females.
A small glass tank with a raised stilts bottom is placed within the main tank. In the small tank is the breeding material.
The idea is that a female can easily enter and leave the small tank, and if the male pursues then he tends to find a glass water rather than a straight line for the female. I found females lasted much longer with this set-up.

ian

That's a really good solution to try Ian, thanks for sharing it - perhaps I'll give that a try presently.
It is said that the best solutions are often the simplest ones.

John

sheag35 wrote:
hope this pic helps identification Platty
Sorry Shea, i wouldn't even try guess.