Hi D,
On killies I would recommend Fundulopanchax gardneri as the best all time beginner's killie. It is gorgeous, very hardy, lots of personality, easily bred and can get to about 3 inches so it has some size. It will eat small fish like a neon but that's it. Other good beginner killies would be Aphyosemion striatum and Aphy. australe. If you want to try the soil spawners then Simpsonichthys whitei and constanceae are very easy South American species with egg incubation period of 2-3 months. If you like the African annuals try Nothobranchius guentheri or foerschi. They also have 2-3 month peat incubation period for the eggs.
Killies like quiet water, live or frozen food with some dry food, plants, easy going slow moving tankmates, perfectly covered tanks as they jump, temps between 70-75F, shaded spots and water changes.
If the gardneri are alone in a tank of soft acid water full of plants babies will just start to appear especially if you feed a little live baby brine shrimp each day.
If you want a big easy to keep killie I'd try the glorious Blue Gularis Fundulopanchax sjoestedti. They are incredibly beautiful, 5 inches long, tough, smart, will eat small fish at times and easy to breed over peat or spawning mops. They are my favorite killie.
There are alot of killie guys in your city so you shouldn't have to buy them in a shop. Check out the American Killifish Association webpage <www.aka.org>. They have a listserv called Killitalk you can join that is full of information and you could post a message for local breeders in your area. You might end up with more beginners fish than you know what to do with -- at no cost. Killie guys can be very generous.
Bobby
Bobby
On killies I would recommend Fundulopanchax gardneri as the best all time beginner's killie. It is gorgeous, very hardy, lots of personality, easily bred and can get to about 3 inches so it has some size. It will eat small fish like a neon but that's it. Other good beginner killies would be Aphyosemion striatum and Aphy. australe. If you want to try the soil spawners then Simpsonichthys whitei and constanceae are very easy South American species with egg incubation period of 2-3 months. If you like the African annuals try Nothobranchius guentheri or foerschi. They also have 2-3 month peat incubation period for the eggs.
Killies like quiet water, live or frozen food with some dry food, plants, easy going slow moving tankmates, perfectly covered tanks as they jump, temps between 70-75F, shaded spots and water changes.
If the gardneri are alone in a tank of soft acid water full of plants babies will just start to appear especially if you feed a little live baby brine shrimp each day.
If you want a big easy to keep killie I'd try the glorious Blue Gularis Fundulopanchax sjoestedti. They are incredibly beautiful, 5 inches long, tough, smart, will eat small fish at times and easy to breed over peat or spawning mops. They are my favorite killie.
There are alot of killie guys in your city so you shouldn't have to buy them in a shop. Check out the American Killifish Association webpage <www.aka.org>. They have a listserv called Killitalk you can join that is full of information and you could post a message for local breeders in your area. You might end up with more beginners fish than you know what to do with -- at no cost. Killie guys can be very generous.
Bobby
Bobby
