CO2 & Planted Tanks for Killies

["LohK L" <timebomb at pacific_net.sg>]

Michiko Kita wrote the other day: 
> 
> I am just thinking about that after talking to some young aquarists in

> Singapore telling me that everything is cheaper there.

Well, things may be cheaper but you can never find anything Killi
worthwhile to speak of here.  The few Killifish sold in fish shops are
generally of very poor health and they only sell males.  Fish shop
owners can't identify the Killies they sell, much less tell you the
identification and collection codes.

I keep some of my Killifish in heavily planted tanks.  I have CO2
injection in all my plant tanks and the gas is fed from a gas cylinder.
Generally, I find that the fish are much healthier when kept in a
planted environment.  I don't add salt to my tanks as I don't want to
kill the plants.  I used to have very healthy stock of Notho rachovii's
and Notho guentherie's in heavily planted tanks.  I said "used to"
because the fish are all dead.  Somehow or other, the velvet finally got
to them.  (Big sigh)

I still have many Fundulopanchax gardneri N'sukka in another plant tank.
They breed regularly.  I don't collect the eggs as I can never find
them. Fry appears every now and then although there are easily more than
a hundred shrimp inside that tank.  Shrimp eat Killie eggs, don't they?

If you ask me, one big problem with keeping Killies in a planted tank is
that when disease strikes, it's practically impossible to transfer the
fish into another tank for treatment.  I couldn't medicate the fish when
they were in the planted tank as I didn't want to lose my plants.  The
volume of water was also huge which would mean I have to use large
dosages.

Ideally, I think the best plant tank for a Killi should be in the range
of about 40 litres (about 10 gallons if you're an American).  I've been
trying to design a tank for my Simpsonichthys magnificus and
Austrolebias nigripinnis de Carmelo.  The tank I have in mind would be
heavily planted with tall plants in the background for the fish to hide
as they can be pretty skittish.  In the foreground, I would have short
plants like Hairgrass or if I can grow them, Glossostigma.  Somewhere
within the short plants, there will be some sort of a hole where I can
put in a breeding bowl.  The bowl goes through the bottom piece of the
glass and can be visible when you look underneath the tank.  In the tank
itself, only the rim of the bowl will be visible.  The fish lives
happily in a planted environment and whenever they want to lay eggs,
they will dive into this breeding bowl.  

Whenever I want to collect the eggs, I would simply unscrew the bowl
from the tank and remove it from below.  The only problem is I haven't
figure out how to prevent the water from rushing down through the hole
when I remove the bowl.  And how do I get the bowl inside the tank in
the first place?

I'm still dreaming of that tank but maybe it will never be possible to
build something like that.

Loh K L
Somewhere in Sunny Singapore



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