Re: [Killietalk] Nano Killies

["Mark R" <oldsan at gmail_com>]

Most SA killies commonly available are annuals, the non-annuals from there
are rather difficult to find as a hobbyist. That may not be your cup of tea,
don't know.
As for African killies, the annuals may prefer slightly harder water and it
is often necessary to add a little salt - this may limit you if your tank is
meant to be planted with more than just java moss, java fern, anubias, or
sagittaria (though that can make a beautiful tank too).

African non-annuals are your best bet - they prefer soft water and thrive in
heavily planted tanks. Aphyosemion australe and Fundulopanchax gardneri are
hardy fish, very colourful, and easily available. If purely for show, chose
only males, though they'll be aggressive with each other. If you add females
and keep your plants and water healthy, expect to see fry after a while.

An 8 gallon tank is quite good for a few of any but the largest killies.
Personally, I would not mix them with other fish, but some people do it
without a problem. In the wild, most killies aren't used to sharing their
water with many other fish. They do not require dither fish such as Apistos
do. If you are looking for a showy tank heavily stocked with fish, I'd
advise against killifish. If you like a nicely planted small tank that
showcases a few specimens of a single species, killies can't be beat.

By the way, fish don't really care what the pH is. Only eggs do.

Mark


On 2/28/07, Brown, Daniel <dpbrown at ea_com> wrote:
>
> Hello,
>
> I've just joined the list today and I have some questions, are there any
> killiefish that are suitable for being kept in small nano tanks?  I have
> a small eight gallon tank that I was going to setup at work as a planted
> tank and I was wanting something unusual to keep in it.  I mainly keep
> SA Apistos at home and our local water ph here in Vancouver is about 6.5
> so I was thinking that would make SA Killies a strong candidate as they
> are more likely to find our tap water suitable than the African killies
> which (I think) prefer more alkaline water?
>
> Also for SA killies would the staple dither (cardinals, neons),
> scavenger (corys) and algae control fish (ottos & Bristlenose) be
> suitable for a biotope style tank?
>
> Cheers,
>
> Daniel
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