Re: Newbie needs answers

[Wright Huntley <jwwiii at pacbell_net>]

Kat McCoy wrote:
> Hello, hello, hello, how is everybody? I have a question. I recently 
> purchased a trio of fish from my pet store, thinking they were tetras. 
> Turns out they're Oryzias javanicus. Not the kind on the website, they 
> have the wrong pic, from what I've found.

Medakas, or Ricefish are honorary killifish, and deserve more respect than 
they get from the hobby. They closely resemble the killies called 
"Lampeyes" and have mostly irridescent colors, usually with a bright 
reflecting eye.

More closely related to silversides and rainbowfish, they fit killifish 
environment and breeding methods very well, even if they have finally been 
taxonomically exiled from the Cyprinodonts.

> 
> None of them are doing badly, though one of them has a fungal problem on 
> his tail I cannot get rid of, after repeatedly dabbing the infection 
> with mercurochrome and dousing the water with anti-fungal agents. (Weird 
> thing is, once I did that, I had an algae problem that I'd never had 
> before. Huh.) Other than that, they're all healthy, in a 7- 7.5 pH 10 
> gallon, well planted and well lit, with a small school of corydoras, 
> which remains between seventy and seventy four. I was wondering if 
> anybody had info on breeding, or any better tips for their care? Thanks!

pH isn't too useful a parameter, but your water hardness and/or tds are. 
Temperatures should be a bit on the cool side for the Japanese versions, 
but *javanicus* and *celebensis* can seemingly take quite warm water, 
hence are great for our Calif. summers.

For more than you ever wanted to know about them, check out:

http://www.bio.nagoya-u.ac.jp:8000/

There's lots of other info, if you do a web search, as these fish are easy 
to propagate and have become a very useful research animal.

For best display, place where light from a window can illuminate the front 
of the tank. They are gorgeous blue-green in reflection, but very 
colorless and plain from the usual overhead tank hood light. Lots of 
hornwort, Java moss, and/or floating water sprite will give the female a 
place to stick the egg cluster you can see her carrying outside her vent 
in the mornings. One of the few fish that have eggs fertilized before 
depositing them for gestation.

Enjoy,

Wright

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


              [Not that I approve striking first,]
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       Might as well bring the Glee Club to a gang fight.

                     www.sfbaka.net


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