killifish

[Guest]

I got a killifish on accident. I bought a bala shark and when i got home, this guy was in the bag with him.

for one, i don't know anthing about them.. so if anybody does, please give me as much info. Also, what kind is this? Is it just a common yellow killifish? that's all i could find about him. I don't know what they were selling for, but i see people bidding on killifish eggs, are they hard to find or what? And he stays right at the top of the water, is this normal? lol, sorry for all the questions, but tia for all the help!

 

[TCTFish]

That is what some call a Golden Wonder killiefish and though the pic is very blurry I can still make out it's a male. Males have that bright green and coloring on the tail. Females are much duller in color; mostly grey. Very hardy fish. They grow to about 3" I believe. They don't seem to bother much and spend most of their time at the top of the tank. See how his mouth is positioned up? That's how you can tell it's a top feeding fish. Similar care to that of the Green panchax, pH values range between 6.0 - 6.8 and should have fine leaved plants and floating plants for cover. Offer a variety of foods...tropical flake, bloodworms and white worms (frozen or freeze dried) with a little bit of veggie flake. These fish are largely insect eaters in the wild feeding mostly on mosquito larvae and nats.

The killie fish eggs you see bids on are most likely the nothobranhius and aphyosemion species and the like. They lay eggs in peat and then they go through a dry spell. Yes. They get dried out. They stay in this dry dormancy until the next rains and then they hatch. These particular killiefish are mostly very short lived...lasting about a year, sometimes 2 years, but OMG the males are stunningly beautiful and carry a much higher price tag than that Golden Wonder. Some can retail about $40 or more for a pair. Where I work, Golden Wonders go for about $4 to $6 a pair. Big difference. Though the fancier killies are much more stunning in color, I find the Golden Wonders to be a much hardier and less demanding fish. They don't bother anything and they seem to hold their own pretty well too.

 

[Guest]

i did notice the upturned mouth, man he loves the bloodworms! lol. Thanks for the info

 

[black udder]

I've had one for awhile and can testify to their hardiness.

However, you'll want to make sure that nothing in your tank will fit in his mouth. He's eaten (I believe) all six of my juvie SAEs. Possibly some male guppies too.

Stays at the top almost all the time. Hardly bothers anybody. Is quite aggressive at feeding time (towards food). Somebody else mentioned feeding them live small crickets too.

Mine is between 3-4" as well. And I will confirm that it appears to be a GW Killie - about same price - between $3-6.