Pegasus Posted June 11, 2002 Report Share Posted June 11, 2002 How long can Killie eggs remain dormant? What would be the easiest species to start off with? Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajbroome Posted June 12, 2002 Report Share Posted June 12, 2002 Bill said... > How long can Killie eggs remain dormant? That's kind of one of those "How long is a piece of string" type questions. I've personally had eggs hatch after being stored a year instead of the recommended (for that species) 3 months and I've heard stories of some species (Simpsonichthys magnificus for example) still showing undeveloped eggs after 3 years storage. Then again, some can hatch after only a few days. In general, with the species available in NZ currently it's either around 14 days for the non-annual species (Epiplatys, Rivulus, Aphyosemion etc) and 3 or 6 months for most of the Nothobranchius, Cynolebias (now broken up into Simpsonichthys, Austrolebias etc) and Rachovia etc. > What would be the easiest species to start off with? If you wanted a non-annual fish then I'd suggest something like Aphyosemion scheeli or Epiplatys dageti (perhaps Aplocheilus lineatus gold as well). If you wanted to try an annual species then probably Nothobranchius guentheri or N. foerschi would be good places to start. Hope that helps. Andrew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted June 12, 2002 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2002 Thanks Andrew, I suppose many people feel that the Killie group of fishes are like a seperate group entirely, as in like "Marines" and Freshwater" Can any of them be kept in a community enviroment with other fish, or do they need a devoted setup especially for them? Most readings say they should be kept on their own, but they say this about most Cichlids. Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajbroome Posted June 12, 2002 Report Share Posted June 12, 2002 Bill asked... > Can any of them be kept in a community enviroment with > other fish, or do they need a devoted setup especially for them? I've kept several species of killie in community tanks in the past. Obviously it depends what you want to keep them with. Epiplatys annulatus won't last long with an oscar for example but fish such as Aplocheilus lineatus will probably do well with larger tetras, gouramis, barbs, Angels etc (but nothing too small or else the killie will eat *them*). Fish such as Aphyosemion scheeli can be kept with smaller more peaceful fish too. I've been known to donate spare male killies (including annuals like Nothobranchius) to Wet Pets for them to keep in their display tanks. Generally, it doesn't pay to mix closely related killies in the same tank as they are prone to hybridisation and the females often look quite similar to each other. Also agression can be more of an issue between closely related species. Hope that helps, Andrew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted June 13, 2002 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2002 Thanks again Andrew. Glad you made a point about interbreeding, as that was originally one of my questions. I kept some Aphyosemion species (Can't remember which) in my teens, along with some Panchax (now I believe Pachypanchax) playfairi. At that time I was still "green" to fishkeeping, but they were some of my first fish. Now I know why certain "Other" species kept disappearing for no reason Despite all that, I would say they were among some of the most interesting and beautiful fish that I have ever owned. Thanks again Bill (Pegasus) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuhliloach Posted June 16, 2002 Report Share Posted June 16, 2002 I kept an Aplocheilus lineatus in my community tank it was an amazing aset to the tank as it always swum in the upper region of the tank and was an amazing yellow with a greenish tinge had a neat personality aswell 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted June 16, 2002 Author Report Share Posted June 16, 2002 There's a good pic and a great writeup on that very fish right here on the NZKA site. http://nzka.killi.net/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marty Posted December 18, 2003 Report Share Posted December 18, 2003 well i am new to killies thanks to Andrew, thanks for being very helpfull how long do the eggs take to hatch if they are laid in the tank in moss! and left in the tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted December 18, 2003 Report Share Posted December 18, 2003 Marty, this is exactly the same question as the first on this thread. What is the species you are referring too?? Alan NZKA 104 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyman98 Posted December 18, 2003 Report Share Posted December 18, 2003 how do you store eggs? wet or dry what temp? