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RE: big killi newbie mistake
Hi Taltos:
I use divided aquariums which present a similar problem. My fish sometimes
jump from one compartment to another. This behavior can be cut down by
providing sufficient cover in each compartment. This way the fish are not as
likely to migrate. I also combine more or less compatible species in one
tank. One successful mix was Celiae Celiae + Riv. Xiphidius + A. Striatum
despite some mix ups I never lost any adult fish due to conflict. An
interesting note: the Celiae never invaded the Xiphidius compartment. When I
removed the Xiphidius the Celiae immediately colonized the empty
compartment. I had a similar issue when I removed much of the Java moss from
one compartment the fish jumped to the adjacent compartment looking for
additional cover. Therefore I concluded that fish who are happy where they
are, are less likely to migrate. They also are more likely to colonize
unoccupied territories. I have also discovered that fish with abundant
hiding places are far less likely to jump out given the opportunity.
I am not a very big fan of central filter systems especially those where
tanks are connected directly to one another. Killifish are susceptible to a
variety of contagious maladies. If you get an illness in one tank you may
find yourself with an epidemic. I started using a central water aging tank
and then distributed water via bucket. I got velvet in 5 aquariums in the
same week on two separate floors of my house after a water change. I used
the same bucket for water removal and addition. If you were to use a
centralized system which ran the water directly back to each tank through a
UV sterilizer you would greatly improve your chances of isolating your fish
from each others illnesses. UV Bulbs are good for about six months to one
year and there are some costs involved. It is very hard to have good return
flow when there are fry involved. If the take-up screen is fine enough to
avoid sucking up fry it is also likely to clog.
There is a real conveniences in a centralized system in terms of
maintenance, assuming of course all of your fish can tolerate the same water
conditions but the risk of cross infection, fish migration, flooding and fry
loss require very serious forethought on the part of the system designer.
You might be better served by using a central air driven system. You could
keep all of your tanks better sealed and provide individualized conditions
for each species you maintain.
I have seen some super systems set up in large pet shops. One of these is
driven by 2 five horsepower pool pumps huge central heaters, a couple
hundred gallons of sand filters and monster UV units. To date I have seen
the following:
Heater malfunction killed off $2000.00 (wholesale price) worth of livestock
overnight.
UV bulb aging causing the spread and combination of infection making all of
the fish in the store contaminated and downright incurable.
As this is a several thousand gallon setup treatment is outrageously
expensive.
Homogenous water conditions makes it almost impossible to introduce certain
species of fish.
Tens of thousands of dollars and constant care have not solved the problem.
These systems are not used to raise killifish or any other small fry.
As a final note I have seen at least one such system (considerable smaller)
work passably well but I am not sure why. Central systems seem to do better
in salt water setups than in fresh water systems.
Good luck
-RJ-
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-killietalk at aka_org [mailto:owner-killietalk at aka_org]On
Behalf Of Taltos
Sent: Monday, December 18, 2000 12:31 AM
To: KillieTalk at aka_org
Subject: big killi newbie mistake
after going quite nuts at my local aquarium society auction and picking up
Aphy Scheeli, Aphy puerlzi, gardineri akure, and epiplaties dageti as well
as a
smattering of apisto's and various other species. I installed the killi's
in my
recently "completed" centrally filtered "rack" system of 12 15gallon
tanks.
I'd U-tube'd each level of tanks together, to correct a problem I'd been
having
with the overflow in a tank getting clogged, and thereby overflowing.
Everyone
decided to travel, and I ended up with mixed tanks I'd never intended.
I've fixed
the problem, the gardineri are back by themselves, the male dageti are no
more as
they wandered into a convict tank I assume. I am unsure as to weather the
sheeli,
and purlzei have been properly separated or not, the females seem a bit hard
to tell
apart.
does anyone keep killies on a central filter system? or because of their
size and
jumping habits are they best kept in separate tanks?
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