# Killifish questions



## spdskr (Nov 14, 2005)

The gardneri are not top dwellers. In my experience, they actually spend more time near the substrate. The clown killies are top dwellers, but I'm not sure how much you would see them in a community tank. The prefer to seek the cover of floating plants. They also prefer warm water with little or no flow.

In general, it is difficult to recommend killies as community fish. In my experience most all species do best in their own tanks.

Lastly, most non-annual species of killies live two to three years.

There are many reasons you will typically only find Golden Wonders and American Flag fish for sale in stores. Those include: short life spans, difficulty in mass production, poor survivorship in typical LFS retail tanks...etc. The Golden Wonder will remain near the water's surface, but will also eat any fish that will fit in their large mouths. The Flag Fish would not be surface dwellers and have received mixed reviews here and elsewhere as being appropriate community dwellers.

Yes tropical killifish species are often very beautiful fish (see my avatar), but are best housed in species tanks that meet their needs for lighting, cover, feeding....etc.


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## monkeyfish (Jul 5, 2010)

Ok, scratch the gardneri, the bottom level stock of my tank is planned and won't be changing. I really want to make killifish work in my tank. The clown is very cool, assuming I have lots of floating cover and small tank mates, can it be done?

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## spdskr (Nov 14, 2005)

It can be done. You need to make sure the tankmates are peaceful and small. The clown killies are small fish and easily frightened by larger tankmates. Feeding may prove to be the most difficult part of keeping them. It is not unusual for them to only eat live or frozen foods. If you only plan to feed flakes or pellets, these fish may not adapt. Many feed these fish live baby brine shrimp even as adults, but you should be able to get them to eat frozen blood worms. Most killifish do not compete well at feeding time with fast moving fish like tetras and rasboras, so you will want to observe them getting enough food. Lastly, finding a reliable supplier for these fish may be difficult. The adults do not always ship well. Best of luck. Let us know how it turns out if you get the clowns.

In nature, killifish specialize by inhabiting marginal environments and therefore face few competitors for food. Typical habitats include temporary pools (annual species), small forest streams (Aphyosemions like fish in my avatar), swamps (clown killies), irrigation ditches....etc.


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## monkeyfish (Jul 5, 2010)

Ok, and how many can I stock? Would like more than one pair. I've read that the males can be aggressive towards each other, but if there's no females they are less aggressive. 

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## born2lovefish (Dec 29, 2006)

Here is a shot of one of my killifish in my planted tanks. Addicting fish due to coloring!


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## spdskr (Nov 14, 2005)

You could easily keep a dozen or so in a 90g. Remember, these fish stay small..less than 2". Once again, the most difficulty you will have in such a large tank is making sure they are well fed.

Nice gardneri born2lovefish.


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## born2lovefish (Dec 29, 2006)

I was breeding the F. G. N'sukka species above in 1.5 gallons of water. I use 10 gallon tanks for growing out the fry. I think I have about 5+ pairs around 1.5 inches in a 10 gallon growing out. The picture in post above came from my 56 gallon planted tank. I put 3 pairs in there, and I could easily put a few more in there. I can not stress this enough, but make sure you have a lid on your killifish tank!! 

Thanks spdskr! I would love to see some pictures of your annuals sometime.


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## monkeyfish (Jul 5, 2010)

I can't wait to give these a shot, assuming I can find them. Beautiful fish! Tank is covered, so no jumpers, and make sure they get their share at feeding time. It won't be for some time, but I'll be sure to post my experiences with them here. 

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## born2lovefish (Dec 29, 2006)

Can not wait to hear how you like keeping them! Mine have no problem getting enough at feeding time!


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## spdskr (Nov 14, 2005)

born2lovefish said:


> Thanks spdskr! I would love to see some pictures of your annuals sometime.


Okay, here you go:
Austrolebias duraznensis










Nematolebias papilliferus










Nothobranchius kafuensis Nega-Nega










I have a couple of other species of Nothos, but no good photos yet.


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## monkeyfish (Jul 5, 2010)

I'll say it again, these fish are so cool! Amazing colors, so unique. Anyone know a good breeder? I'm in north NJ, local would be great, but nyc isn't too far either.

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