KilliFish

Can anyone recommend a good killi for a community tank and it cant be a jumper

Thanks Lads

Oh if anyone has any for sale send me a pm

Cheers


Mark

What type of community set-up do you have?
There are are killifish for many different types of community or water conditions (and even more killies not suitable to anything other than species-tank), but most are pretty good at jumping.

If you have small non-boitrous fish the Clown Killies would be a good one regarding jumping (but they are small and you need to make sure they get food); Golden Wonder Panchax are not bad community fish for a mixed tank with larger fish (but they can jump);

The Golden Lyretail Killie (Aphyosemion australe) is getting closer to a more colourful killie that will mix quite nicely with many different species.

For hard-water tanks then the Florida Flag Fish will mix with fish as tough as itself....but likes cooler conditions.

For Malawi or Tanganykan tanks, the Tanganyikan Killie (which is really an egg-laying live-bearer in the guppy family) is nice (but expensive).

For toughnut tanks containing fish that are not overly territorial, Aphyosemion sjoestedji (blue gularis...and has a new name as well) is good......but it is a master escape artist, and at 6 to 7 inches it will give many other fish a tough time.

Ian

Thanks for the reply Ian the tanks ph is around 7 the temp is 25 planted tank!

They will be in with a few Rummynose Endlers Otto's some Corys and a Starlight Plec L183

Cheers Ian


Mark

SpiderMonkey wrote:

Thanks for the reply Ian the tanks ph is around 7 the temp is 25 planted tank!

They will be in with a few Rummynose Endlers Otto's some Corys and a Starlight Plec L183

Cheers Ian


Mark

Of the ones commonly available, the Lyretails (australes) would be best.
www.aquahobby.com/gallery/img/Aphyosemion_australe_1.jpg

I think Seahorse have loads of males in at the moment.

I'm not too sure of the temperament of your pleco (I'm not a plec expert), but if it were a problem for killies then it would also be a problem for any smallish fish.

The endlers flowing fins are always open to attach from many fish, the killies may ignore them if well fed and in a well planted tank. I've kept them together without problems....but as we know in the fish world, there are always unknowns lurking.

The temp is fine....not too high.
The pH is fine (these killies will cope with a good range).

Introduce killies carefully.....sudden water changes is not something they like. But once established the australes will live for 2 to 3 years (which is good for a fish that may live much less in the wilds).

If you decided you wanted to spawn them.....pretty easy as you do not have to do all the egg-drying stuff with australes.

Another one to try......and it is a stunner....is Aphyosemion striatum (or one of its related species).

old.killi.dk/artsbesk/images/astriatum.jpg

These appear now and then, they are a little more pushy than australes but I've usually ended up with many of these in what I call my 'dump' tank (= a retirement home for worn out killies, corys, dwarf cichlids and bettas).

Aphyosemion bivitattum or A. bitaeniatum are other goods one that I know are in shops quite often. (www.elacuarista.com/secciones/images/kil...mion_bivittatum6.jpg)
The nice thing about these two species is that females are also nice.

Although Killies would normally be best in a species tank, you can keep them in a happy community.

Hope that helps.

ian

SpiderMonkey wrote:

Can anyone recommend a good killi for a community tank and it cant be a jumper

Thanks Lads

Oh if anyone has any for sale send me a pm

Cheers


Mark

Just noticed something......the fish in the picture is my pictures from my photobucket account of one of our award winning killies. Very odd.

ian

"hope that helps" Wow thanks Ian I really appreciate the info . I'm trying to go with smaller fish with lots of colour the tank is only a 155 liter

I think the Starlight should be ok its very shy I have never seen it going near anything

Looks like I'll be paying a visit to seahorse

Cheers Ian



Mark

Really that's mad. I got it from Google.

Have you anymore pic to put up?

Stalker

SpiderMonkey wrote:

Really that's mad. I got it from Google.

Have you anymore pic to put up?

It is a bit mad.

I'm sort of honoured that you chose my picture....although I see it also resides in someone elses photobucket.

I have given permission to others to link that photo into their forum articles.

The original posting, if my memory serves me well, of that photo was on a reptile forum where I was trying to introduce fish into the reptile keeping community....
www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=killifish&hl=e...21&hovh=161&hovw=313

I have a good few other pictures, but it is not easy photographing my killies as I tend to keep most of them in almost coffee coloured water.
And....photobucket is playing silly buggers at present as the photos I originally put are quite high resolution.

ian

i have never found killies suitable for keeping in a community tank and am surprised that ian thinks it would be ok.
it is not impossible to do so but there are so many reasons against it, that it's just not worth the effort.
they jump esp when newly introduced or to escape an agressor and need very tight fitting lids and/or shallow water levels. they dislike much movement in the water so filtration has to be light. they generally only like live food and are uncompetitive with faster fish at feeding time. they like dark tanks with acid water and a little added salt. they are very prone to velvet outbreaks if stressed or newly imported. although feisty with other killies they are slow and easily picked at by fast swimming companions. and finally as mini predators and carnivores they will polish off any small shrimp.
although they will eventually eat dry or frozen food it is not their natural diet and they will skinny up and die off if not fed a bulk of live food.
i feed all killies live brine shrimp and white/grindal worms and supplement with a little frozen bloodworm or cyclops.

