Re: CO2 & Planted Tanks for Killies

[Wright Huntley <jwwiii at pacbell_net>]

LohK L wrote:
 > 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.

Except for my local shop, owned by BAKA member Ted Pino, it sounds about 
like most of the US. You might be surprised at how easy it is to start a 
club and get regular exchange programs going with Europe, Japan, Canada 
and the US. [AU and NZ have some particularly ignorant 
prohibitionist-style laws that make them tougher, but even there it may 
be possible.]

You have unusual wild Bettas, Rainbows and Rasboras that many killifolk 
like so you don't even need to have killies to swap at first. Inverts, 
like shrimp, are also eagerly sought.

 >
 > 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.

Many do well because a healthy planted tank often has lots of oxygen and 
zero ammonia. Many killies come from moving, well aerated waters. Even 
the still-puddle fish have huge surface areas, compared to our tanks.

 > I don't add salt to my tanks as I
 > don't want to kill the plants.

Salt doesn't seem to harm most plants unless your water is too soft. At 
1 tablespoon per 5G, I have never had any plant problems from it in 
water that had a GH of 5 or more.  YMMV.

 > 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)

Eventually it will. That's why you need to use the salt, if your water 
hardness is adequate.

If not, you may want to add some Ca and/or Mg. That can be done with 
ground oyster shells or crushed coral in a filter, or by adding some 
Plaster of Paris and Epsom salts to get hardness up around 100 ppm or so.

 >
 > 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?

Usually, depending on the type of shrimp. Those with filter-basket front 
arms (not claws) don't seem to eat them.

 >
 > 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.

Have you considered using a fish trap to catch them without disturbing 
plants? You can make a simple one by cutting the top off a 2L soda 
bottle. Invert the neck and fasten it into the cut off end of the 
bottle. Bait with worms or other visible wiggly stuff. Leave overnight.

 > 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.
 >

Acriflavin and salt are cheap enough that it is not a big deal to treat 
tanks up to 400L or so. As you say, you don't want to kill your plants, 
and treatment can do that, particularly if your water is very soft.

Let us all know when your club holds its first meeting so we can 
contribute to that first auction. :-)

Wright

-- 
Wright Huntley -- 209 521-0557 -- 731 Loletta Ave, Modesto CA 95351

"The main political divide of our time is between those who trust
   the state and those who do not." -- Alberto Mingardi

                  http://www.sfbaka.net/


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