[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
killie
The North American Killies
by
Robert Rice
2213 Prytania Circle
Navarre Florida
32566
Battered and abused, unknown and unloved. Sounds like a
movie of the week doesn't it ? Well in fact it describes our
North American Killies. North American Killies ? I didn't
know we had any you may say . You are not alone in thinking
that, and nothing could be farther from the truth ! We have
an excellent variety of Killies on this continent , brackish
and freshwater, they possess a multitude of dramatic sizes,
shapes and colors and are a hit oversees. Here sadly they
are a flop relegated to use as an occasional bait minnow !
C'mon folks we can do SO much better than that! While we
talk about the rain forest and other ecological crisis we
let our ignorance of local flora and fauna and thus our
local Killies go unchallenged. These poor guys lie waiting
for SOMEONE, anyone to notice them. Why not you ! If
tomorrow your local newspaper ran a story saying XYZ Killi
was now extinct. Would you be surprised ? Would you know
what they were talking about ? Would you be ashamed ? Maybe
we all should be at least a little !
For those of you unfamiliar with our native Killies they are
a broad family of small (under six inches) minnow like
fishes. With a large degree of color variation and
temperaments with in the species. Almost all of them however
are suitable aquarium specimens. They have several
characteristics that make them something your average
Aquarist should look into. First and foremost they are tough
as nails. Their tolerances to heat cold, poor water
conditions and jumping on the floor are legendary. I've had
individuals who jumped from the tank and have been unnoticed
for hours when I finally find the dry, dusty, pitiful
looking victim he flip just a bit in my hand. So back in the
tank he went and by the end of the day was back to normal !
Second they are colorful, no not a neon tetra type of
colorful, but they are colorful, as colorful as a great many
tropical's out there and a heck of a lot easier and cheaper
to keep. Finally they are very interesting behaviorally
speaking. Your average Aquarist has an excellent chance at
successfully spawning most Killies. Sadly so little is known
about the triggers to spawning that well documented breeding
data is not generally available. On the positive side when
you discover how to breed these gems the data would be a
real bonus to the University or Department of Natural
Resources folks out there. Who by the way are finding it is
the Killies not the Gambusia family that are the real
mosquito fish. A Killi will eat 5-10 times more mosquitoes
than a Gambusia. They are truly mosquito munching machines !
With all that going for them they still have been virtually
ignored by Sportsmen, Naturalist, and most Aquarist. Only a
few of us nuts out here keeping the faith and the Killies!
That's been the hurdle our native fishes have had to conquer
! They don't lack in durability , they don't lack in looks ,
they certainly don't lack in interesting behaviors. What
they lack in is advocates ! Very few people care enough
about them to speak up for them. That is their downfall.
Book after book contains no relevant breeding or rearing
information. They all say the dreaded, see species
description. Why is that ? Is it possible that all Killies,
Sunfish , Darters and Shiners are alike ? Needing the same
water , conditions, food, and temperature requirements? Is
it possible that the entire continent is inhabited by only a
single species of Killi, Darter Sunfish etc.? Of course not
. It's just there is not enough information available.
There is great diversity out there and for the Aquarist
there is great opportunity to work with species of which
little or nothing is known. Imagine you could be first one
to document breeding conditions of a seldom studied Killi
and you would not even have to fly to Africa. You could
begin to document the range of a species that has been
passed over in the past as only a unnamed Killi ! It's not
SCI FI it's reality! All it takes is for folks all across
the continent to get busy investing their time and resources
into studying the world around them. You could make a great
difference, without significantly changing your hobby. Keep
doing what your doing just change subjects a bit. It
matters it really does !
OK, OK, you say, you've convinced me I'll try a few Killies
now where do I start? First check out your local library
and see if you can Find Peterson's Field Guide to Freshwater
Fishes by Brooks M. Burr and Larry Page. This resource book
will give you a real good idea of what Killies are available
locally. You should also check out and see if any people in
your area are involved in keeping native Killies. Check with
your' local Fish club or find out if there is a local
Chapter of NANFA (North American Native Fish Association) or
the AKA (American Killifish Association) both clubs are
active across the country in keeping and rearing Native
Killies and are great places to start (see side bar).
So what Killies do I recommend you ask . I recommend a ton
of them but for brevity's sake and to help the cause I'll
cut my list down to five . Based on overall beauty,
durability , availability and authors bias. Here's my top
five in NO particular order.
The Plains Killifish (Fundulus Zebrinus)- This charming
fellow looks like an escaped convict with his vertical bars
and golden backdrop. In the tank he is very hardy and I have
had them spawn in both the pond and the tank. He takes to
food like he takes to life ,with hardy abandon. One of the
finer specimens of a fish you can keep. It occurs in the
midwest. Sporadically from Colorado to Texas
Lined Topminnow (Fundulus Linnelatus)- Hard to find but easy
to love this guy is cool. The male takes on vertical
striping on a light gray background while the female takes
on the horizontal stripes. Which makes them a striking pair
to say the least. They are as hardy as you can get and make
an excellent species for study or home enjoyment.
Golden Topminnow (Fundulus Chrysotus) The Classic North
American Killi . Large, Colorful, exceedingly tolerant of
poor conditions and a bit on the mean side. Readily
available in the pet trade or through fish clubs.
Bluefin Killie (Lucania Goodei) Probably the most well known
of the American Killies this small Killi is an excellent
pond or aquarium species . The male is strikingly colorful
with fins of blue and red. It's small size and excellent
temperament make it suitable for small tanks and jars.
Occurs in southern regions but is available commonly in the
pet trade or through fish clubs
Blackstripe Topminnow (Fundulus Euryzonus) An excellent
addition to any community tank. This small colorful Killi
has a shy temperament and an unusual habit of living almost
exclusively in the top three inches of a tank. Very common
across the midwest and south. Very easy to collect my five
year old daughter has caught them on many occasions.
Here's a non comprehensive list of places to start good luck
and good fishing.
NANFA (North American Native Fish Association)
Membership 15$ USA 17$ All other countries
TO: Konrad Schmidt
1663 Iowa Ave. E.
St. Paul, MN 55106
Membership Includes a Quarterly Magazine American Currents
a BI Monthly Newsletter The Darter. Regional groups and
meetings
an active on line email group and a trading post.
AKA (American Killifish Association)
Basic US Membership 24$ other rates apply .
Membership Inf. Contact:
Ronald Coleman
903 Merrifield Place
Mishawaka IN
46544
Membership includes twelve monthly issues of the Business
News Letter. Six BI-Monthly issues of the Journal of the
American Killifish Association
_____________________________________________________________________
You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail.
Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com
Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]