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted December 18, 2003 Report Share Posted December 18, 2003 It isn't the same question is it? Pegasus had asked how long can eggs remain dormant but I think Marty has a species, like the scheeli for instance, who spawn in the mops and don't need a dormant period. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajbroome Posted December 18, 2003 Report Share Posted December 18, 2003 Marty said... > how long do the eggs take to hatch if they are laid in the tank > in moss! and left in the tank? Most of the non-annual species (such as Fp. gardneri etc) will start hatching in around 2 weeks if left in the tank, all things being equal. Generally adult fish will eat fry but I've got all sizes from newly hatched fry up to fully grown adults in a 2ft tank in my fishroom. They reach some sort of equilibrium though since I wont see many new fry now unless I remove some of the bigger babies to a new tank, then a week or two later there'll be a bunch more babies lurking in the moss. Andrew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajbroome Posted December 18, 2003 Report Share Posted December 18, 2003 andyman98 said... > how do you store eggs? wet or dry what temp? It depends on the species. Non-annual eggs can be incubated in water at normal fish tank temperatures. Or they can be sat on very damp peat for several weeks (allowing a lot of eggs to be collected and hatched at the same time, when they're placed in water again). Annual eggs are stored in damp peat for varying times, generally 3 to 6 months. I keep them in my hot water cupboard but any warmish place would probably do. Eventually, I'll probably put a shelf high up in my fishroom, assuming I get any annual fish again (I'm looking...). Andrew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted December 19, 2003 Report Share Posted December 19, 2003 Pegusus said: How long can Killie eggs remain dormant? Marty said: how long do the eggs take to hatch if they are laid in the tank in moss! and left in the tank? Looks pretty similar to me, like I said, what species do you have, or want to get? Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted December 19, 2003 Report Share Posted December 19, 2003 I thought being dormant meant the eggs were removed and dried in the peat? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marty Posted December 19, 2003 Report Share Posted December 19, 2003 i have ametis in one tank(2 pair) and in the other a pair of austales! they r both in planted out tanks of about 15*15*15 will try mops! how do i store the eggs off the mops? are the eggs easy to damage? :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted December 20, 2003 Report Share Posted December 20, 2003 Using a bare tank with a floating mop is the way I go. Raise the lid, you must have a jump proof one as they CAN jump. Remove the mop, and squeeze gently and do a numbers check to make sure a fish isn't entangled in it. Then if your eyes are okay, (I use $2.oo shop, 3Xmag hobby glasses)search the strands of the acrylic wool, which can be any color, for the little spheres about 1mm diam. for australes. Remove these gently and place them in a shallow container of water with a slight amount of meth. blue. In close to 10 days at 24oC you should start seeing the fish babies hatching. Remove to another shallow container, and they can be fed immediately on BBS. My containers are close to the size of matchboxes, I use those workshop tidies. Have a snail in with them and that should take care of any uneaten food, and they neatly parcel it up for you when you do the daily water changes. I do about 90% changes daily. Amieti are done similarly, but their eggs are twice the size. Initially they went okies for me, then stopped, so I put a tray of peat in for them and they have been using that. Leave it for ten days then remove to another container, with no other fish, and if you are lucky they should start hatching in a day or two. Keep rotating three trays of peat for this system. Otherwise they are the same as the australes. The eggs are quite hard, and if they do break then they are either being held too tight, or too fresh, or not fertilized. Remedy by a. don't squeeze them so tightly b. leave the picking for an hour or so after they finish laying. c. don't worry, they weren't any good anyway, change the male if the problem persists. All of the above is how I do it. Others may have different ways, but this works for me. Marty where did you get your fish, and what expenses did you incur for them. Mine at this time of the year are almost exclusively fed live food. Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marty Posted December 21, 2003 Report Share Posted December 21, 2003 thanks for the help alan i paid $30 each for the australes and $26 for the ameitis! have just ordered some blue panchax at $10 each i have tanks with lots of differnt fish but the killies r what everyone is looking at! not my discus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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