The reservations made by Derek are serious reservations with killies.

There is a good (or many good) reasons why this group of fish are kept in species-only tanks and, often, by eccentrics such as myself. There is non-display element to keeping them.

My killi tanks are not really for looking at and saying 'beautiful' tank....they are dark peat pits kept without lights (hence, why I don't have many decent pictures)

I would be pushed to come up with the limited list that could be mixed with some care. But the majority are simply non-mix.

The picture of the Nothobranchus, for example, is one killi that shouldn't even be mixed with females of its own species. It is a killer, and it's own aggression will kill it or shorten its life.

South American killies are simply a no no.......for many, an unheated tank in most houses is too warm.

Changes in water are a big killer.

So, I'm in 99.99% agreement with Derek. The 0.01% being that I have found some good success with a limited number of killies in a mixed tank.

Ian

igmillichip wrote:

South American killies are simply a no no.......for many, an unheated tank in most houses is too warm.

Changes in water are a big killer.

So, I'm in 99.99% agreement with Derek. The 0.01% being that I have found some good success with a limited number of killies in a mixed tank.

Ian

i forgot that one ian, the fact that most killies like lower than the average temps.

i do agree that with care certain killies such as australe and the panchaxs (fierce jumpers though)can be kept in community but it is generally just too many problems. in the wild killies rarely mix or live with or near other species and their environment is so extreme and unique that it can only be approached in isolation.
with the amount of new fish houses and fish rooms i am sure that many more will venture into killies though as they are a great chalenge and truly reflect the wonders of the natural world.

derek wrote:

igmillichip wrote:

South American killies are simply a no no.......for many, an unheated tank in most houses is too warm.

Changes in water are a big killer.

So, I'm in 99.99% agreement with Derek. The 0.01% being that I have found some good success with a limited number of killies in a mixed tank.

Ian

i forgot that one ian, the fact that most killies like lower than the average temps.

i do agree that with care certain killies such as australe and the panchaxs (fierce jumpers though)can be kept in community but it is generally just too many problems. in the wild killies rarely mix or live with or near other species and their environment is so extreme and unique that it can only be approached in isolation.
with the amount of new fish houses and fish rooms i am sure that many more will venture into killies though as they are a great chalenge and truly reflect the wonders of the natural world.

Oh so true, I have found some to be such a challenge....and some of the most delicate cost a lot of money.

I would love to see more people getting into killifish keeping.
No picture can truly show the beauty of many of them.

Killies do not require the sort of expensive equipment needed for most other fish.....air-driven filtration is best (fast moving water can shorten their span and disrupt the genetics passed onto the young), no lights, and (apart from some killies needing 30 C), many are happy at the lower temp range.

Fascinating fish.

ian

Mmm I'm in two minds now weather to go for the killis. Might get a couple of australe or is there anything else you guys could recommend something a bit odd ball not your run of the mill fish? Small/colour

Thanks for the replies Ian, Derek


Mark

If you're in 2 minds about killies, then don't up-set the existing community tank is the best advice. Trying to force a delicate balance is not worth it.
It's much like the old siamese fighter debate.

I don't normally like to make recommendations, but how about a few top-dwelling species.....if your water is good quality, then Hatchet fish make a good addition....but they are jumpers if you have no lid. The main problem with hatchets is getting them established in the tank.....once you've got them past the 2 month stage then you're sailing and they make very friendly fish with lots of character (like a cichlid a bit).

There are many nice fish out there suitable for a community that are not the usual 'community' list but are good fish with not too many problems associated with them.

I have some threadfin rainbow fish in a couple of community tanks, and they make a nice little addition with the males doing there displays. Cheap enough, and tough enough once established.

On the killies....how about setting up a small killie tank and having a go on their own. If you decide on a species-only tank then that opens the doors for keeping things such as the Nothobranchius rachovii as in the picture on the opening post without worries of compatability. Another thing about species such as Nothobranchius is that they do become a character fish rather than just this splash of colours (double the bonus).

ps. In my opinion, N.rachovii is probably the most beautifully coloured fish in the world....no marine can compete.

ian

@Draco, I do.

Funnily enough, I found 2 male A. striatum bachelors (or widows as the real case be) "raising" (well....acting as if parents to) a lone fry of A.bitaeniatum in one of the killi tanks recently. There must have been a stray egg from when I had kept bitaeniatum in the tank that hatched.

ian

Can't go with the Hatchets Ian I have a open top tank. I think I might go species-only after Christmas after I unload a few fish.
Had a look at those N.rachovii on YouTube I agree with you there awesome fish and those Aphyosemion bitaeniatum amazing colours!




Mark